Restaurant Review: Celebrate the Year of the Dragon at River North’s Sunda

Happy New Year (again) from Dean’s Team Chicago!  Chinese New Year arrives on Saturday, February 10, and in honor of the Year of the Dragon, we’re featuring Sunda, which, according to their website, “celebrates the beautiful blend of cultures found on the Sunda Shelf, a landmass, today submerged under shallow seas, that was once surrounded by the many different countries and cultures we celebrate at Sunda today like Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, China and more.”

The brainchild of restauranteur Billy Dec, CEO of Rockit Ranch Productions, Sunda has been described as a “A large, bustling pan-Asian funhouse, Sunda is a trendy place to be seen as much as it is a place to dine. The sprawling, chic dining room boasts high ceilings, an earthy color palette, polished bamboo, and carved stonework housing plenty of beautiful people.”

Sounds like a perfect place to spend New Year’s…right?

From February 1-29, Sunda is featuring Lunar New Year Specials, including CUMIN LAMB DUMPLINGS served with pickled mustard greens, ginger vinaigrette, and a chili crisp. Or their SEAFOOD LO MEIN…a crispy scallop and shrimp, pea pods, with carrots, water chestnuts, shiitake mushrooms, and xo sauce. PAN SEARED RAINBOW TROUT  is served with mustard greens, salted black bean sauce, scallions, and radish. 

And for the year ahead, end the meal with LUCK AND WEALTH cookies and oranges, a symbol of good luck and prosperity in Asian culture. As LinkedIn relates, the bright, juicy citrus fruit carries a deep cultural significance.

That said, their regular dinner menu is full of tasty flavors, starting with a SPICY EDAMAME, with garlic butter and chili salt. Or, SEAWEED SALAD with wakame, local greens, tomatoes, cucumber, ponzu, and sesame. STREET CORN, Asian-style, has grilled corn, sambal coconut cream, kewpie mayo, toasted coconut, and mixed herbs.

Dinner entrees could include ANGRY HIRAME-flounder, shaved scallion salad, daikon sprouts, sesame, honey, and gochujang vinaigrette. YELLOWTAIL JALAPEÑO is served with mixed  cilantro, garlic, and yuzu ponzu. I’m all in for their TUNA TRUFFLE PIZZA with roti prata, black truffle, foie gras aioli, red onion, and truffle vinaigrette. PANCIT CANTON  has crispy pork belly, lap cheong, shrimp, carrots, cabbage,  bok choy, scallions, and cantonese sauce. LONGEVITY CRAB NOODLES  are lump crab, bathed in garlic butter, with toasted garlic and scallions. CHAP CHAE has sweet potato noodles, spinach, mushrooms, carrots, cabbage, scallions, tofu, and sesame.

Google reviews were ecstatic. 

“Dancing through the flavors of Asia!!!!” exclaimed one. “Sunda Chicago has a mission, and that’s to promote Asian cooking culture to the world their way. From the moment you enter, you’re taken away by the lively atmosphere. Lucky for us, we had NATE as our server, who literally took what we liked and made us our menu. Nate truly enjoyed picking our drinks, apps, entrees, and desserts. Run don’t walk to Sunda Chicago.”

“If you like sushi and Asian food, you’ve got to try out Sunda! They have happy hour 4pm to 6pm got some hand rolls and apps for $6 each. The pork belly was my favorite. It comes with garnish that is actually kinda delicious. There’s some kind of vinegar dressing in there.

The atmosphere was ambient with good music goi ng. Would definitely come here again.*

Sunda is located at 110 W. Illinois Street. They’re open for dinner Monday-Thursday, 4pm to 10pm, Friday & Saturday, 4pm to 11pm, and Sunday, 4pm to 10pm. Weekend Brunch is Saturday & Sunday, 11am to 2pm. For reservations, click here.

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago