With mom visiting, I get to have a bunch of home-cooked meals for lunch and dinner!! (So sad she’s leaving next week :()
Chinese people always have some sort of soup at meals, and our family favorites always involve some sort of protein (chicken, pork bone, or tofu) and a mix of veggies.
A typical lunch will have: Some kind of yummy soup (Chinese chicken soup, with bak choy & shitake), Veggies (Stir-fried garlic kale), Egg & Tomato stir-fry, Some kind of meat for my brother (minced pork), Some kind of meat for me (unpictured chicken), Carbs (usually rice or rice noodles – my favorite!), and since I’ve been a good girl…kabocha.
Looks ghetto huh? Eatig on newspaper and tin foil?? Mom and I are camping out at my brother’s place and we’re sharing a bedroom between the 3 of us. There’s a kitchen, but no place to eat, so we have to eat on the bedroom floor with the yummies. It’s kinda fun! Like camping! And having 2 room mates! 😉
Playing Favorites
This soup deserves a special mention because Chinese people often use lean pork bone to flavor their broth-based soups! This is my family favorite – tomato, bean sprouts, sliced tofu, pork bone, and rice noodles on the bottom!
And then there’s the TO DIE FOR stir-fried Taiwanese rice noodles!
I dream about this at night when I haven’t eaten it in a long time. This is a really traditional Taiwanese dish that has all your nutrients in one big stir-fry. Mom goes light on the oil, and in the wok she tosses: sliced ham, egg, sliced carrots, sliced cabbage, and rice noodles…all with some good old soy sauce!
So I’ve been eating well. 🙂 The only thing I worry about is mom leaving – noooooooooo back to cooking strange food for myself!!!! *sob*
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But Obviously, I can’t let my poor mom cook all day, all week right? So we experience some restaurants over the weekend, including M. Henry! My mom was craving French toast, because the toast in Hong Kong aren’t the thick-cut kind she loves…and that’s only IF you can even find a place that serves French toast.
The family and my boyfriend went to M. Henry just to see what the hype was all about. (Look up best brunch places in Chicago and you’ll know why this restaurant deserves a special mention)
Unfortunately, we didn’t realize they don’t serve the yummy looking brunch menu on Saturday’s so we ordered off the regular menu. Though the food was solid, but we encountered a server who had literally NO patience and had a P.O.’d look on her face. My mom was not happy….until she had her 5 cups of coffee.
On with the food!!! Click here for the full menu:
Fannie’s killer fried egg sandwich 8.95
toasted sour boule layered w/ two over-medium eggs, applewood bacon, sliced plum tomatoes, gorgonzola, & fresh thyme and served with house potatoes.
The boyfriend ordered this sandwich, and he said the eggs were runny, the bread was crusty, and the potatoes were awesome!! Two thumbs up for flavor, but not astounding!
Tango tilapia wrap 9.50
cajun spiced tilapia, grilled & wrapped in a tortilla w/leaf lettuce, plum tomato, sweet pea sprouts, chinese mustard & mango salsa, w/your choice of side.
My entrée was delicious, but not filling enough for me! I didn’t expect the tilapia to be so moist and flaky inside the perfectly pressed wrap. The combination was literally perfected with the mango salsa and had a spicy kick to it. Of course I had to mix some ketchup with hot sauce on the table to help enhance the fish flavors. 😛
Juciful jerk chicken 8.95
a fire grilled jerk spiced chicken breast, with grilled red onion, tomato, & leaf lettuce, served on a crusty baguette with a side of fresh mango salsa.
My brother substituted the baguette with M. Henry’s cranberry walnut bread, which was really delicious as sandwich bread. The chicken was grilled perfectly and super flavorful. Both Jeff and I agreed that the side of salad was awesome – fresh and seasoned with a tart vinegar dressing.
Omelet Special 8.95
made with asparagus, sun-dried tomato, onion and feta cheese, served with house potatoes.
My mom is big on omelet’s, so I ordered her a vegetarian one that was on the specials menu (not online). It is one of the most flavorful omelet’s I have ever tasted because the cook didn’t skim on the ingredients! Yay!! On top of that, the potatoes were amazing!!! I ate all of mom’s potatoes, which tasted sort of Asian/Thai, spicy, herby, and well-flavored with rosemary. I’m re-drooling just thinking about how tasty they were. The only complaint is that the feta cheese in it was super stinky. (recall I’m not a fan of cheese, but mom liked it)
Simply french toast 2.50
brioche french toast, with maple syrup
I stole a bite of mom’s single slice of French toast. It was good, but not great. I think my baked French toast is definitely better. Mom thinks that the bread wasn’t thick enough and not as tasty as she had hoped it would be.
