A recent lunch excursion to nearby Chinatown took me to a restaurant in “the Tunnel” – except, strangely, when I tried to open the door, I was informed by two servers standing outside the place that they were being inspected at the moment, and could we please come back later. Uhhh… that didn’t quite rub me the right way.
In any case, we quickly decided to go next door to Coluck, which brought back memories upon memories. You see, I went to high school nearby (walking distance nearby, really), and my friends and I often cut class (gasp!) and came here for lunch. It was awesome; the food was cheap, good, comforting (or at least to me, since it’s semi-Cantonese), and they have a great blend of Chinese dishes and American-diner-style-dishes (not that I ordered too many of those, really).
My dining companion opted for ham omelet over rice. I didn’t try any, and now, looking back, this reminds me distinctly of certain dishes I’ve been “forced” to “make” for my Japanese video game, Cookin’ Mama. Hmm… it does look delicious though, and I imagine it was!
I opted for the same thing I had the last time I came here, easily oh, 7 or 8 years ago (with HB, actually… long story why I remember this). Beef chow mein; ask for red vinegar on the side and douse liberally. I don’t recall the sauce being quite so gloppy thick and sweet last time – and definitely not so much (you can’t see it in the photo, but there was a giant puddle of it underneath the noodles), nor did it boast strange, out of place button mushrooms – perhaps straw mushrooms, but not these slices – but it still satisfied my expectations. Which is to say: it brought back those familiar memories, and it filled my belly pleasantly enough with crunchy noodles, sweet soy sauce gravy, tender slices of beef, and yummy crunchy Chinese broccoli.
Destination dining, this is not, but for $5-6 a person total… I was pleased.
Yvo says: I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here – although writing this makes me want to go just to get sweet potato fries, a staple of our high school years – but I wouldn’t be unhappy going here again. It is what it is, a Chinese diner of sorts, with something for everyone. Also of note: they have the only Chinese “slurpees” I’ve had. That is, they have this ice machine that churns out sweet, sweet ‘soft’ ice (like a Slurpee, but clear); you choose your flavor, like lychee, so they’ll scoop lychees into the bottom, then pull the Slurpee thing and fill your cup. I used to LOVE these, they were $1.50 in high school… now $2.50. Inflation, damn you! (There’s also red bean, longan, and lots of other flavors… some which also get a squirt of red syrup on top to make it extra sweet. I always see the harder ice drinks, with ice chips, not this kind of soft ice Slurpee consistency.)
recommended
Coluck
16 Elizabeth Street (it’s in the Tunnel between Elizabeth & Bowery)
(212) 732-6322
Lizz says
Do you remember the food tasting the same as before? I always find it interesting to go back to places I used to love when I was younger – Lemongrass for Thai, Georgia diner, Carmines, etc. (too bad some of the others have closed down – Big Wong in Flushing!) to see how much my palate has changed or if I’ll still love my old favorites. So far I’ve realized I had somewhat bad taste in restaurants, couldn’t afford better places or just had lack of foodie knowledge hahah.
geoff says
haha I was here the other day before class! I think they add more cornstarch to the sauce nowadays. I do recall the button mushrooms, but in their whole form, not sliced like in the picture. The ice machine they’ve got mixes sweetened condensed milk with the ice, which makes the drink even sweeter than it is. I got the hong dao bing, and was surprised when it came out with that stuff on top.
just a thought: how can their address really be on Elizabeth, if they’re between that and Bowery? shouldn’t the tunnel have its own name or something?
FRESH LOCAL AND BEST says
I love crunchy noodles with anything – especially tender beef and broccoli.