Wu Liang Ye

While I’ve posted about Wu Liang Ye in the past, I really enjoy the food there and thought I’d share one more meal there.

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Razor clams make me think of one person in this world: my dad. It’s more fully fleshed out here, but I’ll let you decide whether or not you want to read it instead of repeating that story here. In any case, when DLS told me he’d had razor clams at Wu Liang Ye, I decided I had to get them. And look at that presentation! My dad would have been proud had he created such a thing, and for good reason: as he always impressed upon me, people eat with their eyes first, and this is a lovely feast for your senses. The razor clams themselves were tossed in a scallion sauce, like an Asian pesto, and were perfectly cooked – not chewy at all, light, fresh, and fantastic. I can’t imagine returning to Wu Liang Ye and NOT ordering this now… I really enjoyed them. (Though the answer to the question those who clicked over to read the story about my father and razor clams may be asking now is “no” – this is not how he cooked them.)

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For our table of five, two bowls of dumplings in chili oil – still good, though I wouldn’t say amazing or anything mind blowing. I still prefer White Bear‘s, but those are pretty hard to beat when you churn out plenty of other delicious dishes as well, while White Bear mostly focuses on that one thing.

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Two bowls of dan dan mian – though in my post about White Bear, I mention their dan dan noodles as being really good, honestly, Wu Liang Ye’s haunt my dreams. Their noodles are springy, chewy, with just the right amount of heat – and it isn’t small, by the way – and just delicious. I tossed them throughout the chili oil (to DLS’s chagrin, whoops), and just loved every last bite. Super tasty.

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An order of pea shoots just to be healthy – pretty good, though not as tender as China Pearl’s.

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Mapo tofu, which I’ve had so rarely that I have literally no point of comparison; however, EL said it was a little too much black pepper and not enough chili heat. I thought it tasted perfectly fine and was able to enjoy it without freaking out over the spice level, so maybe he was right and it wasn’t enough chili.

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Last but not least, the dish everyone gets – double cooked pork belly with chili leeks. I like this dish here, and find it flavorful and spicy, meaty, tender, and delicious. Win.

Yvo says: Another great meal at Wu Liang Ye; though I’m not particularly fond of the location as I don’t work in midtown, I really enjoy the food here and know I’ll be back to eat from other parts of the menu as well. Delicious!
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