Strip malls—America’s lower echelon of businesses, especially the restaurants. Every night, as 7 o’clock rolls around, I pull out my phone to scavenge for food joints and instinctively check each choice to see if it’s in a strip mall, trying to evade the lower quality cuisine. Sometimes I wonder—have outlet mall restaurants ever been edible? 

Starting in the early 1900’s, during the rise of the automobile industry, American cities and towns began constructing strip malls to provide motorists with quick access to clothing or food. Since these strip malls were manufactured alongside busy roads, the rent was relatively cheap compared to startup businesses in town centers. These stores were a matter of convenience to busy drivers who might be arriving home late without  dinner. Currently, the strip mall in Northbrook on the corner of Dundee and Skokie is home to a couple food chains and a laundromat.

And now, Serious Sanji. 

I heard from a couple of my friends that Serious Sanji, a restaurant that prides itself on pan-fried dumplings, was set to open. As a more optimistic Anton Ego, I challenge myself by diversifying my taste—even to strip mall restaurant chains. So, my friends and I piled into the car and headed straight to the dumpling diner. 

I stepped out of the car to examine a rather dark building, questioning if the restaurant was open until I spotted the “OPEN” illuminated sign. I passed by their cat mascot, opened the door, and walked into a half-dark dining room. 

Oh, how I was wrong. As I crossed through the second set of doors  and stepped into the main dining room, the room itself was perfectly lit, coupled with a soft warm aroma that filled the air. I could tell it was one of those restaurants where you know the food will “hit”. 

While waiting to be seated, I glanced to the left where gold light illuminated the outline of the name—“Serious Sanji”. Even the ceiling was decorated with colorful plates, characterizing the creativity of the chain. The server delivered four shiny red menus to the table and we quickly plotted our plan of action.

The waitress quickly took our hefty order and retreated into the kitchen, leaving our requests with the chefs. Our food took some time to prepare, but recognizing the fully packed room and newly hired staff, I understood the laggard service; however, the waitress made sure to address my friend’s allergy to the staff, which was an ode to the care they put into each order. 

The food came out all at once, so I decided to indulge in the unique “chicken soup dumplings” first—after receiving a scooper to eat my food with, of course.

I am not lying when I say the chicken soup dumpling is one of the best foods I have ever eaten. An explosion of flavor emanated out of the savory chicken soup, wrapped by the soft dumpling armor. Akin to a hot chicken soup given to overcome an illness, this dumpling accomplished the complex feat of combining two foods into one beautifully wrapped present. 

After the luscious chicken soup dumplings, I moved onto the Piggy Dumplings.

I honestly had no clue what I was getting myself into with these cute little mounds of dough. Other than the distraction of a hard crunch of sweet button eyes, the cute pigs were not the sugary treat I believed they would be. These dumplings were actually pieces of bread accompanied by a dash of butter on the bottom. Tasting similarly to chunks of challah, the appetizer was definitely a hit. 

Next, I compared the two chicken dishes, and I can say without a doubt that General Tao chicken runs circles around the crunchy chicken dish. The chewy General Tao chicken emits a slight spice, and was overall a filling meal; however, the crunchy chicken dish doesn’t have that smooth mixture of chicken and sauce, rather, one bite is either way too dry or wet.

The sauce also mirrored the “sweet and spicy sriracha sauce” from Chick-fil-A, but unfortunately the tasty sauce just did not combine well with the chicken.

After the chicken duel I finally focused my eyes on the sanji. Despite what the restaurant’s name may suggest, the sanji was a weak anchor on the mouthwatering cuisine. I felt the immense amount of dough overtook the flavors of the tasty beef and savory sauce; that being said, my friends liked a more blanketed, doughy dumpling.

The food, accompanied with a Strawberry Yogurt, tasted akin to a strawberry acai from Starbucks—a staple of my everyday palate that centered me during this new buffet of fried food. Once done with the main meals, I was unsure if I could bring myself to order dessert. 

I am obviously joking, of course I ordered dessert. 

The mochi arrived first: three individual clumps of matcha, strawberry, and mango were placed in the middle of the table. The mango and strawberry were third and second best respectively, and tasted like thick sorbets. The matcha blew my socks off. For all the matcha doubters out there,

I was once a hater among you—until matcha mochi entered my diet. If you visit Serious Sanji, the matcha mochi is a unique must-try item you will not forget. 

Overall, the plates at Serious Sanji were a hit or miss, but with a newly opened restaurant comes a menu that still needs perfecting. Still, this new Sanji restaurant unlocks a new reality people need to accept: strip mall restaurants have made a comeback.