Sunday, March 11, 2018

Cai restaurant

Grace, Hannah and I went to Cai Restaurant for dim sum this morning. The Chinese name for the restaurant is definitely much nicer, but it is hard to translate that into English (I can't translate it as well ... I guess that's why it is just call Cai Restaurant). Candace and Yeva were supposed to join us initially, but had to miss out on the deliciousness due to other last minute events. 

We arrived at the restaurant around 10am, and was glad that we were early because there was a long line just pass 10.15am. We ordered eight different items on the menu, and one of them was chicken feet. The Chinese name is so much more elegant - claws of the phoenix, but they do look like your good old chicken feet from the farm 😛. All of us agreed that it tasted pretty good, especially the sauce, but Hannah and Grace weren't too thrilled with the texture and shape! All the food were great, and our favorite was the creamy egg yolk custard bun. The egg yolk custard was creamy, salty and sweet at the same time, and the bun was warm and soft. We even ordered an extra serving of buns!

It wasn't too costly. It was about the price you would be expecting for dim sum. For the nine-items, and a pot of hot tea, the total cost was around $48. There is clear indication of the cost of each item on the menu - it ranges from $4 for normal dim sum dishes to $8 for special dishes. 

** Remember to be there by 10am on weekends to ensure prompt seating. 

Cai Restaurant
http://www.cairestaurant.com/
2100 S. ARCHER AVE. 2FL. CHICAGO IL 60616 US
Tel. 312 326 6888










Hannah's birthday

Hannah is one year older! This is the second time we are celebrating Hannah's birthday since we are back in the USA. Hannah's parents, Billy Pummill and Grace were all here to help celebrate her birthday. Grace made her a brownie cake, and also gave her (and me) a treat to the Chicago Beer Festival at The Field Museum. 

We took the Metra (so as to avoid difficult parking situations and drunk driving) to the Field Museum at around 7pm. There were about 70 beer brewers, and we were each handed a small, plastic "mug" when we checked in. We went from one stand to another, sampling the different types of beer, while, enjoying the exhibits at the same time. I enjoyed the different stouts, while IPA were Hannah's favorite.











For Hannah's birthday, I gave her an ecosphere and a bouquet of tulips. She has always wanted an ecosphere ever since I knew her, and I think this was a great opportunity for me to get her one. If you look carefully at the video, you can see 3 - 4 tiny red shrimps in the sphere, and a bit of algae for them to munch on! 😀

I also started running with Hannah again after a long hiatus. The weather is still a bit cold, so (having born in a warm-climate country) I had to be dressed in multiple layers to ensure that I am nice and warm. I really look forward to some warmer months.