Near my mother’s house is a restaurant called Tung Shing House (it’s currently blocked by scaffolding, so I didn’t take a photo of the front). It’s been there as long as I can remember, but I’ve never set foot inside because when I was a child, my parents seemed to frown upon its existence. The reason for their frowns seemed to be its less-than-authentic cuisine. Looking at its menu now, though, I could understand the restaurant’s smart business move back in the day; before this part of Rego Park became more Asian-oriented, it was entirely Jewish. Bringing a restaurant that took up quite a large space (so I imagine the rent wasn’t particularly low) to this area, it would be smart to cater to the area in a large sense, while offering dishes to lure those who are inclined to eating authentic dishes as well.
The menu now reflects this clearly; when our server brought us the menu, I laughed, “This looks like a children’s book.” Dr. Seuss would be proud to have his name on the front of it; thick pages covered in lots of pictures of the various dishes, which were a mix of Chinese take-out dishes and something much more authentic. Unfortunately, I couldn’t detect what their specialty cuisine might be, what focus to take, so I made a rookie mistake and allowed my dining companion (who is not Asian, nor well-versed in Asian cuisine) to choose just about everything we ordered. To be fair, though, the majority reason we were there was because I’d seen a Groupon for Tung Shing House and remarked to a friend how close it was to where I live and how I’d never gone… and being a good friend, it was purchased. Letting the menu be picked by the person who paid is fair.
After we ordered, this was brought to our table, gratis. Lightly pickled cucumber slices were nice and refreshing, and made me think perhaps this was a Sichuan restaurant? I love munching on these.
The next dish ordered was beef with black pepper sauce. Had I been paying more attention and not so focused on finding myself a noodle dish – or the noodle dish that I wanted – I might have perked up and put my foot down. This is an extremely common take out dish, isn’t it? However, each piece of beef was incredibly tender, and tasted good. This doesn’t deny that this is still just a dressed up takeout dish, though- tasty as it might have been.
It’s not just that the noodles are way off from what I wanted (these are thick, almost lo mein noodles, not crispy), but neither I nor my dining companion are huge fans of shrimp, scallops (I like scallops but only when they’re properly cooked; Chinese places tend to overcook them, and these were no exception)… I like squid at least! The taste, otherwise, was fine, and this is similar enough to the dish I wanted – just the noodles are not the same, this seafood sometimes tops the noodles I like (and I don’t eat the shrimp or scallops when my family orders that one). The flavors were what I expected, the squid was good, and the scallops were overcooked. However, I believe that the scallops were cooked to the doneness preferred in Chinese cuisine in general, so the kitchen didn’t mess up.. it just isn’t how I prefer my scallops.
Also funny: I asked for “jeet cho” or red vinegar for the noodles, in Chinese. The server wouldn’t bring it to me and finally relented and brought me black vinegar, which is not quite the same thing. And this dish is how I discovered it is not a Cantonese restaurant. (Perhaps that is where my parents’ scorn originated?)
By the way, once I spoke Chinese to our server, he returned to praise me on my Chinese and ask me where I was born. When I revealed I was born not too far from the restaurant, he got very excited and told me how he has two sons who are also “jhuk sing” (ABCs, American Born Chinese, born here) but whose grasp of Chinese is far more tenuous than mine. He seemed really impressed by my Chinese speaking skills, which was nice; judging by his age, his sons should be around my age, a little older, so I can’t imagine why he didn’t push them into Chinese school and make them speak Chinese growing up (I didn’t go to Chinese school, but I was exposed to a lot of Cantonese movies while growing up so instead of watching all the classic American movies, I watched Chow Yun Fat and the like). In any case…
This dish was clearly not chosen by me, nor was it small by any means. I managed to pick up one piece of chicken, brush aside all the seeds, all the peppers, inspect it carefully a few times, and finally eat it. It tasted OK, but it wasn’t spicy or bland… just there.
My dining companion’s reaction, however, was of delight as the dish was dispatched with haste. At one point, I heard, “Oh, sh*t,” as an entire pepper was accidentally consumed, followed by tongue numbing I imagine. Mala peppers tend to numb the tongue and mouth when ingested – from my understanding – so it’s a different sort of pain than your standard hot pepper. Interesting, but I wasn’t going to test myself!
As we exited the restaurant, I noticed that of the patrons inside, my friend was in the minority as everyone else seemed to be Asian. I tried to see what they were eating, but mostly I didn’t know what I was looking at. A lot of big tureens – not quite of soup, possibly a casserole type dish? My mother would know better!
A few hours later, I was chatting with my mother and I mentioned I’d gone to Tung Shing for lunch. At first she seemed vaguely interested like “Oh yeah? What’s that? How was it?” but when I clarified which place it was, she immediately lost interest again. Considering she’s been going to some of the nearby Chinese restaurants, I’m curious as to why she won’t go here. I may just have to try to drag her…
Yvo says: While the dishes we ordered weren’t really what I’d call real Chinese food, they were tasty enough. Given the high number of patrons who ordered far more interesting-looking dishes, and who were Asian, I would not be opposed to returning to try some other dishes, though I don’t believe I’ll go out of my way to return, either. The Groupon made it a good deal, but otherwise, for some of their takeout style Chinese food, it’s rather expensive. I’d just as soon drive a bit and go to my favorite Cantonese restaurant instead.
middle of the road
Hungry says
Yeah, that looks like a bastardized version of hoi seen chow mean or seafood chow mein.
Feisty Foodie says
I’ve been to non-Cantonese restaurants that use this type of noodle, though I can’t tell you what region it represented. It’s still tasty, just not what I thought I was ordering.
T.C. says
I prefer the thin crispy noodles too for chow mein but I have also seen it served with the thicker, not-as-warmly welcomed, noodles.
That looks like spaghetti. Mmmmmm.
Pepper steak is a Chinese take-out dish.
I do like the occasional Chinese-American dishes. I don’t mind it at all as long as the authenticity is clear.
Soopling says
The casseroles you saw might have been fish head soup/casserole…I haven’t eaten at the restaurant in a long time, but I believe that’s one of their specialties. My friend’s dad still often brings visitors to Tung Shing House specifically to have that soup.
Feisty Foodie says
Ooh, good to know, thanks! A reader has given me a list of things to try here, so I might be back yet 🙂 I had a feeling I missed the mark. You don’t stay open for that many years in such a large place by being mediocre!