The Feisty Foodie » Chinese

Congee Village

Feisty Foodie — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:15:54 +0000

After a couple of hours at the batting cages, BF and I had sufficiently worked up an appetite – despite my brunch – and met up with BlindBaker plus BF’s former coworker, JP (I don’t know why I referred to him as this in a previous post - one of the downsides to using initialed nicknames constantly) and his wife, VSa, to grab some food. JP and VSa wanted to hit up Congee Village in Chinatown, which caused both BlindBaker and I to cringe internally, but I decided to put my gameface on and put aside my prejudices. (With a name like Congee Village, I really want to ask them WTF they were thinking. Plus, I’ve been twice in the past, and their congee sucks – how are you going to put “congee” in your name and then not make it properly?!)

***I should note here that I actually co-hosted a baby shower here – for ANM and T of TCC – three years ago – and I enjoyed some of the food, as noted below.

Because I speak Cantonese semi-fluently (especially in food), I ordered everything everyone wanted, in Cantonese. The fun part was when he tried to clarify things with me, and I had no idea what he was asking me! Shameful that I can ask for things but I can’t answer when they ask me things…. sigh.

JP and Vsa ordered veggie dumplings, steamed. I didn’t want one, but they said these were pretty sad – very soft and floppy, and not very tasty. FAIL.

BF wanted fried dumplings, but these were the thick-skinned kind he doesn’t like. I tried one, and while I don’t mind thick skin (sometimes; I have to be in the mood), these were not cooked through (the skin, if that makes sense) and the meat was not that flavorful, even with the use of black vinegar. FAIL.

I remembered this dish from the baby shower – garlic paper fried chicken, which I ordered as such, but the waiter tried to tell me the name is something else. Ok, you know what I’m talking about, so why do you have to keep telling me I have the name wrong? I said “Ok, but it’s paper fried chicken with garlic added, right?” and he kept telling me about some sauce that’s added. I don’t know what he was talking about. So I got the name wrong, but the dish was right: juicy fried chicken with paper-thin crispy skin, tender meat, and amazing bursts of garlic flavor. I don’t like chicken at restaurants, but this is one of the dishes I like to eat a few pieces and be done with. I think an entire meal could be eaten of this and rice… Yum! Everyone else seemed to like it, too.

“Wet” fried noodles with beef, beef ho fun, sup chow ngau ho. Yes I’ve tried to make this before, to great fail (don’t look for it! please!). They did it pretty well here – this was another of JP’s choices – lots of beef, veggies, and the noodles were good.

Honey walnut shrimp, VSa’s favorite dish. She said she really likes this here, and it was perfectly tasty – large shrimp, each coated with the sauce. I’m completely biased and still prefer my favorite Cantonese place, especially since they keep the sauce separate for me to dip as liberally or as conservatively as I like (and to scoop some into my white rice to eat like that… o yes I did and do!). I also would have liked extra sauce to dip the broccoli in, but as it stands, this is an acceptable version. (I also prefer the beef noodles – the last dish – from my favorite place more, but that’s straight bias, since these were good, too.)

Seafood chow mein – I love noodles. These were really good, lots of seafood, though a bit skimpy on the more expensive seafood bits. JP said he liked this dish a lot too, which made me glad I’d ordered it – I didn’t want to be seen as the pig just ordering stuff that no one else wanted to eat (we shared everything family-style). When I asked for “jeet cho” (red wine vinegar), the guy brought it but then pointed out the black vinegar on the table. Hon, if I wanted to put black vinegar on my noodles, I’d be crazy first of all, and second, I’d have used it already then. I just kind of blankly stared at him because I didn’t know the name for black vinegar in Chinese until he pointed at it. This was very confusing. Did he not know I wanted to put this on my noodles? Was he just having fun mocking the girl who clearly did not know any Chinese but FOOD???

BlindBaker stepped in here and added a tofu dish whose name escapes me (or perhaps I never knew it). This was tasty with rice! Can you tell me what the name is? Thanks!

My first plate, I took a little bit of everything to show you. Then I stuck to mostly noodles since those are the carbs I crave. Seafood chow mein with red wine vinegar??? Yes please!!! NOM!!!

