MCCB Chinatown Review

Author and Photographer: Miranda Yuan

Having been deprived of traditional Chinese food for too long, I was determined to acquire some for my first birthday in America. With a sense of purpose and urgency, we sprinted our way to the Metra, tore down the streets of Chinatown, and charged through the door of MCCB tucked away in the corner of the legendary S. Archer Ave where the titans of Chinese cuisine reside.

Bring forth the plates.

MCCB’s signature Chengdu Spicy Dumplings were a dish that evoked low groans and satisfied sighs around our table. The plate of chewy dumplings with their silky smooth skin bathed in sonorous chili sauce, was delicately garnished with freshly chopped spring onion and sprinkles of sesame. We sopped it up greedily. Each piece was gratifyingly juicy, the meaty filling tender yet dense, the skin elastic yet firm.

We were feeling adventurous and ordered the Boiled Fish Filets in Spicy Szechuan Sauce. As the massive bowl was served, we stole frightened glances at each other upon seeing the chunky fish filets plunged within a violently scarlet lagoon of sauce loaded with Szechuan chili peppers. Indeed, the oily, hot, peppery umami was expected. But rather than pain, we experienced electric charges that flitted around our lips and tongues as waves of satisfying numbness overcame us like a mysteriously pleasurable punch in the mouth. Each time, we put down our spoons and squeezed our eyes to prevent the onslaught of tears. Yet each time, we picked our spoons back up to have another go, and another, until, oops, it was all gone.

To counter the intensity of the boiled fish filets we ordered the signature dish of Traditional Sweet and Sour Short Ribs. It was really quite well executed. The short ribs obtained the most delicate ratio of sauce, each rib poised between just the right amount of sweet and sour. I eagerly pulled the meat with my hands so that the whole thing came off cleanly from the bone and slid down my throat. It was primal and breathtakingly good.

More protein. The Szechuan-style Twice Cooked Pork is my all-time favorite Chinese dish. Having tried it at countless restaurants in both New Zealand and China, I anticipated rather nervously MCCB’s presentation. How wrong I was to doubt MCCB’s culinary prowess. The interplay between the crispy pork belly slices and refreshing leeks was emotionally stirring. This dish is an enduring glory of Chinese cuisine and a strong counterargument to putting on tight jeans before leave your dorm. It was perfect.

Clockwise from top left: Twice Cooked Pork, Chili Stir Fried String Beans, Chengdu Spicy Dumplings

Next up were two classic vegetable dishes: Chili Stir Fried String Beans and Spicy Garlic Sauce Eggplant. The heap of long, slender string beans was a ravishing blast of green punctuated by bits of crimson, while the eggplants were seductive with their glazed and glossy skin drenched in thick and tangy sauce. MCCB managed to forge just the right level of doneness: thoroughly cooked yet on the verge of crispiness. The eggplant’s sauce was equally memorable. It coated my cheeks, its flesh melted atop my tongue, and its sweetness surged through my tastebuds.

Finally, we ordered a seemingly humble plate of Dried Chili Chicken. Oh, how we were deceived! They were a fiery and peppery high-end spin on KFC-style popcorn chicken nuggets. Each bite of the chicken was so crunchy, you could have done ASMR without a microphone. The enveloped flesh underneath was so juicy, yet so tender, it made my heart swoon.

We enjoyed our bowls of rice, swollen with opulent meats and vegetables, in an impeccably clean interior endowed with an amalgamation of Western and Asian, historic and modern adornments. There was a buzz of contented customers (along with a line of them outside the door) and the service was professional, amicable, and rapid. One could not possibly desire more.

MCCB possesses a menu tailored to any type of mood. But most importantly, its ability to deliver authentic Chinese dishes (validated by every one of the seven dishes we ordered), with vigorous nods to Szechuan cuisine, not only compelled me to reminisce about specific snippets of my childhood spent in China but also conjured up a sense of pride about the greatness of Chinese cuisine.

My birthday was made a little unforgettable at MCCB in Chicago Chinatown.