Seven Wives for Hong Kong Style Breakfast

I have a wonderful friend who can make and shift plans on a dime. I got up earnestly this morning planning to go to exercise class, plant the planters, weed the perennials and otherwise whittle down the to-do list. I called my friend to see if she’d join me for exercise, which she counter-proposed going out for breakfast since she was already dressed. Makes perfect sense to me: why exercise, when you can eat instead? I’m mentally reviewing where to go, when she phones back to suggest the Hong Kong Chinese place. What a great friend because I was thinking the same! In the same crazy line of thought, we pick up my Mother because we can order more stuff to try! Great minds think alike!

We sent my Mother into Seven Wives first while I looked for parking. My Mom having already studied the menu already decided on Ham Omelet and sausages + toast + coffee or tea for $3.95. I hijacked her plans steering her away from the almost western breakfast to BBQ Pork Pan-fried Spaghetti + Dry Stock Fish & Peanut Congee + coffee or tea, also for $3.95.

Dry Stock Fish & Peanut Congee had what appeared to be raw peanuts in it. The stock was fish-flavored with flecks of fish meat, not exactly my favorite though tolerable.


This came with the BBQ Pork Pan-fried Spaghetti:


I had the same fish-flavored congee, though my noodle was Pan Fried (rice) Noodle with Beef, which was everyone’s favorite noodle dish and more flavorful than other versions we had recently:


My friend did a mix and match choosing Preserved Egg & Shredded Pork Meat Congee, which is my favored choice next time, with BBQ Pork Fried Noodle offered somewhere else. She also had a Coke instead of coffee and tea, the only adjustment to the bill was 35 cents or approximately $3.50 for her choices:


Though the waitress said we already ordered plenty of food, I just don’t quite always believe really skinny people. So I added a delicious Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll at $2.25:


Plus a Fried Turnip Cake at $2.75 which had a wonderfully crisp exterior which crunched in your mouth:


We also ordered a Black Mushroom Rice Meat Wrapped for $3.50, which by 10:30 AM they had run out of. We also had Beef Ribs with Black Pepper sauce at $2.75, which did not make us swoon.

For a future meal, I am interested in sharing the ‘Super Bowl Breakfast Combo,’ which has Satay Beef with Doll noodle in big bowl + Grilled pork with pan fried eggs + coffee or tea for $5.50.

Tip and taxes, we spent just under $8 per person with leftovers to feed a 4th.

Their take-out menu describes ‘Happy Hour for Richness,’ which I will post for lunch under $5.

Seven Wives Restaurant
2230 S. Wentworth Avenue
Chicag0, IL 60616
Tel: 312/842-7888

hi Cathy,
Hey, the food looks delicious! I wonder what time they open in the am. If it might qualify for one of our dead early breakfasts.

Hi,

Outside of the bakeries in Chinatown, which opened officially at 7 AM and unofficially at 6:45 AM. Seven Wives opens at a rather late 7:30 AM.

Can you handle a later time sometime?

Regards,

I'm not familiar with all the bakeries in Chinatown, but my favorite, St. Anna's doesn't open until 8:00 (I was disappointed once on an early morning mission to supply the office with bean-paste buns).

Saint Anna Bakery & Cafe
2158 S. Archer Ave.
312-225-3168

jbw wrote:I'm not familiar with all the bakeries in Chinatown, but my favorite, St. Anna's doesn't open until 8:00 (I was disappointed once on an early morning mission to supply the office with bean-paste buns).

Saint Anna Bakery & Cafe
2158 S. Archer Ave.
312-225-3168

That reminds me that when I lived in practically across the street from Vin Phat bakery. I watched the place get built and eagerly awaited fresh croissants in the AM (Uptown would now be Paris on the Lake!). I was there on day one. And know what? The croissants were not ready until that afternoon. First day problems? Nope, that's just when they made the croisssants. So, it never became a morning staple for me.

Rob

FYI - I learned this evening Seven Wives is owned by BBQ King. It's supposed to be attractive to younger Chinese.

I have friends who were born and raised in Hong Kong. They went there on my recommendation last weekend to scout it out and came away with high praise. I am encouraging them to post on their experience.

Regards,

Last Friday, my "day off" after dropping my husband off at work, I decided not to battle the rush hour/holiday traffic back home and treat myself to breakfast.

Off to Chinatown - I decided to try the Seven Wives HK-style breakfast.

I agree with what Cathy said - the atmosphere is definitely trying to be more "hip" than some of the old school chinatown restaurants.

I had the dried-fish congee with peanuts. It was ok, but not to my taste. Kind of a fish flavored porridge with peanuts and a few green onions. Maybe if it was a cup, I might have been compelled to finished it, but it's a VERY large bowl, the i could not even think of getting to the bottom of.

The BBQ pork spaghetti was delicious. Not creative, but perfectly seasoned with just the right amount of pork and soy. I added a little chili oil, which brightened the flavors even more.

Tea or coffee is included.( but you have to pay 50 cents extra for ice) Tea is not served in little tea cups or big mugs, but large plastic cafeteria-style tumblers, which was a little weird. It never really cooled off enough to be drinkable. I'll shell out for the ice next time.

In short, I'll be back. The food is good. The staff is friendly and helpful (i think she might have tried to talk me out of the congee) You can't beat the price and the place is immaculate!

And for those on the lookout for kid-friendly - they had a stack of high chairs in the corner.

Hey guys, all this Seven Wives chat, and no one is remembering that it is also a great place to bring one's daughter

Rob