South Everett's Creative Cuisine Capital: 9 Delicacies

Editor’s note: Originally published May 23, 2019. Republished April 8, 2021.
Editor’s note: 9 Delicacies was rebranded as Sweet Radish in spring 2022, and the owners have honed a menu of fried chicken sandwiches.

There isn't anything on the menu at 9 Delicacies that we don't want to try, so the Chew Crew was thrilled to finally meet up there. Due to scheduling difficulties, they met in the middle of the afternoon. With only four tables in the small dining area, it’s a great time to be there.

MELLZAH'S REVIEW

9 Delicacies has rapidly become one of my favorite restaurants. Everything I have eaten from their kitchen has been a delight, and while I haven't tried everything on their menu, the things I have tried have ended up on my "things I would like to order at 9 Delicacies" list, which means that the new struggle is not ordering enough food for six people when I'm there by myself.

More often than not, however, I end up ordering from their sandwiches menu—because there are very few meals that I find more enjoyable than a well-executed sandwich—and to me, the sandwiches at 9 Delicacies are perfect.

All the basic components of a great sandwich are there: excellent bread, in proportion with the fillings, neither too wet nor too dry, sized so that all the components can be tasted in one bite.

Take, for example, their Kobano: it's got the same juicy braised pork shoulder and roasted pork belly that you'd swoon over if you ordered it as a plate, lovingly piled on ciabatta bread with smoked ham, Swiss cheese, house-made kimchi relish and pickled cucumber, cilantro, maple mustard, and garlic aioli.

The ciabatta is the right bread for the sandwich, lending it its structure, crunch and chew. The sandwich is savory and spicy and tangy and slightly sweet and crunchy and chewy and deeply satisfying in a primal way. It hits all the buttons. It's a perfect sandwich.

The Kobano is a part-Cuban, part-Korean powerhouse // Mellzah

Their Korean Fried Chicken sandwich? Likewise perfect, with a lighter brioche cradling a slab of sweet and spicy craggly Korean fried chicken with crisp refreshing house slaw and pickled cucumber and a hint of tangy buttermilk sauce.

Perfect.

But as great as 9 Delicacies' sandwiches are (and they are great), I also need to publicly proclaim my affection for a few more items on their menu. Their garlic lime chicken wings are incredible, with a really nice brightness from the lime. Their brussel sprout chips are more delicious than any brussel sprout has a right to be.

I only order a quart of their roasted veggies in garlic caper sauce because gallon size isn't available. And their coconut jasmine rice is so good that it is the menu item that pulls me away from a sandwich toward a plate. The combination of the cilantro basil puree and the crispy onions elevates the rice, and I'm one of those people who genetically doesn't like cilantro and somehow I still love this rice. How do they do it? It's the magic of 9 Delicacies.

CHRISTOPHER'S REVIEW

I was bummed that the steamed bao sliders from the menu online are discontinued. One or two of those with some sides would make a great lunch without being too filling.

With my original plan thwarted, it wasn't hard to pick something else, because one of my favorite words on a menu at a good restaurant is "braised." The braised pork shoulder plate comes with pickled vegetables, green jasmine rice, and two sides. The roasted veggie side was one of my original choices, so I went with that and the cabbage slaw.

When you order this plate, you get to try four great items // Christopher Bragg

The pork is braised so well in ginger and miso, the flavor seems to be infused at a molecular level. The dish comes with a light drizzle of Korean ssam sauce and more on the side, but be sure to try it on its own. The crispy rice and creamy slaw provided nice contrast and variety, and if I could do anything differently, I'd eat the roasted vegetables first. They were delicious, but a little subtle compared to the rest, and best enjoyed as warm as possible.

Those vegetables come with a drizzle of the house garlic aioli, which was also on our shared brussel sprouts appetizer and Mellzah's Kobano sandwich I had a bite of. You may want to review the menu to avoid ordering too many items with garlic aioli as there's a fine line between consistent flavors and too much of a good thing.

I don't normally drink sodas or juice with my meals, but their house-made ginger lemonade was a real treat. That sour zing from the lemon and the ginger's slight burn compete for attention and mix so well.

Find lovely lemonades and fun fizzy waters in the drink case // Christopher Bragg

ERIKA'S REVIEW

Every so often, a restaurant is so good, so special, that it makes it impossible to write about it. How do you explain over and over again to a reader that this is your new favorite restaurant? How do you maintain some level of professionalism and impartiality when you can’t stop thinking about how perfect that meal was? When a restaurant is as good as 9 Delicacies, you almost want to keep it to yourself. You know that it’s only a matter of time before it becomes impossible to eat there, and you want to savor these moments for as long as you can.

I think the word that best describes 9 Delicacies is balance. And this is truly the highest compliment I can give a restaurant. Because to me, when you’re looking for good food, you’re looking for balance. Balance is what makes food interesting bite after bite, it’s what makes you wonder what exactly went into this perfect (seriously, perfect) sandwich to combine into this incredible flavor, it’s what makes you a little bit mad that the meal is going to come to an end at some point.

Each component of my meal was exceptional, starting with the absolutely wild brussel sprouts chips. The cheddar powder on top of the deep fried brussel sprouts is reminiscent of Cheetos, as if they took entire bags and somehow collected all of the bright orange powder without any of the actual Cheeto. The platter of them is somehow only $4.95, and could honestly serve as a meal on its own.

Be sure to order this creative and crazy-good appetizer // Erika Taylor

The beef bulgogi melt is the sandwich of my dreams. I’m a little angry at how good it is because it’s going to be near impossible to order any other sandwich off the menu, let alone a plate. The structural integrity of the sandwich is remarkable, and each bite is well-rounded and exciting. No ingredient stands out on its own—they work together with all of the other ingredients to become something so much greater than the sum of its parts.

So good, you'll be a little mad // Erika Taylor

Finally, the coconut jasmine rice could not have been more perfect. Between bites of the dazzling sandwich and brussel sprouts, a spoonful of rice was exactly what I needed to keep going. Cooked perfectly, and covered in the crispy onions that make green bean casserole worth eating, it’s a welcome foil to every other showstopper on the menu.

It’d be silly to end this review by begging you not to go to 9 Delicacies, given that I've kind of blown my cover. So instead, my recommendation would be to come during off hours (since they’re already pretty dang busy) and to do it sooner rather than later. Get in there as soon as you can.