Chicago Food #2 — Shine 🏮

Reportedly one of Chicago’s more authentic Shanghai-style private kitchen spots 🍲, also serving Japanese dishes. ⚠️ Important: Many ingredients require advance prep, so you must pre-order at least one day ahead. Walk-ins won’t get the private kitchen menu! (Latest menu attached at the end.) 🏠 Address: 756 W Webster Ave, Chicago, IL 60614 💰 Price per person: Around $70 (we ordered 6 dishes for 3 people) 👫 Vibe: Great location, nice ambiance. Choose indoor or outdoor seating. Reservations recommended. 🦀️ Stir-Fried Live Crab with Rice Cakes A signature dish — almost every first-timer orders it. The crab is pre-fried for crispiness, then wok-tossed to lock in juices. Flavorful, though the crab wasn’t super plump (but with generous portions, can’t complain too much 😄). 🐿️ Sweet & Sour Yellow Croaker (“Squirrel Fish”) A classic Jiang-Zhe dish. Sauce was well-balanced — tangy and sweet. Fish fried crispy with barely any bones — easy to devour without worry. ⚫️ Eel in Garlic Oil (Xiang You Shan Si) I was really excited for this, but it fell short 😔. Portion was decent, eel cut into nice segments, but way too oily — it overwhelmed the natural flavor. Better over rice. Not the best value — 6.5/10. 🐟 Fish Head Soup with Bean Thread Noodles Definitely worth trying 👏. Light on salt and pepper, highlighting the fish’s natural freshness. Warm, comforting, with slippery noodles — a winner! 🦆 Salted Duck & 🦐 Quick-Fried Shrimp Appetizers. The duck was fine; the shrimp was fragrant (though served lukewarm/cold — not sure if intentional). Worth a taste if you’re curious. Overall, good value considering ambiance and execution — great for group gatherings or multi-person meals. We ordered 6 dishes for 3 people — couldn’t finish. Order wisely! You can also add sashimi or sushi on-site if you go early while ingredients are fresh 🍣. The restaurant also offers seasonal specialties like sticky rice dumplings (zongzi), drunken crab 🦀, mooncakes, etc. — pre-order required! #ChicagoFood #ShanghaiCuisine #PrivateKitchen #ChicagoEats #AsianFood #GroupDining