Gaijin — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

Around the late March to early April timeframe, Chicago celebrates its culinary scene in "Chicago Restaurant Week." Post-pandemic, Restaurant Week spans about two weeks and involves a multitude of restaurants offering prix fixe or multi-course menus that highlight their popular dishes. Belsy and I have partaken in this celebration years prior, as it gives us a chance to check out new places or cuisines. This year, after looking at some mouthwatering pictures of their food online, we decided to dine with a friend (shoutout Lorena) at Gaijin, an Okonomiyaki-focused eatery. It managed to give me a delectable glimpse into a different food of Japan that I had never heard of before!

We walked in a few minutes before our reservation and waited briefly before getting seated. Once seated, our friendly waitress brought water to the table, and we started to peruse the menu. The restaurant week menu was a four-course meal. It consisted of two savory openers, the okonomiyaki customized with a protein (and other add-ons for additional money), and a trio of donut holes of our chosen flavor for dessert. Since we were a party of three, we decided to split different items from the menu, allowing us to try a little bit of everything (one of the pluses when visiting a restaurant with others that like to share like Belsy and I do). We put our food order in along with drinks. I had a "1919," an old-fashioned-like whisky cocktail, while my wife and our friend ordered each one of Gaijin's signature kakigori cocktails (one raspberry and one strawberry). Unbeknownst to us, these are beverages with shaved ice, and we got a little spectacle when pouring the alcohol onto the ice melting it.

We did not wait long for the first few dishes to arrive. Of the vegetables, pickles, and kim-chi that we tried, my favorite was the kim-chi. Granted, I am a fan of kim-chi, so I'm biased. Our next course arrived right behind the first and included orders of marinated beef ribs, salmon, and bok choy. After trying each dish, the consensus at the table was the marinated beef ribs were the clear winner, it being tender and well-seasoned. The bok choy came at a close second, cooked nicely with a punch of garlic that did not overwhelm. In third place was the salmon, with a hot mustard/wasabi sauce that, though not bad, was more one-note and not as flavorful as the other dishes.

Upon clearing out the initial dishes, our okonomiyaki came. The staff served it on top of an embedded griddle at the table (to keep it warm, I imagine). Each one was glistening and looked incredibly delicious. We dug into each: the pork with an egg and udon, octopus with crispy rice and sriracha mayo, and beef with an egg. The pork with egg and udon tasted fantastic. The combination of saltiness mixed with the richness of the egg did it for me, with the udon providing a reprieve from the texture of the batter. Unfortunately, the batter overwhelmed the rest of the ingredients with the other two okonomiyaki. It was an unbalanced bite where you had to search for different flavors and textures rather than them blossoming naturally. Despite flaws, they were still good, but the pork outshone them. Our final course, donut holes, arrived after a tiny delay, though served a whole donut for one of the courses as compensation for waiting; top-notch service. You can't go wrong with donuts for dessert, and these hit the spot. The coffee one tasted authentically like coffee instead of being coffee-flavored. The chocolate was dark chocolate rather than milk, which I enjoyed. While the herbal matcha donut hole was not as appreciated by my other companions, I thought it was as good as the coffee flavor. Overall, this was a great novel place, and we all left satisfied with our meals. I recommend trying it at least once; it's unlike other foods cooked abundantly throughout the city. It made me a fan of Japanese street food, yet, this dish is something I would have to really be...

Let me start off by thanking some of my local photog friends Jaz 77 amd J-Remy 12 for getting these pix for me!

Gaijin is a comfortable tucked away rectangular eater set next to the Morgan Green Line CTA stop. The menu emphasizes far-eastern cuisine that would normally be considered a staple or national dish in places like Korea.

HOWEVER their dessert and appetizer menu in and of itself is no slouch.

I decided to go with the "Gaijin Passport Experience". A 3 course meal, they start off with Kombu Marinated Vegetables, I chose to have the beef rib as my second course.

It included rice with some slight seasoning as a topping, followed by the 3rd and final main dish, the Osaka Style Okonomiyaki. The combination of protein and cabbage was flavorful.

