 "Photo: Val Menning, The Volante, 2009")
 "Photo: Val Menning, The Volante, 2009")
Within seconds of stepping into Chae’s, a small Chinese and Korean restaurant on Main Street in Vermillion, I was reminded of why diners are enamored by it: It’s not the typical Asian restaurant.
Chae’s does not come with the mediocre and tacky decor, the oftentimes too loud oriental music or the cute sweet and sour and mustard sauce dispenser you find at the all-too-common Chinese restaurant.
In short, Chae’s does not fit the mediocre Chinese restaurant archetype, and even more so, it rises above the expectations that come with the words, “I know this great Chinese restaurant.”
Upon entering Chae’s for lunch on a Saturday, I saw guests seated intermittently through the restaurant.
The light music was barely noticeable, pleasant and added to the ambiance of the low-lit restaurant.
The restaurant has a layout that works very well for its small size and shape with booths that line two walls, an elevated seating section on the west wall and tables down the middle on either side of an partition.
The only thing that becomes a little troublesome with the layout is when the entryway becomes crowded.
The outside door leads diners right into the entryway in front of the register where guests are also paying for their food.
The traffic of the small space is oftentimes high during lunch and dinner when quite a few guests are waiting for their seats or to pay. It’s a small issue, but can be rather annoying when entering or leaving the restaurant.
While looking over the menu, I realized that the plethora of choices always surprises me.
The menu offers different sections for the Korean specialties that include kimchi fried rice and Korean barbecue, and the house specials section offers the popular orange entrée among many other chicken, beef, pork and seafood dishes.
The Chinese and vegetarian sections also offer a large variety of dishes as well.
One thing has always remained true with my experience of trying different dishes at Chae’s and that is the unique taste and quality of the food despite the typical name of the dish.
I have ordered the same exact sesame chicken, lo mein noodles and cashew entrées at many restaurants and received a dish that I have seen replicated in the exact fashion like the Chinese restaurant was a McDonald’s.
At Chae’s, what I order is always slightly surprising. Everything I’ve ever ordered, from the soups to the entrées, are more flavorful and the Korean dishes on the menu are always refreshing.
My egg drop soup arrived first. The soup is done perfectly to my taste, with an unusual thickness that I don’t often find at other restaurants. The base is a lot saltier than most that I’ve had as well, but it’s not overdone.
With a bit of green onions as garnish, the simple soup appeases the palate and is just perfect for an appetizer.
And at $1.99 for a small bowl but generous serving, the soup won’t put a big dent in the pocketbook.
My friend and I also ordered pot stickers, which were gone after five minutes or so. The delicious steamed pork and vegetable dumplings were cooked perfectly and were accompanied by a simple yet intriguing sauce that complements the dumplings perfectly.
The crushed red pepper in the sauce gave the soy sauce base a great flavor that when combined with the smooth texture of the dumplings made for a great experience for the palate.
With the price of $4.49 for a small plateful of pot stickers, the price is not only average, but well worth it.
My entrée came not too long after we finished our appetizers. When the server placed my meal in front of me, my
appetite surged.
Chae’s stir fry noodles with shrimp was served on a large plate in a simple and beautiful display of colors.
The cabbage, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, snow peas, baby corn and shrimp were served on a bed of crispy egg noodles with a transparent sauce that covered the vegetables and shrimp. This dish was fantastic.
The sauce that was only described as “nutty-flavored” on the menu was not only perfect for the combination of crispy noodles and vegetables, but it was rather addicting. The meal was delicious and came in a very large portion for one person.
At $11.49, the stir fry noodles with shrimp was one of the more expensive items on the menu, and also, one of the best.
It’s a meal like this that keeps me coming back to a restaurant. The service and food was great, as it usually is.
Chae’s also offers a buffet Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The buffet is a great deal at $6.29 for access to some of Chae’s most popular dishes. From my experience with the buffet last week, it is best to visit earlier during the buffet hours rather than later as I did. Though the food was still good at 1:30 p.m., it was much less appetizing than usual.
During the time I have spent in Vermillion, I have found Chae’s to be the most consistent restaurant I’ve dined at in town.
The servers are always mild-mannered, accommodating and friendly and the food is always on par.
For these reasons, I am never surprised when a guest of mine visits, and requests Chae’s.
Reach reviewer Ngoc Thach at Ngoc.Thach@usd.edu.
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