China North Dumpling
I had just completed a long run… I was hungry… I only had $3 in my pocket… In all other neighborhoods I wouldn’t even be able to get a slice of pizza. This isn’t the case in the Lower East Side at China North Dumpling.
$3 for 12 fresh and very juicy dumplings! The dumplings were simple …I tasted scallions in the mix and the slightest hint of ginger. I didn’t taste mushrooms or cabbage (common dumpling ingredients). I knew the dumplings are fresh because I saw a lady in the back making them… there also were several large bags of flour up front.
The Hot Cock sauce was watered down.. but how much can I expect for a $3 order of dumplings!
It’s possible that the only thing that has changed about North Dumpling since it’s doors opened many years ago is the duct tape covering certain items on the menu.
Despite the run down interior, North Dumpling seems to be a local hang out. Right after I arrived I would say 12 people from the Lower East side community crowded into no frills establishment. As I left two police cars were in front of the restaurant… No there wasn’t a disturbance on the dark city street… It was just dinner time!
No Rating
27a Essex St (between Hester St & Grand St)
(212) 529-2760
Mr. Chow
Dear Mr. Chow,
Your restaurant is trendy. I was impressed with the modern decor with lots of expensive flowers all over the restaurant. We were immediately escorted to our table and greeted by our team of tuxedo-clad waiters right away. It was a nice touch to have such professionally dressed servers even though most of the patrons were in shorts and t-shirts the Sunday evening I was in your restaurant.
I thought your restaurant week menu included a lot of variety and enjoyed sharing several dishes family style. While everything was piping hot and presented elegantly, unfortunately the food was not memorable to me. I tried the Squab with Lettuce, which lacked flavor and was slightly dry. We actually left much of the dish over (I never leave the chicken lettuce wraps over at CPK or PF Changs).
The MR CHOW Noodles were overcooked udon type noodles with what appeared to be topped with the same mixture as the squab. Even if it wasn’t the same, the taste and consistency were very similar. I would have ordered differently had I known.
The best dish we had was the Ma Mignon, which was very soft fillet encrusted with peppercorn. Very tasty – cooked perfectly.
The Velvet Chicken wasn’t memorable and lacked taste.
I enjoyed the string beans (but then again I also enjoy very similar string beans at the local Chinese takeout).
The dessert for two was “intermezzo” sized scoops of ice cream and sorbet. The small scoop was not enough to warrant calling it a “third course.”
While I enjoyed the experience and the company I was with, the food just wasn’t good enough for me to recommend your restaurant to friends and family or for me to return in the near future (especially for the premium price).
Best regards,
Jay
Rating:
Food – 6/10
Ambiance – 9/10
Service – 9/10
Category:
Food Type – Chinese
Style – Trendy
Price – Expensive
Address/ phone: 121 Hudson Street (Hudson/North Moore), 212-965-9500
Web – mrchow.com
Chin Chin
According to Wikipedia, Chin Chin is A toast used when drinking, similar to cheers; most often used in Argentina, Portugal, and the United Kingdom; spelled cin cin or cincinin Italian. I think it is particularly funny that a Chinese place is named this way, especially since the owner’s name is Jimmy Chin!
We were greeted by Jimmy Chin. He has a reputation as “one of NYC’s most gracious hosts.” He has a presence and seems to be a very nice and accommodating guy. It was obvious that he spent a lot of time training his large crew of servers, who were also very accommodating (more so, when it was less busy at the beginning of the meal).
Our waiter said….“if it’s Chinese, we will make it for you, whether it is on the menu or not.” I get the feeling that they would get to know me on a first name basis if I dined there frequently. I liked the special formal touches like splitting dishes table side or making your mu shu pancakes. They are fancy Chinese but the ambiance is not as stuffyas Shun Lee or Mr. K and the prices are not as ridiculously high (don’t get me wrong, this is not an inexpensive place).
Moving on to the food. We had soup, chicken with broccoli and beef chow fun. All were prepared in the traditional American Chinese fashion. I personally prefer Szechwan spicy style from places like Grand Szechwan but I appreciated the freshness of the ingredients.
The free string bean and sprout starters were a nice touch.
I particularly enjoyed the traditional sauces placed on the table. The mustard, seemed to be recently freshly blended with bubbles (of freshness).
Loved the large piece of real crab meat in the sweet corn velvet chicken soup but needed to ask for hot sauce to perk it up.
The broccoli, the carrots, the large pieces of chicken and the tender pieces of beef were very fresh and high quality. However, I was glad I still had the hot sauce from the soup to kick the entrees up a notch.
Rating:
Food – 7/10
Ambiance – 8/10
Service – 8/10
Category:
Food Type – Chinese
Style – Fancy
Price – Moderate
Wanna go?
Address/phone – 216 East 49th Street , 212-888-4555
website- chinchinny.com
menus – chinchinny.com/menu.html
Dong Yi Feng
In the almost all Chinese Flushing neighborhood there are many Dim Sum options. I chose Dong Yi Feng because the outside and dining room seemed nicer than many of the places I walked by (take that with a grain of salt).
I had a dim sum feast! First, I picked steamed rice noodle roll with shrimp inside. I was not a fan of the consistency of this one – a little too gooey for my taste- and it was a little cold.
Next, the piping hot and extremely flavorful pork dumplings made up for the shrimp.
I moved onto an overly greasy chive cake that like the shrimp dim sum was lacking flavor.
Finally, the stuffed eggplant with shrimp was a little greasy but very tasty.
I got a kick out of the bill – I was thoroughly stuffed for under $12!
Service was abrupt at times and friendly at times. No one knew English, but they were helpful and gave me a cheat sheet with pictures.
As someone who works on branding for a living I was quite confused by the lack of clarity in the naming of the restaurant. On the check it says Dong Ye Feng, The sign outside says Jong Yi Feng, and I noticed a bag on the counter that said Tung Yi Feng. I wonder if the names all have slightly different meanings?
All in all, I don’t recommend traveling out to Flushing from NYC for this mediocre food, but I do recommend eating your way through Queens and exploring the many vibrant neighborhoods.
Rating:Food – 6/10
Ambiance – 6/10
Service – 6/10 Category:
Food Type – Chinese, Dim Sum
Style – Tacky
Price – Reasonable Wanna go?
Address – 135-29 37th Ave, Flushing, NY 11354, 718- 886-8233
Mantao Chinese Sandwiches
UPDATE – August 21, 2010- Mantao is out of business… Don’t say I didn’t tell you so!
My Kimchee and beef sandwich literally had the head of the cabbage inside the bun. There is no way anyone who takes pride in their work as a chef would have not noticed such a large inedible piece of cabbage in such a small bun. The sloppiness combined with overcooked and over spiced, clearly inexpensive meats resulted in a truly mediocre eating experience. My basis for comparison is Baohaus, Momofuku and other establishments around the city that take pride delivering fresh ingredients like Niman Ranch Pork Belly and signature Certified Angus Skirt steak in more vibrant settings for just about the same price.
Rating:
Food – 4/10
Ambiance – 4/10
Service – 4/10
Category:
Food Type – Chinese
Style – Casual
Price – Reasonable
Wanna go?
Address/phone – 235 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022, (212) 888-2490