Yvo says: Both BlindBaker and I admitted to each other that we had unfairly judged Congee Village without giving it a fair chance till then. The food was tasty enough. However, it’s in an awkward part of Chinatown for those of us using mass transit (on Allen Street) (we drove this time and found parking very close by, luckily), and to me, this isn’t real Chinatown – not just because it’s on the edge, but because it’s a large, very clean restaurant – good for those who are going to Chinatown for the first time. The food is definitely tasty – but I don’t think I’d seek this place out often. Maybe if I were showing people new to Chinatown, or wary of “hole in the wall” dining, I could see going back. The full bar doesn’t hurt either (though we didn’t utilize it). I can’t speak to prices because BF and JP paid without letting us look at the bill – thanks again, BF & JP!!! – but I know that neither of them said it was expensive, and we had some leftovers to take as well. Oh, and the waiters totally spoke enough English for those who are new to Chinatown and don’t speak Chinese.
recommended for Chinatown n00bz and/or those afraid of grime

Tuesdays with TT: Wan’s going away dinner

TT — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:15:46 +0000

A couple of months ago, CT told me that her good friend Wan was going to be moving to London for business school soon. You may remember Wan as our gracious dim sum guide. Wan said she would love it if CT cooked Indian food, since she rarely does. As an added bonus, we were able to use CT’s parents new apartment with its huge kitchen. CT’s friend JC also offered to cook some Chinese dishes. As for me, all I had to do was bring a can opener and EAT!

CT made dishes her Mother makes, so nothing like we would get at a restaurant.

The first dish was Keema with Aloo. It was ground beef with potatoes and spices. CT hadn’t made it in a while, so she wasn’t overly happy with the result. I thought it was good and balanced well with some of the stronger flavored dishes.

Her other dish was Shrimp with Mustard Seed Curry and Yogurt. CT went overboard with the amount of shrimp she bought, but I’m not complaining. It was super tasty. I will have to get her to make this again, soon!

JC made Mapo Tofu with Pork. This was my first time having this. It was by far the star of the night. Everyone loved this dish. Tons of salty, porky, goodness in this. The tofu made this healthy, or at least that’s what I tell myself.

JC also made a shrimp dish, Shrimp with Celery in Oyster Sauce. This was also really good. JC left the celery al dente so it still had a nice crunch to it. Quite different from the shrimp, CT made, but just as good.

I think I ended up getting seconds and thirds. Everything was delicious. As if that wasn’t enough, JC also made dessert, Almond Jelly with Fruit Cocktail. It was simple yet exactly what was needed. A good end to the meal.

I wish Wan all the best in London. I hope she enjoyed this dinner as much as I did.

Tuesdays with TT: Momofuku Noodle Bar

TT — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:15:08 +0000

When CT was planning LH’s visit to NYC, she asked me for recommendations on restaurants that she should take LH to. It was a pretty easy decision as there are plenty “Only in NY” restaurants to choose from. The first thing that came to mind is one of the Momofukus. Although Yvo has had some choice words about them and their owner, here is chance for a Feisty Foodie review of Momofuku Noodle Bar. We arrived around 7 on a Tuesday so luckily we were seated right away.

I started off with a beer. I chose the Ginga Kogen. It is an unfiltered Japanese beer. I never heard of it, but decided to splurge($10) and try it. I was quite happy with it. It was very refreshing on a hot, humid NYC day. CT got an Allagash White and LH got the Limeade Soju Slushie.

Since it was so hot, I knew I wasn’t going to get the ramen. I also had it last time I was there, so I wanted to try something new. The prix fix was the most interesting and at $30, pretty reasonable.

I was first given an amuse of spring radish with what I believe was kimchi mayo and scallion. The radish was nice and crunchy with a little heat from the kimchi. It definitely whet my appetite.

We also got two appetizers to share.

The obligatory pork buns. Delicious as usual. I think these are mandatory anytime you bring a Momo-virgin to the restaurant.

CT chose the chicken tamale too. It was a good tamale. The chicken was too dry which can happen quite easily when the tamale is steamed.

My first course was the Spanish Mackarel Tataki with horseradish sour cream, mint, and snap peas. Everything was super fresh, not fishy at all. I didn’t detect any horseradish flavor, but the snap peas were great. I wonder if they get them from the Union Square greenmarket that morning?

