Duck charcuterie by way of Chengdu and downtown Flushing.
As a keen watcher and eater of all that goes on in downtown Flushing’s Chinatown, I’ve seen a many a hawker stall come and go. This seems especially true of Sichuan outfits. Thankfully there’s one constant in this shifting ma la sea: Cheng Du Tian Fu or Chengdu Heaven, as it’s often so aptly rendered in English. (more…)
Tasty and Instagrammable!
PLEASE NOTE THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED
When it comes to Chinese frozen desserts I’m half traditionalist/half adventurous. Shaved ice gets a resounding yes—whether the granular form or the fluffy one that’s been showing up at spots like Snow Days. Ice rice, which my pal Tyson Ho of Arrogant Swine said seemed disgusting also get the nod. Novelties like the ubiquitous rolled ice cream are simply that, good for Instagram hits and little else. (more…)
Sticky rice for all the offal lovers in the house.
A few months ago I made my first ever Chinese New Year’s resolution: eat more Taiwanese food. Lucky for me Taiwanese Gourmet is just a few subway stops away from C+M headquarters. I’ve slowly been eating my way through the Elmhurst eatery’s menu. Recently I started exploring the vast selection of offal. There are more than half a dozen preparations of intestines, including two varieties of goose innards. One of my favorites is something that goes by the Chinese name da chang bao xiao chang, which translates loosely to big intestine wrapping little intestine.
“The Chinese name doesn’t describe anything about the food,” Taiwanese Gourmet’s manager, Alvin Chen told me explaining that the dish consists of a glutinous rice stuffed pig intestine that’s been steamed and sliced. A disc of Taiwanese pork sausage is then placed between each slice. (more…)
Who knew Gui Lin Mi Fen had an awesome tofu salad?
As a nonvegetarian omnivore the first things I think of when it comes to vegetarian food in the bustling Chinatown of downtown Flushing are the tofu from Soybean Chen and the dosai at the Ganesh Temple Canteen. But what would a real vegetarian choose? To find out I turned to Howard Walfish, the man behind the web sites Lost Vegetarian and Brooklyn Vegetarian, who was kind enough to share his favorites in this guest post.
Downtown Flushing can be a little daunting for vegetarians. Between the restaurants, street vendors, and food courts, there are hundreds of places to eat. Many of them don’t have English-language menus, and many of them have decidedly nonvegetarian specialties. But all it takes is a little digging, and you can find lots of great vegetarian food. Here are a few of my favorites.
PLEASE NOTE THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED
1. Tofu Salad at Gui Lin Mei Fen
Gui Lin Mi Fen is best known for its noodle bowls, but there’s a sleeper vegetarian hit on their menu that’s easy to overlook: a tofu salad. The firm tofu is diced and flavored with kalimeris indica, a plant also known as Indian aster. The herb adds an herbal, floral note to the salad that makes it irresistible. (135-25 40th Rd.) (more…)
Seafood sticky rice balls are gloriously golden brown.
The menu at Diverse Dim Sum is as advertised, running to some 30 items, including various pancakes, noodles, dumplings, and other snacks. The soup dumplings at the oddly named Shanghai xiao chi specialist are so good—thin of skin and fragrant of broth—that I’ve sampled hardly anything else on the menu.
I’d been hearing great things about the seafood sticky rice ball ($3), so the other night a carb craving friend and I decided to have it as a sidecar to an order of xiao long bao. Hai xian zi fan gao, as they’re known in Chinese, come two an order and they’re more blocks than balls.
“Chinese pizza,” the lady behind the counter said as she presented the pair of golden brown slabs. (more…)
A mess of delicious Malaysian noodles from PappaRich.
One of the first things my father taught me about Chinatown is that it’s always changing, always evolving in new and delicious ways. That’s as true of Hong Kong and Macau as it is of Manhattan—the old man’s stomping grounds—and Flushing—my stomping grounds. One Fulton Square, a newish mixed use development is at the forefront of these changes in Flushing. It contains more than a dozen eateries ranging from high-end sushi (Iki) and Sichuan (Szechuan Mountain House) to specialty coffee (Presso). PappaRich, the second U.S. outpost of a Malaysian chain, is the latest addition to what’s fast becoming an Asian Times Square. (more…)
Cloud ear fungus is said to benefit the respiratory system.
Kulu Desserts has all manner of cold treats, including sawdust pudding and some lovely durian preparations, come wintertime though I find myself craving their tong shui or traditional Chinese sweet medicinal soups. It’s not every day you can eat dessert and claim that it’s good for anything other than your mood.
One of my favorites is the papaya white fungus soup, a comforting brew of crunchy snow ear mushrooms, chunks of sweet papaya, and Chinese almonds. Papaya aids in digestion, so it’s something I like to have after a big meal. The frilly white fungus is said to benefit the respiratory system. I have a feeling I’ll be sipping a lot of this sweet soothing brew this winter.
Kulu Desserts, 37-06 Prince St, Flushing, 718-886-3302; 806 62nd St, Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, 718-680-2818; 123 West 3rd St., 212-658-0865
The Hong Kong equivalent of New York cheesecake.
I’ve been eating my way through Flushing’s New York Food Court for about a year. Yet somehow, I only just got around to trying Mango Mango yesterday. The bowl of spicy soup I’d just finished had put me in the mood for something sweet to cool down.
I wasn’t in the a mango mood though, and almost left the food court without getting dessert. Then I saw the hand written special sign reading “mille crepe durian (slice).” There was also a mango version, but I was more intrigued by the durian. (more…)
DIY noodle soup at Flushing’s Gui Lin Mi Fen.
PLEASE NOTE THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED
Sometimes it feels as if I lead so many food tours of Flushing Chinatown that I don’t do enough research, i.e. eating, of non-sharable dishes like noodle soups. Sure I have my favorites: predawn laksa at Curry Leaves, Nutritious Lamb Noodle Soup’s namesake tonic, the samgyetang at Hansol Nutrition Center. Lately though I’ve been craving a brand new flavor in noodle soup, which is why I’m glad I finally tried Gui Lin Mi Fen. (more…)
Malaysian pandan mooncakes are my favorite.
“Mooncakes!!??, a Chinese friend said to me over breakfast recently. “Nobody likes them, they’re like fruitcake for Asians.” The dense cakes stamped with Chinese characters are traditionally eaten (sometimes begrudgingly) and gifted—much like fruitcake—for the Moon Festival, which falls on Sunday, September 27 this year. All sorts of mooncakes, including novelty ones for pandas and those made from Taiwanese hornet hives are prepared for the fall harvest festival, which is held on the night of the full moon between early September and early October. (more…)