Closeout with a sampling of 2 desserts, Movhi Donut Holes and Black Sesame Ice Cream.

The coffee glaze over the warm donuts finished the passport experience on a delightful and satisfying note, although the matcha donut glaze weren't slouching either.

All of which was washed down with a Orange Sakura Spritz.

Food prep time is short, and presentation unfortunately seems to overtake eating ergonomics on certain dishes. But we all know, few will ever care.

Pros: THE EXOTIC DESSERTS, GET THEM ALL! The basic easter pancake like dish called "Okonomiyaki" (pancake dish I hope I hope I didn't mis-label) they are known for, has multiple formats in cooking methods, not just with toppings but in formatting of cooking.

The wait staff are actually knowledgeable about the menu, not just reciting what's I'm writing.

Bathroom has great upkeep.

Cons:

For some reason most shift's wait staff aprons are not kept cleaning, after a few weeks of asking fellow customers on my exit, we seem to have come to the conclusion the aprons collectively may not be washed more than once a week.

Furthermore city reports gave them a citation sometime ago, however there is also a notice left on door of the primary entrance that states it received a citation, and is covered by some form of door artwork.

Portion sizes in comparison to price runs SMALL. It is entirely possible it may be due to aftermath in relationship to an ignoramus' blanket tariffs, so it may be best to consider this a conditional con if it's out of their control.

Presentation on a hot plate instead of a dinner plate for certain dishes comes off as not so unique, and fun but more so troublesome in relation to other presented pieces.

Summary:

Although they may never get a Michelin Star this restaurant is one of the few I've seen in years that has the distinct ability to become a Chicago staple and hopefully upscale franchise that appeals to both the everyman looking for the taste of exotic, or the more financially well-endowed could also find a wealth of palettes to please in one...

I was excited to head to Gaijin for my first dinner in Chicago during this visit. Our table took a bit of time to get set up so we ended up ordering drinks at the bar while we were waiting.

We ordered the three sweetest drinks: the Hi-Chew drink and the two shaved ice drinks. The shaved ice drinks were quite a spectacle -- it starts as a pile of shaved ice and some flowers, then they pour on the liquid which melts the ice and creates the cocktail. I got the frozen rose drink which was honestly very delightful. It was the sweetest of the drinks we tried and I'd definitely get it again. The other shaved ice drink was quite floral and good and then the Hi-Chew drink wasn't as sweet as the other two. We really enjoyed the cocktails -- definitely a highlight.

We then got two okonomiyaki. The best one that we had was the Hiroshima style okonomiyaki which has yakisoba, bacon, cabbage, and some batter. It was just the perfect blend of flavors and textures. I especially enjoyed the yakisoba component so I'm sure that the yakisoba dish would also be great. This is one of the better Hiroshima style okonomiyakis that I've had in the US, and I'd definitely get it again.

We also got the shrimp Osaka style okonomiyaki which I wasn't as big of a fan of. The flavors were reminiscent of elote, and it didn't really feel like an okonomiyaki. While the shrimp was good, I didn't like the combination of the other ingredients and the cabbage tasted a bit bitter. This was an interesting fusion dish but I preferred the Hiroshima style okonomiyaki vastly more.

We also got the twice cooked garlic after I saw some rave reviews online. I personally really liked it because I love savory flavors. This dish was bursting with umami with the soy-glazed crackers and extremely smooth garlic that was cooked in oil and soy sauce. The dish was a bit one note but it was a note that I liked so I was very okay with it. I would get this again.

Lastly, after seeing the dish at another table, we had to try the black bear kakigori (shaved ice). My favorite component was the dark chocolate eyes as well as the salted caramel ice cream. I thought the chocolate ice was a bit too sweet -- I found myself looking to have more of the unflavored ice inside. Overall I think this dish is super cute but I probably would not get this again. I would go for a more traditional shaved ice like the matcha.

Overall this restaurant has great vibes. The servers are very friendly and attentive and we got some really great drinks. The twice cooked garlic and Hiroshima style okonomiyaki are dishes to come back for but I wasn't as big a fan of the Osaka style okonomiyaki or the black...