A NYC friend told me today about this restaurant in Chinatown that is a hidden treasure that has a waiting list every night and you can't get reservations so Thanksgiving might be our only chance to try it etc.... I was really excited for this very special insiders tip that unfortunately just ended up being pretty crap.
My friend was correct about it being a bit off the beaten track. It is in the basement of another unrelated shop and if I had simply been walking down the street I would have just walked straight past it.
The menu was very long and had a lot of dishes that everyone knows like Lo Mein and Egg Rolls. I wanted Kung Pow Chicken and that is likely spelled wrong, but it is one of the most popular Chinese dishes in USA as far as i know. We ordered some Kung Pow, egg-rolls, fried squid, Chinese broccoli, Lo Mein, and rice. I was not in charge of the ordering but it seemed to be enough.
Enough it definitely was, unfortunately what it was not, was particularly good. It was very bland and uninspired. I wasn't expecting a lot from such a small unknown place but it was really busy and the line was going up the stairs and after eating there I can't really understand why.
I'm not going to pretend to be a chef here, nor am i terribly up to speed on what real Chinese food is meant to taste like. However, i think i can presume that seeing as how very few of the customers were Asian that it might not be terribly authentic.
gonna get a new camera soon, i promise
If you look at a google map of chinatown in NYC this will be one of the highest rated shops in the area. After sampling 5 dishes off their menu and not being impressed with any of them, I honestly can not understand why. I have had better Chinese food in Kansas at the only Asian restaurant in the entire city.
Sorry, but sometimes just because it is hidden and in a fashionable part of town, doesn't necessarily mean it is good. It was also nearly $80 for 3 people to have dinner. I am extremely disappointed.