Katy's Dumpling

Katy's Dumpling House

665 N Cass Ave
Westmont, IL 60559-1338
(630) 323-9393

This small shack of a place has ravings all over yelp, lth, chowhound, etc. It's no wonder they added decor, new menus, and an additional formal restaurant in Naperville. I still prefer the Westmont location, simply because the food is made better. Naperville location dishes have been overly greasy, spicy, and salty...it's borderline scary.

Westmont location, on the other hand, weren't bad at all. Aside from delicious noodles & dumplings, we found the very BEST green onion pancakes in Chicagoland area... perfectly fluffy, layered, crisp, and supremely delicious. It's a MUST try!!

Aoba「青葉」Ramen

Both the hubby & I love noodles... Italian pasta, Chinese beef noodle soup, Taiwanese chi-a noodles, Vietnamese Pho... you name it. Due to the fact that my husband's birthplace is Fukuoka, Japan, we are also big fans of Japanese Ramen, especially Tonkotsu.

Therefore, on the second day of our 2009 trip to Japan, our family took us to Aoba Ramen (Okachimachi 御徒町店). It's a chain of 15 shops (plus 1 specialty shop), specializing in Chuka Soba & Tsukemen. It's located with two other ramen shops in the Ramen Yokocho (横丁). Upon walking in, you purchase what you want through a vending machine, obtain a ticket, walk into your Ramen-ya of choice, and wait in line (if there is one) until someone finishes eating. It's not a restaurant-type of place where people sit to socialize. Everyone goes there to eat their ramen at a seat around the counter and leave.

I loved that these noodles were extra chewy, and the soup base was good, but it's not as strongly flavored as Komen. It definitely was an enjoyable experience, but our hearts are still with Komen.

　〒110-0005
　東京都台東区上野5-20-3
　　　　　　　　03-5812-2254

http://aobai.jp/

Yoshiike - Ueno, Japan

Yoshiike

Superbly delicious sushiya san... everything was very fresh. It's a small little place but comfortable, with attentive services. The chawanmushi was THE BEST EVER.

A few weekends ago, my brother, hubby, and family friend randomly went bowling in glendale heights, and was looking for somewhere to eat. At my brother's recommendation, we decided to try this restaurant. Hub & I have always wanted to explore other cuisines, so we didn't mind.

The restaurant was big, with a lot of German memoribella, and the menu was extensive. Hub & I ordered two items and shared. Since their dishes came with soup or salad, we did one each.

Soup of the day (forgot what it was)...but I remember the broth being nice & flavorful.

German Salad Plate - a variety of marinated vegetables, either creamy or slightly sour. Pleasantly refreshing & interesting.

Entrees

Schweine Braten- Roast loin of pork with red cabbage and dumpling $15.95

Although flavored nicely, pork loin was a bit dry. Dumpling was different than what I imagined..it's like a big ball of stuffing.
Wiener Schnitzel Breaded veal schnitzel with lemon. $19.95
This was crisp, tender, and delicious. But there wasn't anything uniquely different or ethnic, it's simply breaded/fried veal.

Overall, the portions was ample, and we happened to go during their happy hour, so we received a discount. The waiter was helpful and very nice. However, there's nothing that stood out so strongly that makes me want to go back, nor try German food anytime soon. If there are anything people do rave about, and strongly recommend, then I'll go back.

Schnitzel Platz Restaurant
729 North Ave
Glendale Heights, IL 60139
Tel: (630) 942-9900