MaPo, Naperville

I noticed a sign for a new restaurant named "Mapo" when I was at H-Mart (Naperville) late last year, but did not have a chance to visit. Then at a holiday party, I had the opportunity to try a few dishes that the host had ordered from there. Yesterday I finally had an opportunity to stop in and have lunch.

I noticed a few passing references to Mapo in other threads, but thought that it deserves a thread of its own.

First up, Happy Marriage Beef (Fu Qi Fei Pian)... This is one dish we always order at szechuan restaurants. LSC's is pretty good, Double Li's is not spicy and flavorful enough... Mapo's was really good. Spicy, nutty, oily... with tender slices of beef and tripe.



Then came the Mapo's Beef Rolls (marked as a Specialty on the menu). Tender slices of beef and onion rolled in scallion pancakes. There were about 10 slices on the plate, and we downed all but 2... We did not want people to think we were pigs...



Third up was Mapo Tofu with Fish (marked as a Specialty on the menu). Their mapo tofu was excellent. Great flavor and heat, soft silky tofu... The fish was really unnecessary. But for a restaurant named "Mapo", you kinda have to expect their rendition to be stellar!



But nothing is perfect... Their Sichuan String Beans was a huge disappointment. Greasy, undercooked beans, and way too much MSG... sigh...



Since his parents live nearby, I'm sure we will be back. I am dying to try their Spicy Beef Noodles Soup and Taiwanese rice box (braised pork belly with rice and soy sauce egg).



Mapo Restaurant
1563 Naperville Wheaton Road (Next to Wendy's, Behind HMart)
Naperville, IL
630-420-1388

(Edited to include address)

CrazyC,

I live around the corner from Mapo, and have visited a few times. My personal favorite item is the beef noodle soup. While the noodles are not as nice as the version served at Katy's, the broth is rich and flavorful. If I don't feel like driving to Katy's it does make a reasonable replacement.

Mapo does have some connection to the DG LSC too. It was lost in translation, but some of the LSC staff has family working there.

Flip

Are they open for lunch?

Jean Blanchard wrote:Are they open for lunch?

yes, they are. i believe they have lunch specials too.

Do they serve Mapo tofu without the fish? And, how would you compare theirs with the Tofu Village around the corner? I want to try Mapo tofu and was wondering which one to go to first as I've no idea what to expect it to taste like.

Yes, they do offer it without the fish... In fact I think they have it paired with other meats too... Their website is http://www.maporestaurant.com

We had the beef noodle soup and it was good and spicy but I wish I had ladled off the fat accumulated on top (we did take out). The pot stickers were really doughy and not very good. Husband had the orange chicken and I thought it was pretty good. We'll give a few other things a try. Definitely better than most in Naperville.

The name of the restaurant reminds me of the Cereality "restaurant" that closed in Evanston last year. It sounds like this is what they serve:

I want my...

Jean Blanchard wrote:Are they open for lunch?

I've been there several times for lunch. They have a variety of specials including some very good soup/noodle bowls. They serve a decent pork belly too.

It used to be called Old Peiking, and I believe that it has jut been re-named. From what I recall, the menu is the same as they served at Old Peiking.

I'll have to check them out. All these good Chinese restaurants!

We had lunch here on Saturday and enjoyed very much. Started with decent if unexciting vegetarian spring rolls and an order of butterfly shrimp for the kid. Shrimp were quite nice, seemingly brined and coated in panko and fried-not greasy in the least. Wife had the General Tso Tofu which was a pleasant surprise. The texture was excellent with a crisp exterior and silky soft inside. The coating red sauce was semi-sweet with a delayed heat and fragrant with garlic.

I had the signature beef noodle soup-excellent. You know when you are craving something and set up an expectation in your mind of what it will taste like? The soup delivered and then some. Deep brown and rich beefy broth with a layer of red, chili infused fat on top. Pretty standard noodles. The 4 generous chunks of beef were either chuck or maybe shin meat but super tender with a little odd gristle and connective tissue here and there, and packed with flavor from surface to the inside. They garnish the soup with a few stalks of baby bok choy, scallions, cilantro and a small sprinkle of finely diced pickled greens. While some may deservedly knock soup as a delivery vehicle for salt, this bowl was.....well...really f'n good and satisfying. I look forward to digging deeper in the menu here.

I was there on Saturday too! Had the Mapo Tofu, Pei Fung Tong Fish Fillet (on the Chinese specials menu), Peking Pork Chops and the Double Bamboo Shoots Stirfry.

The tofu and bamboo shoots were good. But the other two were meh. The Peking Pork Chops were covered in a gloopy sweet and sour sauce, and there was MSG in the fish fillet.

