Chu's Taiwan Kitchen and Bar

• Cuisine(s): American, Chinese, Taiwanese
  Price: $$$ $$$
  Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards
• Attire: Casual
  Features: Delivery, Kid Friendly, Takeout, Vegetarian Friendly, Wheelchair Accessible
  Serving: Dinner, Lunch
• Reservations: Accepted, Online Reservations Available
  Parking: Lot Available, Meters

Description

Dim sum and Peking duck. Those are the specialties of chef O. A. Chu, whom you might remember from Mr. Chu's Hong Kong Cuisine on South Beach. The dim sum, served daily, includes pan-fried, empanada-like leek dumplings; steamed "soupy pork dumplings"; steamed or baked barbecue pork buns; fried spring rolls with crackly-crisp wrappings as thin as phyllo dough; and sticky rice steamed in a lotus leaf with chicken, shrimp, and Taiwan sausage - the last a sweet treat that can be ordered separately. These particular dim sum items can be found on the regular menu as appetizers; Chef Chu, it should be noted, can be found cooking in the kitchen. Serving of the Peking duck begins with a traditional presentation of the whole, cooked bird for the diners' approval. A waiter then slices pieces of crisped skin with a little meat clinging to each and rolls them in rice-flour crépes with hoisin sauce and julienned cucumbers and leeks. The second course is a choice between the remaining duck meat: off the bone and sautéed with vegetables, or on the bone with either basil or taro. Other winsome entrées include tender chicken cooked in a hot clay pot in a white sauce mildly yet tastefully accented with curry and coconut, and a whole snapper with fillets taken from the bone and deep-fried with sweet-and-sour ginger sauce. Prices are a little high for this genre of dining: most meat, shrimp, and poultry items range from $16 to $22, while fish and lobster choices go for a market price generally in the $30 to $40 range. Desserts such as green-tea ice cream and lychee sorbet are $4. Service is attentive enough to perhaps warrant a slight uptick in the average check, but atmosphere is not exactly upscale. However, this restaurant is one of the best for chowing down on dim sum, duck, and other tasty Taiwanese cuisine from the familiar Mr. Chu.