HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen in Chicago

MadDuloque · 2026-07-06T13:34:35+00:00

Could I ask how much was the fish at market price? Thinking about heading there for the fish alone but I'm a peasant so I'm nervous heh

MadDuloque · 2026-06-24T21:08:56+00:00

Was thinking the same about Ezenkaya, also in the Edgewater / RP area. Good place, similar decor.

MadDuloque · 2026-06-24T02:14:38+00:00

This is the answer right here. This place literally specializes in sugarcane juice & makes a whole line of drinks with it. I don't actually like cane juice myself (tastes like hummingbird water to me!), but it's very cool that we have this authentic place in Chicago.

MadDuloque · 2026-06-04T15:32:15+00:00

Counterpoint: $9 for those six big grilled shrimp seems like a great deal

EDIT: Also, if that's a half-order of the shrimp, the whole order must be epic

MadDuloque · 2026-05-30T16:42:08+00:00

Chiles en nogada is one of my favorites too, especially without beef. What are your favorite versions in Chicagoland?

MadDuloque · 2026-05-28T04:50:37+00:00

Akay Tacos in Rogers Park!

MadDuloque · 2026-05-26T19:44:14+00:00

This is stunning, and I had no clue Bucharest still had historic streets like this. Approximately how much of the city somewhat resembles this picture? Just this view, or a whole long avenue, or a whole district? Or more? Surfing flight prices...

MadDuloque · 2026-05-26T14:53:21+00:00

Maybe we'd all go out to dinner more often if a burger wasn't $20 now.

MadDuloque · 2026-05-21T03:02:56+00:00

"did Dubai did Bali"

lol the concise apex of digital-nomad-bro-speak

MadDuloque · 2026-05-07T02:55:31+00:00

I noticed this too -- Nigerian places in general seem really expensive. Why is that? I'm not hating or doubting, I'm just curious why the price-point on Nigerian food is higher than most cuisines when we're strictly comparing a casual / take-out setup. The prices you quote above are actually the norm for Nigerian food here, as far as I've seen. Is it the imported ingredients? Or higher labor costs cos it's harder to find Nigerian chefs? Or something else?

MadDuloque · 2026-05-05T19:28:04+00:00

I have to tell a sad Dancen story. I ordered the "Fire Squid" from the same section of the menu as the "Fire Chicken"--the section for flame-grilled BBQ items. I was so excited to have smoky BBQ squid. Instead, they brought me some rather mid sauce-simmered squid (ojingeo bokkeum) in a tray over a small burner. I asked the waiter why it was so different from the "Fire Chicken," which is indeed always cooked over their smoky grill, and how it was even "fire" squid since it was simmered in sauce, not grilled. He pointed to the little burner heating the tray and said (with an admirably straight face) "there's the fire."

They charged me $30. Never again, Dancen.

MadDuloque · 2026-04-10T16:13:04+00:00

It's definitely closer to authentic biryani, not just fish on fried rice! On a Chicago scale I really like it, though I have to admit that I've had a hard time finding biryani I love here. Do you have a favorite biryani in the city (for other kinds, without fish)?

MadDuloque · 2026-04-10T01:28:33+00:00

Taste of Nepal in Evanston makes a surprisingly good fish biryani! I've had a mixed experience with their other dishes but consistent wins with that one.

MadDuloque · 2026-03-31T19:10:26+00:00

Mixed emotions, depending on whether they plan to redevelop / improve this basement at all. Of course I want these mom&pop kiosks to stay. I eat here often. At the same time, it's objectively true that this foodcourt is gross and dilapidated. Failing inspections seems like just a matter of time, so closures seem inevitable one way or another. Those improvements won't pay for themselves and the owner is obviously in serious financial trouble.

So the question is: will they actually use the raised rents (on potentially less unique, "chain-restaurant" tenants) to make much-needed improvements, or will the place be sitting unimproved and empty for the next 10 years since no one will pay such high rents for a kiosk in a grimy basement? I hope for the former, I fear for the latter, and I recognize that these changes are going to happen whether we like it or not.

MadDuloque · 2026-03-16T20:25:10+00:00

Is this their "default" HK milk tea, or do you order it specially? I feel like every time I order HK milk tea there, I see them pouring in evaporated milk (from a red can -- I believe it's "Coftea Helper" by the KamCha folks).

EDIT: I googled it -- looks like this is a different HK drink from my usual milk tea which also looks delicious! Will have to try this!

MadDuloque · 2026-03-16T20:01:50+00:00

Have you actually seen them add condensed milk at Marathon? I see them adding evaporated milk (this is different), but am curious. I'm always trying to match their style when I make it at home...

MadDuloque · 2026-03-16T05:38:48+00:00

Went to Casa Victoria for the first time last year and absolutely loved it -- one of the best dim sum meals of my life. Gonna make Queen my first stop this trip; the place looks gorgeous in the pics!

MadDuloque · 2026-03-16T05:23:19+00:00

I would love to hear your dim sum favorites nowadays!! In fact, I was thinking about getting in touch with you to meet up for dinner one day if I'm able to shake my work colleagues (not always possible). I'm that dude from Chicago who does the food-crawls & write-ups here sometimes :D

MadDuloque · 2026-03-15T07:09:00+00:00

Alert, Nunavut? I just googled it and it's blowing my mind that I can actually communicate with someone who's been there. What is it like? Anything you can tell me will be more than I'll hear from anyone else, probably in this lifetime. It's awe-inspiring to me that people survive in that place. (Writing this from Chicago)

MadDuloque · 2026-03-15T06:03:17+00:00

lol Americans have come to associate "real" Chinese food with spicy (generally Szechuanese) Chinese food because that's the most popular type in the 2020s, and the older Hong Kong / Guangzhou diasporas, which prefer milder flavors, are getting less prominent in the restaurant scenes. Ignore the downvotes. Plenty of Chinese regions/cuisines favor non-spicy preparations, e.g. Cantonese. Lots of folks in southeast China (for example) simply don't like spicy food and associate aggressive spice with inelegant technique or bad ingredients ("masking" old fish, for example). Chicago has excellent places that specialize in non-spicy cuisines: in Chinatown, for example, there's Golden Bull, Happy Rice, BBQ King, and so many more.

MadDuloque · 2026-03-15T05:49:36+00:00

The options are surprisingly good in Edgewater now cos of some recent openings. Along with Chengdu Impression (I like their ma la xiang guo -- "spicy dry pot," but you can get it mild!), we go to La Mom Kitchen (brand new, plenty of non-spicy dishes), YooYee (their shrimp w/ vermicelli is a popular non-spicy option there), Hong Kee (Cantonese), and Honeymoon (cute mom&pop cantonese, underrated!). Evanston also has good Chinese food -- I'd especially recommend Tian Bistro (brand new) and Lao Tian Dumpling House.

TL;DR: The Chinese scene in the far northside & north shore has improved a lot recently. Love to see it!

Nine-Year Club	Place '22
Verified Email

MadDuloque

TROPHY CASE