My second course was Miso Soup with rice cakes, wakame, and chili oil. This was quite possibly the best miso soup I ever had. Super flavorful with the saltiness of the miso and the heat of the chili oil. They rice cakes were cut to mimic the traditional tofu that is usually served in the soup.

The main was Roasted Duck Breast with cipollini onion, rhubarb, and strawberry. The meat was cooked perfectly, super tender. Strawberry and rhubard is a classic combination was brought great flavor to the dish.

LH got the signature Ramen. She said she wasn’t hungry, but managed to eat pretty much the whole thing. (She split open the egg before I got to take the picture.)

CT also decided to try something different as she wasn’t in a ramen mood. She went with the Chilled Spicy Noodles with Sichuan spiced sausage, spinach, and cashews. At first it looked like a sausage, cashew, spinach salad. The noodles were hidden underneath, so mixing was required. It turned out to be a great dish. The noodles were coated in chili oil, which made them SUPER spicy. The spinach and candied cashews helped to alleviate some of the heat. The sausage was good and brought good substance to the dish.

CT adds: At first sight, I’ll admit I had some food-envy, but by the end I liked my dish the best! Even as a lover of spicy food, this dish had me sweating, though still tasting delicious!

My prix-fix came with dessert. The soft serve flavors were too good to pass up. Olive Oil and Pickled Cherry. I got both. The flavors were quite good, although the pickled cherry totally overwhelmed the olive oil. It was just the right amount of dessert for me, served in a Chinese tea cup.

All in all, it was good meal. I am glad I was able to show LH the Momofuku empire. The restaurant wasn’t too loud and we weren’t squished in our seats, which was a welcome change. Yes, its not the best ramen in the world, but its other dishes are pretty unique and the prix fix is a good deal.

THURSDAYS with TT: Jing Fong Dim Sum

TT — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:15:58 +0000

Over the past couple of months I have become quite the food blogger. I or (CT) bring a camera to every restaurant we go to. Since Yvo has been busy with school, I am stepping up and will now have a weekly column, Tuesdays with TT. Bon Appetit!

UPDATE: I am becoming a blogging machine, so I will also be reporting on Thursday afternoons for you.

Believe it or not, I have never been to Dim Sum before. Growing up in the Jersey suburbs, my family was not the most adventurous of eaters. CT made it her priority for us to go ASAP. She prefers going with her good friend Wan who speaks Chinese so she can get us the best food at the best restaurant. Wan is off to graduate school in London soon, so we were running out of time before she left. CT picked one of her favorite places, Jing Fong Dim Sum on Elizabeth Street aka the place with the big escalators. After waiting 15-20 for a table, we proceeded up the escalator. The place is enormous. It can seat a couple hundred people at one time.

After sitting down, the food comes immediately, since it is already prepared and being passed on the traditional dim sum carts. Simply point at what you want and the server will mark your card and present you with the item. Talk about instant gratification. We let Wan go nuts and choose what she felt was the best items.

On the left- steamed pork ribs with taro roots, garlic, and red pepper. Very tasty, somewhat gelatinous from the cartilage.

On the right- seafood and pork shu-mai. Good seafood flavor.

Pork buns. They look like soup dumplings, but alas they were not. These were just ok.

Clear shrimp dumpling – in Chinese it’s sometimes called “crystal dumpling” because of its clear wrap & chewy texture. The wrapper was a fail on this because it became too sticky so the dumpling fell apart when grabbing it with chopsticks. The shrimp inside was tasty though.

Fried shrimp! These were very good. I ate these like potato chips. Heads, shells, and all!

Thin noodles wrapped shrimp. I think Wan said this is her favorite dish. I also liked it a lot. Very delicate.
Yvo’s Note: This is also my favorite dim sum dish – rice noodles wrapped around shrimp with a sweet soy sauce

Roast pork buns. MMMMM. These were probably the best roast buns I have ever had. Very fresh and the meat inside was still pretty hot.

Chicken feet. The one item I knew I wanted to get before arriving. Zimmern and Bourdain eat them all the time, so I really wanted to try them. They were very tasty. Very similar to the buffalo wings you would get at the bar, but a little harder to eat with less meat and more skin.

