Last night, I took my boyfriend for Cantonese food at Chef Shangri-La in North Riverside, IL. Chef Shangri-La has appeard on WTTW's Check, Please! and was named Chicago's Best Tropical by Chicago's Best TV. What makes Chef Shangri-La unique and fun is the over-the-top tropical decorations that are so tacky it's fun.
We were both very excited because I had booked a reservation a few weeks ago so that we could enjoy the live band scheduled for the third Saturday of every month. A different band plays every month, so I can't speak to the quality of every month's perofrmance, but we loved the band that played for us. The Cocktail Preachers played the tropical-sounding, Hawaiian tunes you'd expect at a resort. We had a front row seat, which was fun because we could really watch the band and we could check out the unique instruments they used. The only downside was that we didn't get to chat much after the show started because it was somewhat deafening from our table five feet away.
We had plenty of time bop to the music and enjoy the cheesy atmosphere at Chef Shangri-la because the service was especially slow. No one approached our table until twenty-five minutes after we were seated. The restaurant was full, but the combination of the fact that there weren't that many tables in the restaurant and the servers seemed bored meant that the long wait felt ridiculous. The table behind us was seated after we were, but received faster service because it was more obvious that they were old enough to order alcohol. Once we had the chance to order, we had a Twisted Fuzzy Navel and a Piña Colada. The delicious Twisted Fuzzy Navel was sugary and fruity, with very little alcohol. The Piña Colada mostly ice and sugar. I would certainly order the Twisted Fuzzy Navel again (and again... and again), but I'd pass on a Piña.
It took about fifteen minutes for our drinks to come out, which is about when I started to really notice how slow the service was. We had ordered our food at the same time and that took an additional fifteen minutes for the food to come after the drinks. We ordered Island Style Fried Rice and Tahitian Mango Passion Moa, both marked as specialties.
The Island Style Fried Rice had an excellent, tangy and honey-like barbeque sauce on the pork shoulder, which was nice because the rice was very plain. Fried rice is generally a very salty dish, but that wasn't the case with this particular meal. The pork was well-cooked, enough that there wasn't any pink left on the inside, but the meat wasn't dried out. The vegetables and pineapple weren't anything special. They tasted to me like they may have been canned.
I preferred the Tahitian Mango Passion Moa to the Island Style Fried Rice. The Tahitian Mango Passion Moa was beautifully presented in a boat-shaped dish. The white rice came in its own silver bowl and was obviously freshly cooked because it was incredibly hot. It was also super sticky, the way white rice should be, so that even a little white girl like me could eat it with chopsticks. Chopsticks weren't offered, though, and wouldn't actually be useful since the chicken came in pieces that were far too large to eat in one bite. The menu described the batter on the chicken as cake-like and I've struggled to find a better description. It was sweet, airy, and light. The sauce was similar to the standard sweet and sour sauce you find at most Chinese restaurants, but lighter and with a spicy kick. The vegetables on the Tahitian Mango Passion Moa tasted fresher than those on the Island Style Fried Rice, although the mango itself was dry and significantly less fresh than the peppers. Overall, though, it was a delicious dish.
Just as we were finishing up, we and the other diners received free raffle tickets! There were about eight different prizes raffled off, including salt and pepper shakers, a t-shirt, and tropical-themed cups. Unfortunatley, we didn't win any of the prizes, but it was still a fun surprise. :D
On the whole, we had a great time at Chef Shangri-La. I would absolutely return on another night when I had plenty of time to sit back and pass plenty of time there. Next time, I'd go on either the first or third Friday of the month, when there are fire and hula dancers. Our two drinks and two entrées totalled $40, so if you're interested in going, check out this Groupon deal I stumbled upon.
Until next time!