Chef Ping – 1755 Algonquin Road – Rolling Meadows, IL
If there’s a restaurant I remember going to on a regular basis from my earliest childhood memories – it’s Yu’s Mandarin in Schaumburg, a solid Chinese restaurant that my family has been frequenting since I was about 6 or 7 years old. I don’t think I’ve had any dish more often than the rainbow fried rice and the kung pao shrimp there. Alas, about 5 years ago, the owners sold Yu’s and a number of people felt the quality dropped. I have such a soft spot in my heart for Yu’s that it’s hard for me to tell a huge difference, and I think for the most part the dishes I’ve come to know and love haven’t changed a whole lot. But thankfully, the former owners opened up Chef Ping shortly after to provide another solid option with an extremely similar menu just right down the street in Rolling Meadows.
Shrimp Toast
Yang Jang Pi
We started the meal with an order of shrimp toast and Yang Jang Pi. The shrimp toast was a bit greasy but had great shrimp flavor and great texture. Yang Jang Pi is a nice mixture of veggies, egg, and rice noodles that were sharp and a bit chewy – all mixed with a mustard sauce that gives the whole dish a bit of bite.
Tang Soo Yuk
Sesame Chicken
Next up is Tang Soo Yuk and sesame chicken. Tang Soo Yuk is a fried beef dish served in a gooey sweet and sour sauce, not unlike sweet and sour chicken, but served with a bed of fairly colorful and fresh vegetables. The sesame chicken was a bit overcooked, but had a nice subtle sweet favor.
Jja Jjang Myun
Jja Jjang Myeun
Finally, a trip to Yu’s or Chef Ping or any similar Chinese/Korean restaurant wouldn’t be complete without Jja Jjang Myeun – a Chinese dish of thick noodles, similar to a thick spaghetti with a black bean sauce that has a great umami flavor – stirred in with some pork, zucchini, and onion, and a heavy dose of garlic.
While I think most people are of the mindset that Chef Ping continues the Yu’s tradition, I’ll always have a soft spot for the original Yu’s, even with the new ownership. That being said, Chef Ping’s does a solid job providing the same dishes at a simliar quality.
Choh's Chow 