PL8 Opens for Business In Barrington

There’s a new Asian restaurant in town, but the managers behind PL8 (pronounced “plate”) are anything but rookies.

Managing partners Edward Culleeney, and Shawn Li bring nearly two decades of restaurant experience to the table. Culleeney is a 15-year veteran of Lettuce Entertain You’s Ben Pao, and Li is the owner of TL’s Four Seasons in Bartlett.

The pair teamed up with Barrington residents Lisa and Thomas Hirdes to bring authentic Asian cuisine to the Barrington area.

“They wanted a place closer to home,” Li said.

“We live in Barrington and said to Shawn, there’s nothing here,” Lisa Hirdes explained. “Shawn was always looking, checking out the Deer Park area, and we’d always say no, we need something closer in Barrington. We finally found a good spot and said it’s time,” she said.

PL8 opened its doors to the public on Feb. 5, dishing up both Chinese and Japanese fare. Li, a native of the Sichuan Province of China, brought many of his hometown favorites to the menu.

“There are some dishes that we only have in my hometown area that have the signature flavor like spicy chili sauce and dry stir fry shredded beef. My mom always cooked that,” Li said. “We are trying to do a lot more authentic flavor than the average restaurant.”

The food isn’t the only authentic Asian thing you’ll find at PL8.  Everything from the contemporary red and black furniture, to the bar’s petrified wood stumps, to the restaurant’s logo scream Asian culture.

“[In the Asian culture] Eight is a lucky number, red is a lucky color…it’s very Asian feeling,” Culleeney said. “There’s a lot of different elements. A lot of people say it has an urban city feel.”

The combination of fresh, homemade food and upscale décor have made pl8’s first five weeks in business a success. The team hopes their unique approach to Asian cuisine will only improve on that trend.

“I think that what we offer is not only great food with the Chinese and Japanese variety, but also a great value and a place where you feel comfortable,” Culleeney said.

PL8 is located in The Foundry, 736 W. Northwest Highway. For more information, check out www.pl8simplyasian.com