CHIReview
photo credit: Sandy Noto
D Cuisine
Included In
If you want some really good siu mai this weekend, but don’t want to wait for hours for a table, you’re in luck. Or, if your friend who’s somehow always free at 2pm during the week invites you to get some excellent pork buns, that’s possible too. That’s because D Cuisine, a small BYOB Chinese restaurant in Lincoln Park, serves these things all day. And while there are other dishes too, the condensed dim sum menu is really why you should come here - regardless of the time of day.
D Cuisine doesn’t have a lot of tables, but it’s rarely crowded, so if you and your annoyingly carefree friend walk in, you shouldn’t have to wait. And since there are only about 30 dim sum dishes to choose from, it’s the type of place where you can be out in a half-hour (because you have to go back to work). Or you can spend that extra time discussing exactly how your apparently-unemployed friend can afford to live in a Lincoln Park brownstone.
photo credit: Sandy Noto
You’ll find a range of hits here, like steamed buns, siu mai, and perfectly chewy sesame balls. But the most impressive things are baked, like the BBQ pork buns, which have a sticky, sweet glaze. Or the egg yolk buns - soft and warm, with a gooey sweet filling that we’d put up against any cream-filled donut in town.
There are a few things we don’t love - like the bland taro puffs or the dry Guangzhou roasted chicken - but larger entrees like the chow fun and string beans with pork floss are solid, and can help to round out your lunch or dinner. But our favorite reason for coming here is to eat reliably good buns and dumplings with a friend. And unlike your friend who mysteriously disappears for days at a time, then shows up with a black eye and a pocket full of cash - you can count on the dim sum here any time of day.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Baked BBQ Pork Bun
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Steamed BBQ Pork Bun
Beef Chow Fun
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Siu Mai
String Beans With Pork Floss
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Deep-Fried Sesame Ball
Guangzhou-Style Roasted Chicken
Deep-Fried Taro Puff
photo credit: Sandy Noto