CloverEats: Wisma in Lake Bluff
It was a cold, foggy day when I found Wisma on Yelp. It has an astounding 4.5 stars, and was pretty close, so we decided to check it out. Besides one employee, the market was empty. The employee was very nice and helpful, explaining that we would choose from among their daily pre-made meals and then microwave them ourselves. It’s an interesting concept. However, it’s rather awkward to microwave the food oneself, without any specific microwaving instructions, or knowing the microwave’s particulars.
The best part of Wisma is certainly its interior. It is full of whimsical little pieces, mismatched charming tableware. There are patchwork couches to sit on and look out the window. There is a bicycle on the exposed-brick wall, and there’s overall a very nice, cozy atmosphere. “Wisma” means “home,” and the decor certainly imparts this feeling. If it’s normally as quiet as it was the day I visited, it would be a great study spot.
It looks like they have a great beer and wine collection, but unfortunately I didn’t feel like having a drink so early in the day. I’m certainly intrigued by the wide range of offerings, which have been praised widely in online reviews.
We got linguini and jumbalaya. Unfortunately, even after microwaving, they just didn’t taste as good as freshly-prepared meals. The rice in the jumbalaya was hard, as if under-cooked. The spices were pretty good, but we didn’t end up eating most of it. The linguini was slightly better, but I was really not drawn in by the flavors of the textures. I don’t know if it was just the holiday weekend, but these tasted stale and undercooked. Overall, a disappointment. I wonder how they got such high ratings on Yelp. Have you been to Wisma? Is there a particular dish that you would recommend?
Check them out on Yelp or at their website!
Clover Eats! 