Brunch with Bill Kim

After winning raves with his Asian barbecue fare at the six-month-old Belly Q, chef Bill Kim (also the brains behind Urban Belly and Belly Shack) has just launched brunch at the West Loop spot. “We take things people know or grew up on and put our twist on it,” says Kim of the menu, which includes items such as French toast with Asian caramel ($11) and maple-glazed Togarashi bacon ($6). And the twists don’t stop there — the brunch also features a DJ and cocktails such as the mezcal-based Fists of Fury ($11), mixed with passionfruit drinking vinegar and absinthe. Here, the chef fills us in on his new menu — and Belly Q’s legendary karaoke nights.

Splash: If you were sitting down to brunch at Belly Q, what would you order?

Bill Kim: I’m not a huge drinker, but I would have to have a Bloody Mary. And of course, I’d start with the banana yogurt shake [$4].

S: Your wife makes you that same banana shake every morning, right?

BK: Yeah, and my wife does not cook. But she is exact in the recipe — literally uses a cup and a teaspoon. So I thought it would be a fun take on what I have for breakfast every morning. Next, I’d have something heartier, like the duck Benedict [above, $15]. Every chef has their version, so when creating it, I thought about what a classic Benedict is. It has Canadian bacon, so we had to have something that’s salty and smoky, and a soft-boiled egg. [My kitchen team] said, ‘Why don’t we tempura a soft-boiled egg?’ I was like, that’s kind of funky. But it’s good. Then instead of English muffins, we do Chinese biscuits.

S: I think I heard somewhere that when you were growing up you hated breakfast food.

BK: I still don’t eat breakfast, and I’ve never cooked brunch in my life. I don’t eat until 2 o’clock. I have the banana shake and espresso in the morning, then I taste all the food on the line at 11 a.m. But I have one full meal a day. That’s how I eat.

S: Are there foods that you don’t like or refuse to try or indulge in?

BK: I’m lactose intolerant, so I can’t do a lot of dairy. Things like chicken fried steak — I love it, but the gravy is usually made with cream or milk. So we make our gravy with coconut milk. Even the tofu with grits [$12], people think there’s tons of cheese in there, but it’s just the coconut milk. It’s part of putting our spin on things.

S: Are you still hosting karaoke nights at Belly Q?

BK: Oh, you missed it last night! You should have seen Cosmo [Goss, from Publican Quality Meats] and Erling [Wu-Bower, Avec]. They put on a show! You would not believe how talented some of these guys are! Somebody sang Alicia Keys yesterday, and knocked it out of the park. Can you imagine singing Alicia Keys?

S: So what’s your go-to song? BK: My first time I kicked the karaoke off by singing a five-minute song — “Little Red Corvette” by Prince. Big mistake. The next time I researched and did a two-and-a-half-minute song, “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang. Not a lot of lyrics, a crowd pleaser and everyone sang along.

S: What makes for a good karaoke song?

BK: I think the more people know it, and the cheesier it is, people love it. And everyone sings along, so even if you forget the words, it’s OK.