A warning to those who are allergic to MSG, you really have to stress that you don't want any. We mentioned that we did not want it, but the fish still came with it...

Still trying to plow through the menu...

We ate there today, from what I overheard, the owner is the daughter of the owner of Old Peking (who is enjoying retirement now). The menu is different but it sounds like they'll still make what used to be on Old Pekings'. Portion size was bigger than we were expecting, oops.

I went to Mapo for lunch a couple of times when they first opened and must admit that I was mostly comparing the place to Old Peking, home of the wonderful beef noodle and pork with bitter greens soups, and found it a bit less exciting. Possibly I was comparing and not tasting what was there, though.

From the entire graphics and logo thing they have going on, I also assumed it was some sort of chain, which the web site and this thread makes clear is not the case.

So I guess I was mostly clueless. Still, as noted above, with Fabulous Noodles, Katy's and LSC all within east driving distance,the competition is brutal, not to mention the Sushi and now the Korean stands in the Asian Supermarket at Naper and Ogden, and even Joy Yee, though I have no trouble resisting that one.

The difference between Mapo's tofu, a Chinese stir fry preparation, and Cho Dang's Korean soup preparation is great. In the Korean soup, the tofu is the dominant texture, but there is a lot more going on around it (not to mention the Panchan to accompany it) - start with a boiling spicy soup with beef, pork, seafood, mushrooms or dumplings, that you boil an egg in. The egg and tofu give the soup real texture and heft, and then there is the side of rice - three options - that can be mixed in with the broth. There is a lot going on in that bowl of soup. In a way, this is more equivalent to a Chinese noodle soup than a Chinese tofu dish.

The Chinese tofu preparations tend to have the tofu more front and center, seasoned but not adorned. Both very good, but very different.

Went to MaPo for lunch today.
Liked the updated and clean-lined decor as well as the branding.
Ordered the water-boiled beef and the signature chili chicken, the two dishes I like to order at Lao Sze Chuan.
The MaPo version of the two dishes did not taste as good as the LSC version.
Will go back to try other items on the menu some other time.

We were in the neighborhood and went to Mapo for lunch today. The Spicy Beef Soup was incredible; such a rich, textured broth with just the right amount of heat added. I seemed to have liked the noodles more than previous posters, as well. They were a very nice compliment to the broth without infusing it with a lot of its starch.

Mrs. Radiator had the assorted vegetables with Tofu which was also pretty good. Our son, the little space heater, opted for the Chicken Fried Rice, as is his wont, which was fairly standard. I ordered the Mapo Tofu with pork to carry out as I did last night at Joy Yee. I was too full when I got home to conduct a taste test, but will probably do it tomorrow.

Since my in-laws are only a half a mile down the road, I'll definitely be back to try those beef rolls and get more soup.

Chinese menu - They gave me the menu but it was a photocopy so it's hard to see.

How do you do the small picture like in CrazyC's post that is "clickable" to a larger version?


Larger version of menu
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2194/247 ... 1b27_b.jpg

House Chili Oil


Mapo's Beef Rolls

- Pretty decent as far as scallion and beef rolls go- made better with a mix of the house chili oil and table soy

Mapo Tofu w/ Fish

- Very good, very hot, too bad the fish was tilapia

Boiled Beef (Mistakenly written as broiled in English)

- The meat consistency didn't look/feel right (certainly wasn't boiled beef, more like standard takeout Chinese beef).

We ended up taking most of the boiled beef home, and "diluting" it with our own nappa and tofu - much improved.

Some other industrious person will have to provide the translations. I DID see a table partake of pork blood and tofu casserole - not my bag, but some pretty authentic "stuff" available.

Clickable images are my evil secret... Muahahahah....

Just put a url tag around your img tags, and that should work...

BTW, did you notice the presence of MSG in your food? They used to use it a lot, but I heard rumors that they are cutting down on it.

I would gladly take a shot at translating the menu. Can you pm me your flickr page, and I can make the translation directly on the image? Thanks!

Jay K wrote:Chinese menu - They gave me the menu but it was a photocopy so it's hard to see.

How do you do the small picture like in CrazyC's post that is "clickable" to a larger version?


Larger version of menu
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2194/247 ... 1b27_b.jpg

OK... Translated Menu

Appetizers:
Taro Rolls (2) - 3.20
Suzhou style fish - 9.95
(This dish is served cold. The fish has a sweet soy sauce coating. Smaller bones can be eaten)

Specials:
Fisherman's Egg Tofu - 11.95

Pork Chops with Garlic - 12.95
This dish is cooked like salt and pepper squid, but has garlic chips thrown in the mix.

