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23rd St-8th Ave (C, E)
23rd St-7th Ave (1)
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So good my sister and I ate there twice in my two days in the city.
Decent:
Twice Cooked Pork
Ma Pou Tofu
Good:
Crab and pork soup dumplings
Dan Dan noodles
Stellar:
Dry Stir-Fried Green Beans (this dish was on every table we saw in the packed restaurant for Saturday lunch)
I am super picky about my Chinese food for obvious reasons (i.e. born in China, raised by Chinese parents, etc.) and am usually very disappointed by the Chinese food available in NYC (with the exception of a few places in Flushing and Chinatown). That being said, Grand Sichuan is one of the better places in Manhattan for Chinese food. It certainly isn't anything to write home about (especially if home is China where talking about good Chinese food is seen as: 1. odd and 2. annoying), but GS makes a decent ma po tofu (I think it's called pockmarked tofu?), gan bian si ji dou (dry fried green beans), hui guo rou (twice cooked pork), yü xiang qie zi (fish flavored eggplant), etc.
If you want Chinese and you don't want to schlep all the way to Flushing or Chinatown and you don't want to eat the gross cornstarch-heavy, over-fried, too sweet, imitation "Chinese" food sold at most Chinese restaurants--you should go to Grand Sichuan.
Grand Sichuan is my FAVORITE Chinese restaurant in the 5 boroughs. The notes about it being busy are very true. You go there, and you know it's worth the wait.
They have a menu that is extensive, and includes authentic cuisine as well as some of the standard American fairs. I highly recommend the Sichuan wontons in Red Hot Oil, the Anzhou Chicken, and even the General Tso's Tofu (and I usually hate tofu).
The portions are huge, and the food is always hot. Want to do really authentic... just look around. This place has Chinese patrons most of the time and they have some of the best smelling choices ordered. My mom always told me if you want to eat good authentic food go where there are ethnic people eating.
Grand Sichuan is simply the best.
I love coming here...no one can compete for this type of sichuan style food in manhattan! this place is always packed...we even lost our table cuz everyone was not there when the lady called our number.
the spicy boneless chicken, braised beef, and some kinda fish was delicious. unfortunately i dont the names of the exact dish...
When I go back to the East Coast, I'm definitely hitting up this place. One of the only good… Read more »
I gave this restaurant 4 stars because this is probably the most authentic Sichuan restaurant you'll find in Manhattan. And for most Yelpers I think this is the most readily accessible Sichuan restaurant in NYC. It's a sad fact that many people still believe general tso's chicken is real Chinese food (http://en.wikipedia.or...). Places like Grand Sichuan introduce people to what Chinese food actually is. The variety of regional styles is huge--Sichuan, Beijing, Shanghai, Cantonese, Taiwanese, Hong Kong, Mongolian and Chinese Islamic to name a few. And each region has its own unique flavors. In fact, out in Asia people don't call it "Chinese food", instead it's viewed more in terms of Beijing style vs. Taiwanese style cooking.
The only downside to this restaurant is that it's not actually *good* Sichuan food. Think of it as a French bistro that serves decent meals but the bearnaise sauce just isn't quite right. I know this because I visited some family in Sichuan a few years ago and basically lived for nothing else but the hot pot for a week. There's a running joke out there that restaurants put opium in the hot pot to keep customers coming back. I don't know if this is true but it would explain for the bizarre addiction to hot pot that locals have.
If you're truly adventurous and aren't intimidated by the idea of getting lost in ethnic neighborhoods, I recommend a small eatery that opened up in Flushing a few months ago. It's run-down, dingy and looks like hell (makes a dive bar look like a 4 star restaurant). It doesn't even exist on Yelp. The address is 43-09 Main Street, Flushing between Cherry and Dahlia Ave. It's the first counter on your left as you enter. Be sure to ask for the fish or the cabbage mixed with hot pepper sauce.
The chill in the air had me craving spicy dan dan noodles (they burn so good) and soup dumplings. My second go round at Grand Sichuan proved this spot has staying power with my taste buds.
I suspect we may be seeing more of one another as the temperatures drop...
The sun was fading and I was glad we'd skipped the cinema in favor of wine on the roof. As hunger… