Chicago: Mayflower Restaurant

My disdain for Chinatown in Chicago is no secret. I've never tried to hide it at all. But sometimes the cravings get too strong and I cave. Or my friends insist that there's something worth checking out and I cave. On Friday it was the latter, which was how I ended up at Mayflower Restaurant for some dim sum despite the snow obstacle course we had to navigate through post-snowpocalypse 2011:

Instead of carts, you get a paper menu on which you write how many orders of what you want (convenient pictures included):

This is what my friend used to lure me back to Chinatown:

Fried sticky rice. Not going to lie, this one plate may have saved Chinatown for me. The rice is fragrant from the Chinese sausage and though I had some misgivings about the peanuts (I was afraid they would be boiled and mushy), they add a nice, salty crunch to the dish.

The fried sticky rice was definitely the highlight of the meal for me. Everything else that came afterward was the usual dim sum fare. As usual, we ordered way too much for the three of us.

Pork spare ribs:

Curry squid:

Yea, let's just say I would never order that again.

BBQ pork buns:

Shu mai:

Rice noodle rolls with shrimp:

The sauce was a little off and I didn't exactly appreciate the greens lining the perimeter.

Rice noodle rolls with some fried goodness inside:

This was probably my second favorite of the meal. I was expecting a simple you tiao (fried dough) inside, but surprise! There were other savory things included that I didn't take the time to identify. The crispy interior and the glutinous rice noodle roll make for the best combination.

Fried taro puff:

Fried glutinous dumpling:

Turnip cake:

Decent food for a decent price. Don't over order. You might not think you're getting a lot, but the portions are quite big.

Chinatown in Chicago is still a bit of an embarrassment, but I will concede that there are pockets of light.

Mayflower Restaurant

2225 S Wentworth Ave

Chicago, IL 60686

(312) 808-1322