moetchandon and I are in now, too!

I'm in, too.

Me, too! (Another "You know you're an LTHer when... You set your alarm so you can call to make a reservation the minute the restaurant opens.")

Should we start a list in one place? If anyone else wants to post or PM me, I'll try to keep the list of attendees up-to-date. So far we have:

Cathy2
dansch
eli
EvA and John
Evil Ronnie and The Lovely Donna
GAF and guest
GWiv and Ms. Wiv
Gypsy Boy
JermAngela
mbh + 1
nr706 and moetchandon
reb and rab + 2
ronnie suburban
stevez
tarte tatin

Total 24

There should be 14-16 more attendees....

The Lovely Donna and myself are in.

I am in with husband John. And looking forward to the meal and the company! Kelly is a great host. She went above and beyond when she couldn't call me back on the cell number I left her and called me on my office phone, having gotten the number from the restaurant's caller I.D.

hello me dears!

we are at 39 so dad decided we will open an extra table and do 40. i have ONE seat left. everyone after that will be on a waiting list and will have first right of refusal for the next big dinner we plan if they don't get in this time around. we are so glad that everyone is so interested in this event. it is a great way for us to celebrate the new year with people we know and love. ^_^ don't hesitate to call and leave a name if you are still interested. btw, i will have name cards so that i can sit everyone properly without worrying that there's 11 at one table and 9 at another. i know you guys love to mingle. i will see you all on monday!

quack quack!
kelly and family

I'm in for one (by which I mean that I called Sun Wah and got on the list the at the first opportunity. "I'm in" means that I'm on the list and expect to attend for the purposes of tarte tatin's list.)

We're a foursome. A work colleague and his wife will be joining us - - both big Sun Wah fans.

REB RAB +2

Should be fun,
Ronna

I'm in for one.

Fifille and I are signed up as well.

Unfortunately, I will not be attending - work calls -again!!!
I will be seething with jealousy as I think of all you enjoying Sun Wah.

Jyoti

I'm in for one! I also just realized, after explaining the dinner to a friend, that I've had poon choi before, in Hong Kong last year. I'm looking forwards to the dinner!

I confirmed a seat with Kelly last night, so I'll be there.

-Dan

I'm a newbie to LTH and just signed up for the dinner. I'm bringing a friend and looking forward to putting faces with names and wonderful food.

We have to bow out unfortunately. I canceled our reservation with Kelly and she is calling the next two on her list.

hi everyone,

please be sure to arrive between 6:45 and 7pm for dinner on monday. we would like to start promptly at 7 because we are having a packed house and as much as i'd like to devote all my time to you guys, i have to pay attention to others too... see you all soon!

quack quack!
kelly

LTH,

Great time at Sun Wah, Pun Choy was a joy, company conversation, overall good feeling and a terrific way to usher in the New Year.

Thanks Cheng family, thanks LTHForum!

Pictures forthcoming.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:Pictures forthcoming.

Indeed! Here are a couple . . .


Land-faring Pun Choy
Chicken, Beef, Pork Belly and Trotter, Moss, Maca Root and assorted vegetables, including mushrooms.



Sea-faring Pun Choy
Shrimp (fresh and salted), Scallops (fresh and salted), Oysters, Fish Balls, Fish Cake and assorted vegetables, including carrots.

It was a most-enjoyable, special event -- wonderful food and great company. And btw, our table was the only one to finish both their pun choy.

=R=

Ditto. A most wonderful way to celebrate and ring in the Chinese New Year (and don't forget, as Kelly mentioned, the upcoming parade along Argyle). It was a great event (do they have any other kind at Sun Wah?) and a wonderful chance to meet new friends and old. Our table was convivial and enjoyed Kelly's history/cultural/culinary explanation, not to mention the extraordinary, very generous portions of food. Wow! Truly a wondrous feast. The alcoholic supplementation was wide-ranging and not a soul left (at least from our table) that wasn't pleasantly stuffed. All capped off by a really excellent peach beer (okay, so it was Belgian. It was still a revelation!) and green tea creme brulee. Thanks to all for arranging this event--especially the Chengs. We wish them health, happiness, and prosperity in the coming year. Their skills in the kitchen are exceeded only by their thoughtfulness and generosity. We are truly lucky to have them!

