Chew Man Chu Review: Chow Fun

The largest category of menu items I sampled was dishes that were forgettably fine — things you’d be happy to find at a neighborhood takeout joint. There’s fried rice that’s fluffy, and absent the grease so often present. There’s honey chicken, breaded and fried morsels coated in a sticky sauce. There’s chicken satay with a super-sweet peanut sauce.

And then there are pork belly buns, a dish you can push from good enough to really good with the judicious application of the condiments on the table. Tart, hot chili vinegar makes over the buns as dramatically as Stacy and Clinton redo their charges on What Not to Wear. Something similarly magic happens when you drizzle the Korean-style barbecue ribs with soy sauce and chili paste, or put a dollop of chili oil to the duck lettuce wraps. At times, I wondered if I was meant to finish making these dishes at the table.

The chef, unlike others of his level of experience, says I am. He knows the dishes are less spicy than some might like — that’s what the bottles are for. “I’m all about accommodating people,” he says. “Whatever makes you happy.”

Owner Marty Grims, who converted this space from the staid Du Jour, echoes his chef’s sentiments exactly. “Buddakan, successful as it is, is expensive, and it’s hard for some diners to get their arms around Chinatown. This is Asian food that’s easy.”  Nothing on the menu exceeds $19, another factor that draws in less adventurous eaters and makes diners relax. At a time when money is tight and tension is high, a frivolous restaurant with a serious chef who gets much of his menu right is a needed oasis of fun.