Local Lunch: Chi Tung's Add-Ons Spice Up Low-Price Lunch

I arrive at Chi Tung Restaurant for a late lunch, but even at 3 p.m., the place is still bustling. The Asian restaurant, located at 9560 S. Kedzie Ave., has a modern flair to it when I step inside, but the welcoming air of the place is evident in the traditional wall décor and beautiful paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling.

I take a seat at a booth where I’m served delicious hot tea (for free), which I adore, so things are starting out well. I order a lunch meal that costs less than $10 and includes an egg roll, the soup of the day, rice and an entrée. I want to repeat: all of this is less than $10. My wallet is diggin’ Chi Tung.

Check out our local listing for Chi Tung Restaurant in our Patch directory.

My food arrives and I bite into the egg roll, which has just the right amount of flakiness in the crust. The inside bursts with flavor as I tear through the crunchy shell. I wish I’d known there was going to be shrimp inside before I ordered it (I’m not a seafood person), but since I didn’t ask, that one’s on me.

I have a choice between ham-fried and shrimp-fried rice and once I have a taste, I know I’ve made the right choice. As a college student, I’ve had more fried rice than I care to freely admit, but Chi Tung’s fried rice, with its hidden bits of smoky ham, is a nice treat. I’m a fan.

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Today’s soups of the day were egg drop and something that contained the word “spicy.” Since I have an aversion to anything with the word “spicy” attached to it, I go with the egg drop soup. Despite its name, I illogically expected it to be a little less egg-flavored than it was, but I quickly learned that egg drop soup is quite literally beaten eggs dropped in chicken broth. It was a little strong for my tastes, but if you’re in the mood for egg, egg drop soup is about as egg-y as you can go.

Now onto the main course. I’ve ordered the sweet and sour chicken. It’s the dish I’ve ordered most at Chinese restaurants, so I try it at Chi Tung to have something to compare it to. I have a taste. Chi Tung’s take on it is not my favorite, but I really can’t complain for the deal I’m getting on this lunch. The breading isn’t fried all the way through and doesn’t hug the chicken tight like it does at many other restaurants. In fact, some pieces are mostly just fried dough. The chicken itself is a bit on the bland side but is still tender. Fortunately, the sweet sauce (do I taste a hint of honey and lemon?) feeds the dish some much-needed flavor.

The service is all right. Because the restaurant is still relatively full with one large party in the back room, much of the wait staff is handling them, but once things die down a bit, the atmosphere is pleasant.

After the reasonably priced feast I’ve just had, my waitress delivers a plate with two cookies, an almond cookie and a fortune cookie. Both are delicious — crunchy yet sweet and flavorful — and one of them promises me good fortune in my travels. So I’ve got that going for me.

Overall: I wasn’t in love with my entrée but that doesn’t mean Chi Tung doesn’t have more to offer. The place would not have been that packed on a Tuesday afternoon if people didn’t love it. I may have picked the wrong main dish, but the add-ons and large quantities made this trip worth the very little money I spent.

Don’t agree with my review? Let me know what you love about Chi Tung Restaurant in the comments.