Ziingo — Restaurant in Portage

Ziingo (3830 W. Centre Ave.) in Portage is the newest venture for Chinn Chinn owner John Tsui. While the former is a sit-down eatery, Ziingo will be take-out only. Zip in and go, Ziingo. Opened in mid-October, the restaurant is partially owned by Tsui's children and long-time employees like Logan Saidla, who worked at Chinn Chinn since 2004 and will be a part-owner and kitchen manager. Hungry? Walk up to the counter and choose from four proteins: chicken, steak, pork, or tofu. Choose your veggies and add either white or brown rice or noodles. Top your concoction with a sauce. They offer curry, kumpao, or mongolean sauces. They also have a variety of hand-made appetizers. Everythign is made fresh right in front of you like Q-doobie. "You will be in and out in minutes," said Tsui. Sounds like a great idea for busy soccer dads who are sick of spinach, tomato, and mushroom pizza...

This is one of my favorite go to's for "fast food." (it's carry out, just FYI). You can tell by the taste they are using high quality, fresh ingredients. I eat here a couple of times per month and I have yet to find something I don't like. I love how they have a variety of sauces each day that range from mild to spicy. Their staff are great at offering suggestions and flavor combinations. While we are talking about the staff, their customer service is always amazing. Especially the fabulous Kate who is always so kind and friendly. I recently tried the buttermilk fried chicken, which I was skeptical of, and it was delicious! The lemongrass meatballs are another favorite, esp when paired with the aromatic green curry. You will not be sorry if you give this...

When this place first opened, it had exceptional food. Recently their quality has started to slide though. The last meals we ordered ended up with more than an inch of sauce in the bottom of the bowl and little rice or other ingredients to soak it up. Just tasted and felt like a gross salty Asian soup. I'm not sure if they are trying to cut cost or just have bad staff. Either way the meal was not appetizing. With their prices, which are on the higher side for a carry out restaurant, I would expect more quality and care put into their dishes. Not sure if I will...