Sun Wah is my favorite Chinese restaurant north of Chinatown, and Kelly is such a magnetic personality that she could easily fit in behind the counter at Manny's.

Having said this, I must confess that, company aside, the pun choy dinner was not outstanding in strictly culinary terms. I was happy that I attended for the experience of Pun Choy, which is rarely (if ever) found in Chicago or the United States.

Pun Choy is basically a collection of foods within the same pot. One can't really call it a stew because there is not really an attempt at marrying flavors. Of the two pots (buckets) my clear favorite was the meat (land). I enjoyed the beef and the chicken in particular, and really liked the moss. I found it very tasty, although still a set of separate foods.

The seafood was less appealing. It really required the chili sauce to overcome a certain blandness, but that tended to overpower some of the delicacy of the scallops, and the method of cooking meant that some pieces were overcooked and others undercooked. It was interesting to have the experience, but I wouldn't rush to order it again.

Towards the end of the meal we were served fried rice with peas and lettuce (and I believe shrimp sauce). It was alright, but nothing so unusual.

Dessert was intriguing: a green tea creme brulee, although the greyness of the "pudding" took some getting used to. But is was a nice take-off on a traditional French dessert.

Kelly bowed to the canons of fusion by serving glasses of delicious Belgian peach beer. While I did enjoy the meat-based pun choy and the green tea creme brulee, the peach beer was the highpoint of the evening, aside from the company.

I am looking forward to Sun Wah's new location, and I am delighted that Kelly and company provided us with this unique opportunity for a special taste of a Chinese cuisine that is rarely found. Ultimately I will treasure the memory of the food more than the specific tastes. Thank you to the Chengs for arranging this evening.

A couple more food shots . . .


Fried Rice
Lettuce, Onion, Peas and Shrimp Sauce



Green Tea Brulee

GAF wrote:Pun Choy is basically a collection of foods within the same pot. One can't really call it a stew because there is not really an attempt at marrying flavors. Of the two pots (buckets) my clear favorite was the meat (land). I enjoyed the beef and the chicken in particular, and really liked the moss. I found it very tasty, although still a set of separate foods.

I too, enjoyed the land-faring rendition better than the sea-faring. As for the flavors not marrying, though, I don't entirely agree because the broth in both instances was really great -- possibly my favorite element -- and it was a essentially a combination of the flavors of the individual components in the dishes.

=R=

Thanks to the Cheng family for this. Kelly's explanation of the history behind this type of meal made it especially interesting. While I agree that I enjoyed the land-based pot a little more (perhaps in part because I was fairly full before the sea-based pot came along), It was great fun to stick my chopsticks into my bowl and see what new, interesting tidbit I would pull out next. In that sense, I appreciated the fact that the flavors in the pots didn't particularly meld.

I felt especially lucky to be there because I realized that this type of meal could never be on a normal Chinese menu - it could only be served to a large group.

It was also interesting to mix with a few non-LTHers at our table. I handed out several cards, and at the very least I expect we'll get a few new lurkers.

I should have mentioned that the broth for the land version was quite delicious, and that did marry flavors. The bucket was not really a soup, but the liquid that was present was excellent.

Thank you all for a wonderful evening--the food was definitely interesting and the company was simply delicious.
I loved Kelly's historical insights and I left the event feeling very enriched on many levels. (the beer and the bourbon were great bonuses). I went home last night and have joined the LTHForum, and look forward to upcoming events. Oh, a special thanks to Gypsy Boy and everyone else at my table for making me feel so welcome.

I had a wonderful experience, but have to agree the land pot was better than the sea because of
the difficulty of controlling the heat for the sea, it suffered as a consequence. We had a wonderful evening with great conversation all around and it got RubyRed to join up. Sun Wah did an outstanding job and Kelly's explanations added to the evening.

ronnie_suburban wrote:And btw, our table was the only one to finish both their pun choy.

=R=

Yes, our table had the biggest fressers in a room full of fressers!

I agree with others that the land pun choy was the highlight of the meal. The moss--supposed to bring prosperity, I think Kelly said--was a new, and enjoyable, taste for me. Her father's new chicken recipe worked very well. The whole presentation was spectacular. Kelly's explanations of the meaning of the different foods was fascinating as well, even if my American ear could not tell the difference between the correct name of the food and the slurred rendition that sounds like a word for health or wealth. Thank you, Cheng family, for a great experience and eating adventure.