Haven’t been to Chicago in ten years, so it’s time to discover new food. A cuisine that originated from Northern China and gained popularity in Flushing is shaokao or Chinese BBQ. The barbecue skewers can be ordered chewy and spicy in Friend BBQ Chinatown.
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When I think of BBQ, I’m thinking Char Siu Pork or Peking Duck. But this BBQ meat is not typically found in fancy restaurants in Hong Kong.
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They’re predominantly sold as street food in food stalls, and once it landed in NYC, the cuisine has spread across the US to Bethesda, MD and of course Chicago Chinatown.
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At Friend, you can order a wide selection of exotic meats such as frog legs and beef tripe, sweet and spicy or raw and dipped in a small hot pot. Service was excellent, but keep an eye on the number of skewers your order, or else the tab can get out of hand.