Carpentersville's Q88 offers winning combo of Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese fare
There are so many suburban sushi and Thai restaurants serving virtually the same thing (pad Thai, tuna roll, shrimp tempura, etc.) that there has to be a clear distinction to set one apart. Freshness of ingredients? A given, especially with sushi. A solid Thai menu? Check. Something unexpected? Vietnamese pho, perhaps. Carpentersville's new Q88 fits the bill on all accounts.
Husband and wife team Robert and Quynh Mutert opened Q88 in early August, with the idea of bringing fresh Pan Asian cuisine (Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese) to the Northwest suburbs. The “Q” is for Quynh, who met her husband, Robert, in 2009 at a French restaurant in the Metropole Hanoi hotel in Vietnam where she was the restaurant manager. They married a year later in 2010. The “eights”? Lucky numbers.
Q88, housed in the former Masa Steakhouse and Sushi Bar, has undergone a change in color palette with a sophisticated gray dominating the 100-seat space resulting in a cool Asian minimalism. There are four-tops, booths, a private room and a banquette for larger communal dining. An early Saturday evening saw a father and young son sharing an urn of hot noodles; carryout patrons waiting for their orders; and various couples asking about the menu and ordering plenty of options. I have to admit that my doubt about eateries that list sushi and pad Thai on the same menu was assuaged by a multigenerational Asian family enjoying caldrons of pho, Thai fried rice and other hot dishes.
On the Saturday we visited, the 90-plus temps were not dissuading diners from ordering Hanoi's culinary lifeblood - pho - a steaming, sizable bowl of either long-simmered beef or chicken broth crammed with noodles and meat and accompanied by additions like bean sprouts, basil leaves, citrus wedges and Sriracha.
When I mentioned to our waitress that we would have to return for pho when the weather turns chilly, she laughed and said Vietnamese eat pho year round for any meal of the day. So much for my spunky taste buds.
My son ordered a large Sapporo ($7), the oldest beer brand in Japan, and the lager paired nicely with our sushi and Vietnamese selections. Quynh Mutert looks forward to the bar becoming a lively addition to the area as the restaurant grows in popularity. In October, look for a sake-tasting event.
When it comes to sushi, assuming utter freshness, the next benchmark for me is “show me the fish.” A mere dot of rosy tuna or coral salmon won't do.
Both of us were floored by the amount of fresh fish in the Crazy Roll (tuna, salmon, yellowtail, avocado and cucumber enveloped in barbecued eel and salmon then capped with eel sauce) and the Double Tuna (tuna, avocado and cuke inside and spicy tuna, spicy mayo and tempura crunch atop). We also opted for a couple of spicy tuna hand rolls, which offered fish and avocado all the way down to the tip of the seaweed cone.
The rolls were larger than most (expect no conversation for a good minute after taking a bite) and offered a clear array of flavors. Simply stated, Q88's rolls stand out.
Among the 14 special sushi roll options I'd try on a return visit is the tempting Saigon Slam (spicy salmon, avocado and shrimp tempura wrapped in eel, tuna and more avocado). I'd also like to try a sashimi sampler - eight pieces of chef's choice of fresh fish minus all the saucy, crunchy additions. There are also regular sushi rolls, vegetable rolls and deep-fried sushi rolls. Under the latter, you'll find items such as an odd mashup like crab rangoon roll and Boiling Alaska - salmon, cream cheese and avocado pieces individually fried in tempura batter.
Since Vietnamese cuisine is still hard to find in the suburbs, we made sufficient belly room to share vermicelli beef and egg roll. It turned out to be an interesting hot and cold affair of warm noodles and flecks of beef topped with cool lettuce, bean sprouts, and shards of carrots and cucumbers with a side of slightly spicy but mostly sweet fish sauce to pour over the bowl. Evidently, the sauce is a secret family recipe of chef Sam Phounsavat, who won't spill the ingredients to owner Quynh. It was simple and delicious but would have been improved with a bit more beef. The dish also is available with grilled chicken. As for the egg roll, this family recipe produces small, light and grease-free rolls that offer a crunchy counterpoint to the soft noodles.
Other Vietnamese items include roast duck or spicy seafood basil, salmon red curry and grilled pork chop or chicken, which includes marinated, grilled meat, steamed rice, a sunny-side up egg and a sweet-sour sauce. Q88: Can a girl beg for a bahn mi sandwich or two to be added to the Vietnamese roster?
Thai items are firmly in the American safety zone of pad Thai, chicken curries and fried rice with basil leaves. If I had room, I would have tried the spicy green bean chicken. Chef Sam was born in Thailand to Vietnamese parents. His family later moved to Laos, so this man has a wealth of Asian flavors in his repertoire. I'm hoping he really sets Q88 apart from the pack by adding an authentic special every once in awhile and see how it's accepted.
Service was spectacularly friendly and efficient. Chef Sam stopped by to ask how we liked our choices and invited us to return and sit at the sushi bar to try some of his other creations.
Overall, it's exciting that Vietnamese food is edging in from the city. Sushi fans, pad Thai palates and those who want to venture into authentic Vietnamese cuisine will be very pleased with a visit to Q88.
<i>Restaurant reviews are based on one anonymous visit. The Daily Herald does not publish reviews of restaurants it cannot recommend.</i>
Q88
7020 Huntley Road #1, Carpentersville, (224) 293-2800,
Cuisine: Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese
Setting: Revamped modern space with a sushi bar and a tatami room in the back
Prices: Sushi: $5-$70; Thai and Vietnamese entrees: $10-$18
Hours: Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., dinner 4:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 9 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday