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Brunch at bellyQ

Bill Kim’s take on eggs Benedict replaces every element with an Asian substitute.

By David Tamarkin
Published: March 21, 2013

421.rb.eo.bb.bellyQ
Tea-smoked duck benedict at Belly Q
Tempura egg in the Tea-smoked duck benedict at Belly Q
Tea-smoked duck in the benedict at Belly Q
Chinese broccoli in the Tea-smoked duck benedict at Belly Q
Bao in the Tea-smoked duck benedict at Belly Q
Curry hollandaise sauce in the Tea-smoked duck benedict at Belly Q
  • Tea-smoked duck benedict at Belly Q

    In his long and varied career, Bill Kim has never run a kitchen that engaged in regular brunch service—until now. That’s partially because of where he’s worked (Charlie Trotter’s never did get around to serving Sunday-morning pancakes), and partially because Kim just isn’t a morning eater. “I don’t eat breakfast,” he says. “I drink a banana shake.” That shake—a creation of Kim’s wife, Yvonne Cadiz Kim—made it to the new brunch menu at bellyQ (1400 W Randolph St, 312-563-1010), but it’s among the more conventional items offered. Most of the menu is comprised of traditional brunch foods that Kim and his team have injected with Asian influences: crispy waffles dotted with specks of nori, fried chicken with a coconut-milk gravy. “We take the classics and we put our twist on it,” Kim says. Nowhere is this more apparent than in his take on eggs Benedict. Scroll through the slide show as we break down the dish's many components.

    Photo: Martha Williams421.rb.eo.bb.bellyQ1xSS.jpgTea-smoked duck benedict at Belly Q161506461
  • Tempura egg in the Tea-smoked duck benedict at Belly Q

    The eggs
    Eggs for a Benedict are traditionally poached, but Kim chose another route: These eggs are cooked sous vide for eight minutes, then peeled, coated with tempura batter and fried until, he says, they’re “crispy, soft and runny.”

    Photo: Martha Williams421.rb.eo.bb.bellyQ3xSS.jpgTempura egg in the Tea-smoked duck benedict at Belly Q161506562
  • Tea-smoked duck in the benedict at Belly Q

    The meat
    Duck breast is cured in smoked salt and Szechuan peppercorns overnight, then smoked for eight hours, giving it all the satisfying notes of a thick slice of bacon.

    Photo: Martha Williams421.rb.eo.bb.bellyQ2xSS.jpgTea-smoked duck in the benedict at Belly Q161506513
  • Chinese broccoli in the Tea-smoked duck benedict at Belly Q

    The greens
    No, it’s not spinach—it’s kai lan (Chinese broccoli).

    Photo: Martha Williams421.rb.eo.bb.bellyQ6xSS.jpgChinese broccoli in the Tea-smoked duck benedict at Belly Q161506714
  • Bao in the Tea-smoked duck benedict at Belly Q

    The base
    Bao buns fill in where English muffins traditionally sit. (BellyQ makes so much bao in-house that it’s hired a full-time bao baker.)

    Photo: Martha Williams421.rb.eo.bb.bellyQ4xSS.jpgBao in the Tea-smoked duck benedict at Belly Q161506615
  • Curry hollandaise sauce in the Tea-smoked duck benedict at Belly Q

    The sauce
    Kim punches up traditional hollandaise with multiple layers of Asian flavors: Korean chili paste, fish sauce, kafir lime and red Thai curry sauce.

    Photo: Martha Williams421.rb.eo.bb.bellyQ5xSS.jpgCurry hollandaise sauce in the Tea-smoked duck benedict at Belly Q161506666

In his long and varied career, Bill Kim has never run a kitchen that engaged in regular brunch service—until now. That’s partially because of where he’s worked (Charlie Trotter’s never did get around to serving Sunday-morning pancakes), and partially because Kim just isn’t a morning eater. “I don’t eat breakfast,” he says. “I drink a banana shake.” That shake—a creation of Kim’s wife, Yvonne Cadiz Kim—made it to the new brunch menu at bellyQ (1400 W Randolph St, 312-563-1010), but it’s among the more conventional items offered. Most of the menu is comprised of traditional brunch foods that Kim and his team have injected with Asian influences: crispy waffles dotted with specks of nori, fried chicken with a coconut-milk gravy. “We take the classics and we put our twist on it,” Kim says. Nowhere is this more apparent than in his take on eggs Benedict. Scroll through the slide show as we break down the dish's many components.

Photo: Martha Williams

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