Nestled between Sushi AI and Dierbergs off of Zumbehl sits Fan’s Asian Corner. New to the space, having opened in February, the restaurant is known for its authentic soup dumplings, dim sum and Chinese burgers.
“So obviously we serve soup dumplings and a Chinese sandwich, which has a Chinese name called roujiamo…” Eden Chan said. “The other category [we serve] is dim sum. We figured out a combination of those that will attract customers, so that is how we created [the menu]. Plus, we serve some specialty drinks, which a lot of people like, including myself.”
Jung Zhau, the owner of Fan’s, and his business partner, Chan, started the restaurant to showcase traditional Chinese cuisine.
“We wanted to show the St. Charles people Chinese street food, “ Zhau said. “There’s a lot [of businesses] right here, and we’ve just opened, and I think we’ve been doing pretty good.”
Zhau and Chan were both originally from China, with Zhau coming from the northern portion and Chan from the southernmost point. When the two met, they bonded over the game of pool and their shared bond of food.
“We met in the US, and I do speak a little bit of Mandarin, so it helps us to communicate,” Chan said. “But we are also pool buddies, we play pool at the same time, a lot, so that’s how we met.”
With the menu curated to combine the two’s favorite dishes, customers enjoy the majority of the traditional tasting menu.
“I feel like [their food] was very traditional,” junior Valerie Rojo said. “The chili wontons were my favorite because they were sweet and spicy but not too overbearing. A lot of reviews said it was very traditional to how soup dumplings would taste in China, so it was a cool experience.”
What really makes their dumplings special is that they are made in-house, and the process can be watched within the restaurant.
“One of the most important things… is that all of our soup dumplings are freshly made and made through our see-through window,” Chan said. “You’ll have to look through the window [in order to see how they are made]. It’s a pretty complicated process, and of course, it’s a commercial secret.”
