A bursting belly

Wanting a cheap lunch Spencer and I headed over to the Logan Square casual BYOB eatery, Belly Shack. This establishment, owned by Urban Belly chef Bill Kim, is a combination of Asian and Latin flavors. It is located right under the Western blue line stop. No joke: it is directly below it. If you want some fast food done right, you have come to the right place. Chef Kim serves up vegan and vegetarian options as well, so almost all dietary needs can be met. There are noodle and rice bowls, salads, and of course, sandwiches. 

Togarashi fries with curry mayo

 Having Korean and Latin influences you'd think the food was incredibly spicy, with flavors only experienced palates would be able to handle. Incorrect. To snack on, we ordered the togarashi fries with curry mayo. Togarashi is a blend of Japanese spices. The fries also came with a curry mayo dipping sauce if you so desired. The fries were crisp, but I think they were a bit heavy-handed with the spices. I just got sick of the flavor halfway through. It's probably better to share these between three people rather than two. But, if you love really seasoned fries, this may be your lucky day.

Boricua sandwich and Asian pork meatball sandwich

Spencer ordered the Asian meatballs sandwich, which came with somen noodles. It was so good. This is coming from someone who really doesn't like meatball subs, so you can only imagine the reaction that a meatball lover would have. The pork meatballs were so flavorful and the somen noodles added some coolness from the chili paste that the meatballs were served in. The mint was an especially nice touch. I got the Boricua sandwich, which was grilled chicken (or you could get tofu) on a bed of organic brown rice and sprouts, served on fried plantains. This was the perfect combination of crunchy and soft, with the plantains adding some sweetness to other savory flavors.

This was a relatively inexpensive lunch for the amount of food we got. If you're in the neighborhood for lunch, I highly recommend stepping inside. If you're in the mood to celebrate, bring a six pack (or two) and some friends and take a seat on the 200-year-old maple communal table and have a party.

xo,
k.