Elegant dining experience awaits at Bloomingdale's Orchid
Like the flower from which it takes its name, Orchid is truly lovely.
An elegant Asian restaurant and sushi bar in Bloomingdale's Stratford Square mall, and a romantic place to take a date, Orchid features sleek, modern decor and spacious, high-ceilinged rooms warmed by richly hued wood floors and pillars. The blue, red and gray walls are accented with floral motifs. The 68,000-square-foot restaurant seats 295 people, but a trio of large, circular booths offers intimacy to groups of four or six, and a long sushi bar affords close-up views of the chefs in action.
Originally from Korea, owners Heather and Tae Kim opened Orchid in late 2009, after working in other Asian restaurants owned by family members. Chef Shoichi Onuki has worked in Japanese restaurants since 1976.
They call the food "contemporary Japanese and Asian cuisine," but I'd describe it as Japanese-influenced. The emphasis is on sushi, supplemented by a cooked-food menu that draws on several Asian cuisines, tailored toward American tastes.
In the Korean-American style typical to the Chicago area, Orchid features nigiri with fairly large, thick pieces of fish, laid lightly atop loose balls of relatively unseasoned rice. In addition, "specialty nigiri," with selections such as bigeye tuna and red snapper, come with special garnishes, such as sauteed mushrooms or peppers, and house soy sauce.
All of the fish tasted beautifully fresh.
A $20 chef's-choice sushi combination features nine pieces of regular nigiri. For $37, the "Orchid Supreme" combo offers six pieces of nigiri, six pieces of sashimi and a large maki roll.
Long lists of large, complicated specialty maki and Orchid signature rolls, akin to Korean kimbap, include such items as the "Smoky Bear," with seared smoked salmon, shrimp tempura and cream cheese, and the "Stratford," featuring shrimp tempura, scallops, crab and chili tobiko (flying fish roe).
The Orchid maki - a 10-piece roll of lightly battered, spiced tuna wrapped in a tofu sheet with cream cheese, avocado, asparagus, shrimp and wasabi tobiko, and drizzled with savory eel sauce and wasabi cream - sounds like it ought to be a jumble, but the flavors meld surprisingly well. It was a little messy to eat, though, since the loosely rolled pieces had a tendency to come apart when lifted.
On the cooked side, Orchid serves Asian-inspired American dishes plus a few Japanese, Thai and Korean items. Heather Kim says Chinese and Indian entrees are in the works.
The gyoza, Japanese-style dumplings, here served fried, are as light and crisp as I've had anywhere.
Warm and comforting as salmon patties, but much more elegant, sake roulade, another hot appetizer, offers three small rolls of fresh salmon around a filling of minced scallop, shrimp and green onion mixed with mayonnaise, then baked and served with a topping of a little chili tobiko in a pool of warm eel sauce.
Hot entrees include several grilled fish options, a teriyaki-style New York strip steak, pad thai noodles, Thai green curry, Korean-style short ribs and a somewhat Americanized version of bibimbap, a mélange of rice, bean sprouts, shreds of red and green bell pepper and carrot, greens and bits of beef, topped with a fried egg and accompanied by your choice of mildly spicy bean paste or a soy mixture.
Prices are a little high, reflecting the fine-dining atmosphere and service. The bowl of bibimbap, for example, cost $15, nearly twice what it would run at many Korean restaurants, and came unaccompanied by kimchee or any of the traditionally complimentary Korean side dishes. At lunch on weekdays, combination boxes with teriyaki or sushi run $10 to $14.
Desserts are mochi or green-tea ice cream. A full bar offers a wide selection of sakes, Asian-influenced martinis and more.
Outdoor seating is available, but I wouldn't exchange Orchid's beautiful interior for a view of the mall parking lot.
<p class="factboxheadblack">Orchid</p> <p class="News">201 Stratford Square Drive, Bloomingdale, (630) 671-0000, <a href="http://www.orchidchicago.com" target="new">www.orchidchicago.com</a></p> <p class="News"><b>Cuisine:</b> Sushi and contemporary Asian</p> <p class="News"><b>Setting:</b> Large, lovely modern restaurant inside Stratford Square Mall</p> <p class="News"><b>Entrees:</b> $15-$37</p> <p class="News"><b>Hours: </b>Noon to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday</p> <p class="News"><b>Accepts:</b> Reservations; major credit cards</p>