Deanna and I met up at the Belly Shack which was right under the Western Ave Blue line tracks. The place is super casual and more of a order at the counter type of place. You would think that a place like that would have a seat yourself policy but instead there is a woman who assigns a table to you. So I did have to wait about 10 minutes before she gave us a table and then we were allowed to go up to the counter to order. The menu here is along the lines of Asian fused with Mexican. It's similar to the whole hot trendy of Kogi in LA and Korilla in NYC but not in a food truck. The menu has about 5 main entrees and then 5-6 side dishes. It's a great place for meat lovers and vegetarians since everything can be made with either meat or tofu. I opted for the Korean BBQ Beef dish ($9) which is basically bulgogi served with kimchi and flat bread and a Vietnamese iced coffee ($3). I was a little bit skeptical of the food since I usually think that Asian food made my non-Asians isn't really all that good (of course there are some exceptions) and that I don't really do "fusion" food. But honestly the only fusion part of my meal was that it came with flat bread. Otherwise, it was pretty all around Korean. One of the things that I love about Chicago is that generally the prices are still cheaper than eating out in NYC. For $9, I got a pretty good sized dish that made me really full. I was quite impressed with the kimchi. It was tangy and sour but with the right amount of kick to it and it was very fresh tasting. As for the meant, it was flavored correctly and you could tell that it was marinated with the right combination of onions, garlic and peppers. The flat bread was nice and soft and made of the perfect vehicle to carry the kimchi and bulgogi in one bite. I wouldn't go as far to say this place is better than an authentic Korean place in K-town, but it was still delicious Korean-inspired food. Deanna got the boricua sandwich with tofu ($9) which was tofu, with miso sauce, and brown rice on a crispy plantain. I had a bite and the combination of tofu and plantain was different but great. I loved the fact that they gave you a huge chunk of tofu to make it seem as close to a meaty sandwich as possible. I will say that it is super messy, so be prepared.
The clientele here was pretty hipster, so I felt like I had never left Williamsburg. It's also BYOB which also makes it an appealing option. It was the perfect meal coming off a flight. Not too heavy but filling enough to fill your belly. I also love that my entire meal was $13. Ahhh, Chicago. How I miss you.
Photo Credit: Yelp
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