Food in Mouth

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Mantou

Guest Post - Time for another guest post! Man I love these things. Once again, the man who brought you reviews of Urban Belly and Hot Doug's is here again. Jonathan brings us another tasty tale from Chicago, and this time it's about mantous. If you don't know what they are, read on! Also keep reading if you do know what they are...

I recently lost a bet. You see, I have always thought that mantou, the soft white steamed Chinese buns, referred only to the plain and not stuffed buns from northern China. And as I walked into Mantou, the new hipster noodle bar in Wicker Park, I questioned the appropriateness of the name because there are in fact no plain steamed buns on the menu. There are, on the other hand, filled buns, which I have always referred to as baozi. Then, my-ever-knowledgeable and clearly better half said that she remembered watching epics on TV (television being the ultimate source of all knowledge) back in Hong Kong, which referred to the filled buns as mantou. She hypothesized that mantou was an older term and that baozi must be a newer term for the steamed buns with filling. I, of course, scoffed at this assertion; and we made a bet.
Mantou is continued here...

3 comments. Posted on December 12 2008 at 10:59 am
Ghim Moh Hawkers

Guest Post by Jonathan - This is the last installment of the fooding Jonathan did while he was in Singapore. Check out the curry fish head or the laksa he wrote about earlier. Once again, his posts make me crave good cheap food in Asia. *sigh*

Spending the morning at the Ghim Moh market, I started to build up an appetite. Like any good wet market, it is filled with fishmongers, butchers and grocers selling a variety of seafood, meats, fruits and vegetables. But perhaps more impressive than the actual market, is the hawker stands behind it.
Ghim Moh Hawkers is continued here...

6 comments. Posted on November 7 2008 at 11:37 am
Curry Fish Head from Singapore

Guest Post - Yessss, I get to be lazy and stuff my face with cookies. Jonathan is back again with a guest post. This was from his recent trip in Singapore. Mmmm... curry fish head...

Three words: Curry Fish Head. It is a dish that is as flirtatious in name as it is seductive in taste. I think that its playful yet straightforward name is part of what makes the aforementioned dish both a local favorite as well as a tourist attraction.
Curry Fish Head from Singapore is continued here...

5 comments. Posted on October 23 2008 at 11:46 am
Sungei Road Laksa

Guest Post. Mmmm.. the sweet smell of food that is so far away from me. haha. Jonathan is back with another guest post today. This time it's about some food in Singapore.

When I arrived in Singapore, I was in a particularly hungry mood. Unfortunately, I had been trying to eat my stress away; and while it had not accomplished its primary goal of dissipating my stress, the eating had achieved two things:

1) Help me justify a new wardrobe;
2) Qualified me for a new boxing weight class.

The flight over did very little to curb my appetite. While the food on the plane was surprisingly plentiful, there was very little satisfaction involved. And so it was in the background of this voracious hunger that I set out for lunch.
Sungei Road Laksa is continued here...

5 comments. Posted on October 3 2008 at 12:07 pm
Urban Belly

Guest post. Weeee!!! first guest post of the week comes from Jonathan. I'm always conflicted when I see delicious looking food that somehow aren't so delicious. I bought some "Rice Drink" from Trader Joe's the other day. Kinda weird... but oddly satisfying. This sounds like the opposite. Kinda good, but me want more! Right.

This year, more than any, I have been acutely aware of two things: burger joints and noodle bars. And besides both those items (along with cupcakes and dumplings) being prominently featured on Food in Mouth, it seems that these food destinations are popping up more and more these days. How many celebrity chefs have started burger joints recently? Macy's "chef-centric" seventh floor in Chicago is a nice microcosm of this phenomenon. Across from one another are Marcus Samuelsson's Marc Burger¹ and Noodles by Takashi Yagihashi. Now I have to admit I'm a sucker for trends. So when Bill Kim opened his noodle and dumpling house in Avondale, it was time to make a trip up north.
Urban Belly is continued here...

3 comments. Posted on September 30 2008 at 11:20 am
Picnic in a Glass

Woo hoo, guest post time! This time, Jonathan's better half, Grace, has written us an entry that celebrates the end of summer. Anyway, I'll shut up and let you read it!

It has started to rain here in Chicago. It seems that Labor Day has come and gone and so have my dreams of summer. But as a final goodbye to the season, I thought it best to have one last picnic. I love picnics for so many reasons, but most of all the food. Most often, simple foods with nothing elaborate or extravagant; some of my favorite picnics have been with a just blanket, a baguette and cheese. But I thought as a celebration of the ending of a season, it would be best to do something special.
Picnic in a Glass is continued here...

7 comments. Posted on September 25 2008 at 10:20 am
Birreria Reyes de Ocotlan

Once again we have a guest post from my man Jonathan. I love this post because I have been craving tacos like no one's business. And goat taco?!?! Anyone know where to get that in NYC? Please? Pretty please?

It's 2 am and I can't sleep. I've been working the night shift, and my clock is all messed up. So I'm awake watching my own Sergio Leone marathon - A Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Watching these movies makes me wonder two things: would I make a good cowboy, and what did cowboys really eat? As Clint Eastwood crosses the desolate desert landscape, there's no steaks or chili or barbeque in sight. The cuisine looks horrid. The land is barren and rocky. No, I imagine they would eat goat. Not that there's anything wrong with goat. It's just not very glamorous. It's the type of meat you think of eating only when pushed to it. Pushed hard. Hard like the life of a cowboy.
Birreria Reyes de Ocotlan is continued here...

