Roy's Restaurant

Roy’s Restaurant

For my 23rd birthday, The BF took me to Roy’s Restaurant in Chicago! Being a HUGE seafood lover (as I was raised in Hong Kong, where seafood is more prevalent than burgers) he had a pretty good idea picking where to take me. The BF ended up ordering a three-course menu, and I ordered separately. The overall verdict? YUM!!

RATINGS (1-5):

Taste: 4 (Some too-salty dishes prevented the 5)

Originality: 4.5

Plating: 5

Atmostphere: 4 (VERY crowded on a Friday night)

Value: 3.5 (Pricey, but very delicious. Prix Fix menu a good deal if you like what’s on it)

We started off with edamame instead of a bread basket. The BF and I went through 2 bowls of ‘em.

Appetizer #1: Maine Lobster Dim sum This was a huge hit with the both of us. The creamy sauce and the light foam complimented the rich flavors of the lobster inside the dim sum. The skin of the dim sum was slightly chewy (in a good way) and packed with bold lobster flavors inside. AWESOME!

Appetizer #2: Prosciutto Wrapped Tiger Shrimp & Goat Cheese Polenta, served in a lemon caper & herb sauce Clearly there is no polenta because we asked for no goat cheese. Neither I nor the BF are big fans of goat cheese after a BAD BAD experience at Oceanique (Evanston, IL). The shrimp and spinach tasted exactly like it looks. No surprises there.

The BF’s Entree: Hibachi Salmon Glazed with “Crab Dynamite” served with Sesame, Chive Butter sauce This was salmon topped with a REALLY thick glaze that had extremely bold flavors, which masked the fishiness of the salmon. It was a little heavy from my perspective, but I think The BF loved it. I just got a huge kick out of the marinated cucumbers on the side. hehe

My Entree: Roy’s Classic Trio – Hibachi Grilled Salmon, Roy’s Original Blackened Island Ahi, & Hawaiian Style Misoyaki Butter fish, a sampling of our 3 classics in their traditional preparations It wasn’t served in that order, but form the left there’s the tuna, then salmon, then butter fish on the right. The BF and I both agree the butter fish was WAY too salty, but the meat was tender and flavorful. The salmon had a fabulous sauce and met expectations. I think the true winner of the show was the tuna. It was seared to perfection, the sauce was to-die-for, and everything about the meat was above expectations. I loved it, as you can tell.

Dessert #1: Mini Creme brulee
A free birthday treat from Roy’s

Dessert #2: Roy’s Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle Flour less Chocolate Cake with a molten hot center served a la mode
True to its description, this was like a hot semi-sweet brownie with a gooey middle. The ice-cream was the high quality vanilla that had little black specks from the vanilla bean, and the tart raspberry sauce that framed the dish added a new dimension to it all. Note that this was actually quite a bitter brownie, but it worked extremely well with everything else on the plate.

We scraped the dishes clean. YUM! I’d totally come back, but I wouldn’t try anything twice.
Thank you Roy’s for a wonderful night, great food, great service, and tasty food!
And more importantly, Thanks to the BF for taking me. http://www.roysrestaurant.com/dinnermenu.asp?u=3401