Savory Dumpling- fried sticky rice paste/dough(?) with pork stuffing. These were good in that they were sweet and savory at the same time.
Yvo’s Note: Fried mochi filled with savory ground pork. Growing up, my brother and I called them footballs for their shape and our inability to pronounce the Chinese name (ham sui gok, or ’salty water triangle’ I think)

Crispy Duck with Hoison Sauce. I saw this dish and had to have it. It was amazing. The skin was so crispy! Dipped in hoison was the perfect salty/sweet combination.

Shrimp Spring Rolls. Self explanatory and just ok.

Lotus wrapped sticky rice and chicken, ground pork and Chinese sausage. CT says this dish is mandatory. It was very tasty. Lots of different flavors all mushed together.

For the 5 of us, all of this food was $15 including tax and tip. Apparently that is considered expensive for dim sum. I thought it was a great deal. Navigating Chinatown on the weekend can be a little hairy, but well worth it for this. It was a great meal and look forward to returning again. Thanks Wan!

Dumpling Cafe Restaurant

Feisty Foodie — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:15:13 +0000

A reader of mine alerted me to the opening of Dumpling Cafe in Forest Hills about a year ago, and I’ve been meaning to go check it out for a while. I was a lil disappointed when I finally got over there and discovered it appeared to be little more than a take out Chinese place… with a few items of interest on the menu. Unfortunately, being the silly girl I am, I didn’t manage to try those this first time.

Being called the Dumpling Cafe, I of course ordered pork dumplings (fried). This order of 8 was $4.95.

They were remarkably juicy and I liked the black vinegar provided with the dumplings. Tasty. At the same time, though, I could get these in bags of 50 at the Chinese supermarket. They weren’t amazing – but they were very good. (I’m jaded because of my intense fascination with dumplings.)

Dumpling Cafe has something I haven’t seen in years though – an under $5 lunch special! I think the last time I saw that was when I was attending SUNY Albany, over 11 years ago. Between 11am and 3:30pm, for $4.59 plus tax, you get vegetable fried rice or rice, choice of hot & sour soup, wonton soup or soda, and a main course. I chose sesame chicken because I don’t have much experience with Chinese takeout, but when I did used to order it a bit, I used to love sesame chicken (basically, General Tso’s chicken, but not spicy, is what I was told). They have a good selection for the main, though no dumplings, which kind of annoyed me. One of the choices should be just dumplings!!! They make an excellent meal on their own!

The sesame chicken was flavorful, tender and not over-sauced. Some pieces were a little bready, but not all of them, and the broccoli was still tender- which I love. In fact, they put the broccoli on the bottom, almost as if to buoy the chicken over the sauce, to prevent sogginess. I was happy with that.

As for the wonton soup… I was interested when I saw bright green leaves floating in there, but couldn’t determine why they looked like torn basil but tasted like nothing.

The wontons themselves were, as expected, pretty flat and flimsy.

The broth was a lil lacking – maybe a dash of salt to liven it up? But sufficient considering it came with the meal for $5. I would imagine the hot & sour soup might be a better bet, though curiously, egg drop soup is not on the menu anywhere nor on the lunch special offerings.

I’d ordered the vegetable fried rice with this, which was good as far as fried rice goes. Of course, I’d have preferred pork fried rice, but for less than $5, I’m not complaining. The veggie fried rice had a decent amount of veggies and traces of egg, which is a plus in my book. Extra protein!

Yvo says: The delivery range extends to me (though I’m not on the same side of Queens Boulevard, and I’m not THAT close), which is awesome. The delivery minimum is $10… but any case, I’m glad to have Dumpling Cafe in the area for when I’m too lazy for (or have run out of) my frozen dumpling supply, because their dumplings are good, plus the lunch specials are SUPER cheap! There are also two sections on the menu that I am totally interested in: “Noodle Soup” which may be worth checking out – $5.95 for wonton, pork dumpling, chicken dumpling, beef noodle, curry chicken… noodle soups… hmmm…. and “Snacks” which includes scallion pancakes for $1.75, Asian beef/chicken skewers for $3, that sort of thing interests me greatly. I will definitely be ordering from them again sooner than later! Yummy! Welcome to the neighborhood, Dumpling Cafe!!!
recommended neighborhood eats/takeout/delivery