RATINGS:
Taste: 4/5 (Very solid in flavor, fresh and tasty, but not a clear winner compared to say Bongo Room)
Plating: 4/5
Originality: 4/5 (I love the variety of the menu. They are also really great about letting you make substitutions)
Value: 3.5/5 (I may have a big appetite, but I wasn’t full from my $10 wrap. I guess the other dishes were pretty fair for a sit-down brunch place)
Service: 2.5/5 (Definitely didn’t need a cranky, impatient server who was over-worked and way too busy/invisible)
***
Yes, life has been hectic lately…but I LOVE having family around. Especially my mama! 🙂
Whose your favorite cook in the world?!?!
Lucky Taste Buds! 
Ahhh, the rice noodles look SO GOOD. My mouth is watering from looking at the picture!
Soup at meals, the rice noodle sounds amazing with all those veggies and eggs in there! Yummm, your mom seems like a fabulous cook! Sorry that she has to leave 😦
M. Henry’s sounds delicious! I especially love the sound of your dish—a “perfectly pressed wrap” filled with fish and mango salsa? Foodie heaven!
For whatever reason out of all those pix, the potatoes stood out the most to me. Yum!! They look very flavorful and delicious.
So glad you are having such a good time with your family! 🙂
Yay for mama food!
In your family, do you usually have numerous dishes per meal? Or at least per main family meal? When I was in Taiwan, it seemed liked they had 6 dishes per meal. Of course that was during the New Year week…but apparently, they cook similarly to that all the time.
I want your mom to cook for me! Those Taiwanese rice noodles look amazing!
you made me crave homemade chinese food!!!! I love that soup with sprout beans, tomatoes and pork bones!!! I’m glad that my family is coming to visit/stay with me soon! and then, I’ll be lucky like you having mom cooks for me all the time! 😀
Your wrap looks delicious. Looks like M. Henry’s is such a sweet little spot for lunch. Love all their sammie selections.
Ooo, tough question. Some of my favorite cooks include, Mario Baltali, Rachel Ray, Bobby Flay, Gordon Ramsey.
Basically anyone on the food network, except Sandra Lee, she annoys me! 😉
Hope you are well sweet girl!
Oh man those foods look incredible. Yum yum! I want all your mama’s recipes 😉 Glad you’re enjoying her there! Sorry about your cranky waiter. That always makes me mad!
❤ jess
xoxo
The soup with bean sprouts and tofu looks awesome! I really think soup is one of the best foods in the world. The fried egg sandwich is something I Would order at a restaurant, it looks great, the bread looks especially crunchy and mouthwatering!
Who is my favorite cook? I would have to say my grandmother’s (both of whom are not longer living) were my favorite cooks. My one grandma was ITalian and she could make the BEST lasagna in the world. My other grandma grew up on a farm and everything she made was also real, full fat, and full of real wholesome tastiness!
Camping out with your mom sounds so fun! I miss my mom–good thing I will see her finally this weekend! And I looove Chinese food :-] My fav cook in the whole world is def my grandpa–his spaghetti sauce is to die for!
kabocha!!!!!!!!!!!! UGH my fav. I’m on my way to the store RIGHT NOW for some kacboch!
lovin all the food! you knwo whats crazy? i don’t think i’ve ever had kabocha before??? ah i need to try it asap it sounds like 🙂
aw it looks like you are having such a great time with your mom!!!! thanks for sharing your traditional lunch, the food looks delicious but especially your favorite noodles! yummm i can see why those would be favorites 🙂
wow it all looks amazing, I want to come visit and eat your meals lol
yum yum those eats look great! im coming over!
-muffy
Your mom sounds like such an amazing cook, Michelle! Those Taiwanese dishes look incredible. I love my mom’s cooking, too. It’s so nice when she visits, and I have someone to cook with! 🙂
Your moms cooking looks amazing!! Tell her to leave you some covered dishes before she leaves. haha Honestly there is nothing like mamas cooking. even if I make the same dish it never tastes the same. That restaurant looks really yummy as well. Have a great Sunday 🙂
~Justine
that kale looks delish. i love the ghetto-ness of the eating…hey, its a bonding experience, right?!
Love the home meals and ghetto ness 😀 Great restaurant too but pissy waiters/waitresses are the worst!!
YAY for mom’s cooking! nothing quite like it, is there? And you’re Taiwanese? A lot of my closest friends are from Taiwan, too!
And man…loving the egg sammie and the french toast!
I LOVE when my mom cooks for me! And that egg sammie looked sooo good! I almost drooled on my keyboard!
if there is something better than fried egg sammies and french toast, i have yet to find out what that is! yay for mommy cooking – gotta love it!
Gotta love home cooked meals! However, all of those restaurant creations look great!
Aw so cute of your mom to cook for you guys! It all looks great! That french toast and omelettoo… yummm!
Yummyyyy stir-fry….isn’t it the best when mom’s cook for ya? Everything just tastes so much better when mom’s cooking, hehe..
Have a great day. Great post today!
Best,
Amie
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