8 comments. Posted on August 12 2008 at 11:53 am
Hot Doug's

Jonathan is dropping by again for another guest post. Since I am a lazy butt and spent half of yesterday wandering around NY looking for my apartment keys... stupid story, no details necessary, so no haiku until later. For now, read some coherent writing for once! Mmm.. hot dogs... oh and Jonathan, if I induce hot dog cravings, you should just hope I never take pictures of cheesy poofs...

It just seems like I’ve been waiting in a lot of lines lately. As I sit here now on the floor of the AMC 21 waiting to watch The Dark Knight, whose tickets are harder to get than Mylie Cyrus tickets last year (not that I’d know), I keep thinking about the lines I’ve been in over the past few days. Not surprisingly, all the lines have revolved around food. First, there was the run to Hot Doug’s to fulfill the foodinmouth-induced hot dog craving; next, there was the chef frenzy of the Green City Market Chef’s Summer BBQ Festival.
Hot Doug's is continued here...

9 comments. Posted on July 21 2008 at 3:46 pm
My Wok

Howdy kids, we have another guest post today! Jonathan chimes in with a story about his shiny new wok! In case you missed it, last time Jonathan talked about cupcakes! Read on to find out more about his stir fry!

The sun had started to set as I walked into the kitchen and hardware store just off Wentworth. The store was cramped and kitchen tools were piled and packed into the small space. Metal shelving divided the space into narrow claustrophobic aisles. Along the right wall, heaped from floor to ceiling, were the woks. Staring at the multitude of woks I thought, "this is why I am here; to find my wok."
My Wok is continued here...

1 comments. Posted on May 14 2008 at 5:25 pm
Swirlz Cupcakes is the Chicago Cupcake response

Woo hoo, I love guest blogging days. Jonathan who brought us Andrzej Grill, is back for another guest post. And it is about cupcakes! I am making everyone think non-stop about cupcakes because that is how I roll. Read on! btw, anyone else here in the Chicago area?)

For some peculiar reason (I just can't imagine why?!), for the last few weeks I've had these non-stop cupcake fixation. Luckily there are two cupcake places close to the work. One, Molly's Cupcakes, is directly across from clinic while the other, Swirlz, is directly across from the main hospital. So no matter where I am, I have options for fulfilling my cravings close by.
Swirlz Cupcakes is the Chicago Cupcake response is continued here...

5 comments. Posted on April 1 2008 at 12:52 pm
Andrzej Grill

Annnnd it is time for another guest post from Jonathan! I do not know how this man has time to save lives and take amazing pictures. Maybe he does not sleep... anyway, enjoy the post!

The first Monday of March is Casimir Pulaski Day here in Illinois. Who is Casimir Pulaski you ask? Why he’s a Polish war hero of the American Revolutionary War of course! Why do I bring up Pulaski Day? Well, Chicago is known as the largest population of Polish people outside of Poland. And with that in mind, I often find myself always thinking that I should eat more Polish food. And it just so happens that this very weekend I found myself thinking just that. Thusly, I went out in search for a restaurant to fill this void.
Andrzej Grill is continued here...

6 comments. Posted on March 11 2008 at 11:19 am
Bacon club

Since I am lazy, today I got my friend Jonathan to write a post for me. The pictures are his as well. Basically this entire post is him and I am just lounging around doing nothing. Anyway, here you go.
Bacon club is continued here...

8 comments. Posted on January 30 2008 at 10:27 am
Chicago Brauhaus

In another installment from my favorite pediatric resident from Chicago, we have a post about Chicago Brauhaus.

I must admit, that some times I have needs. Needs that can only be satisfied by commonly-unwanted-meat-products-pressed-in-gelatin. Yes, headcheese, that delicate molding of meat from a pig, cow, or calf's head, heart, feet (or really anywhere else) calls to me to seek it out. And as it turns out, there is a great place in Chicago's Lincoln Square to satisfy my overwhelming headcheese cravings. The Chicago Brauhaus has been a neighborhood institution for over forty years serving the classic German food in a "friendly Bavarian atmosphere."
Chicago Brauhaus is continued here...

8 comments. Posted on November 27 2007 at 12:11 pm
Mong Kok Cafe

Note: I just want to welcome the first guest blogger here at foodinmouth. He's writing in from the Windy City, and will be a spot contributor whenever I am lazy. Normally he's saving lives at the children's hospital in Chicago, but today he's telling us about Chinese grub. Enjoy.

At the door of the Mong Kok Café (aka Chi Café) stands a plump rosy cheeked statue. While the campy value of a pudgy Italian chef in front of a Hong Kong Style Café may be lost on me, the rest of the décor at Chi Café is surprising fresh. The room is decorated in a bamboo colored wood paneling mixed with tiling a cool bathhouse style tile. Brightly colored signs covered with happy smiling fruits and stars hang over a large glass partition leaving a clear view of the sparking kitchen. The restaurant like an old school diner is all booth seating. Perhaps coolest of all the tables are installed with utility drawers just below the table tops that hold the utensils and napkins- neato!
Mong Kok Cafe is continued here...

2 comments. Posted on October 9 2007 at 4:17 pm