Fish Slices with Garlic - 14.95
This dish is cooked like salt and pepper squid, but has garlic chips thrown in the mix.

Fish slices with black bean sauce and green peppers - 14.95

Chairman Mao's Red-Braised Pork - 13.95

"Gua Bao" - Steam Flour bun, with pork belly and Preserved Vegetables - $0.50 each

Chinese Kung Pao Chicken - 10.95

Dry Szechuan Pork Intestines - 11.95
Cooked in the same style as Dry Szechuan Green Beans

Ma La Pork Intestines - 11.95
Pork Intestines Casserole - 13.95
Water Boiled Pork Intestines Casserole - 14.95
Wang's Family "Two Color" Tofu - 12.95
Chinese Chives and Beef Strips - 13.95
Tofu Skin with Preserved Mustard Greens - 10.95
Peking Pork Chops - 10.95
Water Boiled Lamb - 10.95

Dessert
Crispy Fried Milk - 5.95

Ok, C, you have almost convinced me I need to go back. The Ma Po with fish is intriguing. Nice work on the translations. Thanks.

Did Mapo for lunch this past Saturday....thought the beef noodle soup was as good, if not better, than Katy, LSC, or Fab Noodles....the broth was dark and rich, and they throw a whole bunch of beef at the diner....beg enough to share.

Also had the spicy "broiled" wontons....was warned that they were very spicy...but they weren't....just enough to be interesting....we'll definitely go back.

I had a midweek dinner here several weeks ago. I enjoyed the beef noodle soup which had a nice portion of braised beef and the broth complex flavors all around with some good after heat. Then we ordered the wok seared fish which came with a nice tempura like coating which had a lot of flavor. We also ordered the signature bone-on chicken dish that came in a steaming cauldron. This dish came with green chiles, red chiles, and hot sichuan peppercorns. It was the spiciest dish I have had in a really really long time and I do love spicy food. Overall, this restaurant is another fine option in the western suburbs for spicy authentic food.

I order from here fairly regularly, the country style smoked pork is killer: "pork belly stir fried with jalapeño, garlic, and leek" mmm, mmm.

gooseberry, I never noticed the 'signature dish' designations until your post... will have to try the iron wok chicken.

I stopped in here for lunch today before a client meeting. Had I not been on my way to see a client I probably would have had the mapo tofu or the spicy beef noodle soup. Instead I had the fish fillet with sour pickle over rice. I really enjoyed it. Plenty of fish, nicely sour pickles, and a heck of a lot of garlic made for a tasty and filling lunch. With a new client not 10 minutes away, I anticipate many more lunches at Mapo.

I finally made it in to Mapo yesterday. I frequent both H-Mart and Ming Hin which are both on the same strip, so I'm not sure what took me so long.

I was dining solo (well, with my toddler who hasn't graduated from fried rice yet.) I was hoping to maybe order a few Sichuan cold app-y salad-y things, but was disappointed when I was greeted with a gringo's-greatest-hits of a lunch special menu (the clientele reflected this.) The back of the menu offered a limited set of Sichuan and other "Mandarin" style dishes. I found ancient intel on the strength of their spicy beef noodle, so I went with that.

While the niu rou mian was a notch better than Jia Jia's at H-Mart and on par with Lu's Sushi and Chinese in Wheaton, it suffered from the same fatal flaw as those other two examples– water-logged Creamette-esque noodles. And in this department is where Katy's stands firm as my benchmark of slurp-ability. To the credit of this bowl– the beef was flavorful and as tender as can be (Katy's can struggle with consistency here) And the broth, though quite greasy, had a depth that Katy's sometimes lacks.

I left 90% of the noodles behind though, clocking this at a C effort at best.

I will be back to try more of the Sichuan stuff at dinnertime.

After a long hiatus (Lao Szechuan & Katy's) we had a craving for MaPo's Szechuan Wontons, and visited for lunch today. Huge change! New owner as of December, new chef, new menu. Server told us the old chef is still there to cook all the items from the old menu. Appears to be all new serving staff - we met one of the former servers at Lu's (was Yu's Bistro) on Rt 59.

We had the Wonton Sichuan Style, found them as tasty as ever. Hot and Sour was good, though my favorite is still at the House of the Enperor. Unfortunately, Yu Shaing egglamt is no longer on the menu , and we felt the eggplant in garlic sauce fell short. However, the Ma-La fish filet was terrific.

The menu is very large, with lots of Sichuan favorites from old days at Lao Szechuan. I can't wait to try their Lamb with Cumin, Dry Chili Chicken, and Xiao Long Bao.