Food
Sunda, named after the a historical/geographical area of Southeast Asia (not my friend Sundi), focuses on Asian cuisine and a fresh take on old recipes from Japan, China, Vietnam, and the rest of Southeast Asia. Not being a true foodie, I’ll admit I was drawn to Sunda by the hype and the promise of a scene. But it will definitely be the food and the service that bring me back the next time around!
The menu is quite long and somewhat confusing, split up into multiple sections such as dim sum style, hot, main flavors, Asian grill, and a few sections dedicated to sushi and rolls. I felt overwhelmed at first, not sure the difference between certain sections, but with a little guidance from our server Sarah (see Service & Management) we felt confident about our decisions.
We started off with a duo of tuna dishes: the Spicy Tail of Two Tunas and a Sunda signature dish, The Food of Buddha’s Classic Crispy Rice with spicy tuna. The tuna roll featured yellowfin and super white tuna and packed quite a punch. While the roll was delicious, it’s hard to blow my mind with rolls these days as there are so many great sushi joints around the city. It was the Food of Buddha that is still making my mouth water two days after the meal!
Spicy Tail of Two Tunas
To the average eye, Buddha looks like a nigiri dish (fish on a clump of rice). What you can’t see is the crispy surface of the pan-fried rice, delicately browned with remnants of rue and soy glaze. What you DEFINITELY can’t see (and can’t possibly understand until you try it) is the delicious taste and texture of this dish. It’s crunchy, creamy, sweet, and spicy all in one!
Food of Buddha!!!!
For my entrée, I had high hopes about the Charsiu BBQ Pork glazed with honey, miso, and palm sugar. The pork was fattier than I expected which was disappointing, but the flavor of the glaze was everything I had hoped for and more. I rummaged through the fat until I found every last bit of charred yumminess. I also tried a piece of my friend’s Red Rubbed Lamb Sirloin and it was quite delicious.
BBQ Pork
Lamb
Although the dessert menu looked ridiculous (ridiculous in a good way…in fact I was keen on trying one of the many humorously-named dishes, “Ridiculous”), we opted out in favor of saving room for more drinking. But when a dessert was sent over on the house, we felt obliged to scarf down the plate in .5 seconds.
I don’t remember what it was called, but our dessert consisted of pureed banana, battered with coconut, and deep fried to perfection, causing the banana to ooze out upon your first bite. I will call it Banana Balls. The banana balls (that sounds dirty!) were accompanied by raspberry sauce and fresh whipped cream infused with lemongrass which was UNREAL and unlike anything I’ve tasted before. Overall, the meal was delicious and left me wondering what other treasures were amidst the diverse menu.
A little something I like to call Banana Balls
The last things to mention, but certainly not the least, were the cocktails. The drink menu was extensive with wine and sake but the cocktails, made with a variety of different juices and fruit purees, drew me in immediately. For review purposes only (not), I try three different drinks. I started with the Go Go Berry consisting of muddled strawberries, mango vodka, and mango juice. This drink was absolutely delicious and I’m confident that just about every girl in town would enjoy it. I easily could have sucked down a few of these but decided to switch it up with the Kung Pao Mango. This unique cocktail mixed orange vodka and schnapps with mango & peach nectar and clove syrup, and then garnished with a sweet chili and toasted sesame seeds on the rim. The mango flavor didn’t come through as much as I wanted but the semi-sweet liquid and salty seeds made for an interesting combo. I’m glad I tried it but probably wouldn’t order it again. Lastly, with my recent pear obsession, I knew I had to try the Peared Sake and I was glad I did! This drink was incredibly refreshing and made me think of the warm Chicago days to come. It was Absolut pear, sparkling sake, and pineapple juice with a cinnamon rim. Did I lick the rim? Absolutely.
Go Go Berry
Kung Pao Mango
Atmosphere & Crowd
As expected, Sunda was a scene and a half. The noise and energy bowled me over as I walked in the door and needless to say I was very excited! Scanning the room it’s apparent that Sunda caters to many crowds: Large groups of yuppies kicking off the evening, pairs of co-corkers chatting away at the communal tables, romantic couples holding hands across the table, the occasional really old dude with an uptown hooker, and Chicago’s biggest scenesters hanging at the bar.
Sunda’s got a variety of different table set-ups. In addition to regular tables, the last-minute folks who forgot to make a reservation will find themselves at one of the communal tables: long, wooden hit-ops situated in the center of the space. I actually think it would be super fun to sit here…assuming that we were sitting next to hot dudes and not the hooker mentioned above. There’s also a street-level bar area (the rest of the dining area is raised) next to the windows with a more relaxed vibe where loungers can sit back and relax with a cocktail on one of the couches.
To be totally honest, I was too busy stuffing my face and people-watching to notice the design of the space, but what I do remember was delightful.
Scene at Sunda
Sushi bar at Sunda
Communal Tables
Service & Management
The service at Sunda was what made the experience truly extraordinary. Every staff member was eager to please, from the hostesses all the way up to the Chef and owners. It almost felt like I was at a spa. After being escorted to our table, a super-busser offered us hot towels and waited at our table until we were finished to take them away. Soon after, our server, Sarah, bopped over to welcome us.
Sarah was totally awesome. She’s a student at Kendall and had extensive knowledge of the menu and the restaurant. She comfortably gave us recommendations on some of her favorites and especially recommended the Food of Buddha which was my absolute favorite. Overall Sarah was sweet, attentive, and funny.
Sarah
As if the above wasn’t enough, Sarah flagged over the head chef, Rodelio Aglibot, who warmly greeted us and made sure we had everything we needed. He came back to check on us repeatedly throughout the evening, and even sent over some on-the-house maki and a dessert. We asked “where da party at” to which RA replied “Underground, of course”, and before we could say banana balls, he flagged over the General Manager of Underground, Ben Newby, who offered to personally escort us. They really know how to make a couple of nobodies feel like superstars!!!
Me and Rodelio
Bottom Line
Billy Dec and the Rockit Ranch crew definitely hit a home run with this one. The food was great, cocktails were great, and most of all, the service was great. As long as your willing to dish out some cash, get your reservation on at Sunda and be prepared to get pampered.
Facts
Address: 110 W. Illinois Street
Hours: Sun-Thur: 5pm-midnight, Fri-Sat: 5pm-1am
Parking: street, valet…don’t drive, get sloshed!
Owner/Management: Rockit Ranch Productions/Aeron Lancero (GM)
Spirits: Sake, Asian beer, Champagne, full bar, signature cocktails
Menu link: http://www.sundachicago.com/data/sunda_main_menu.pdf
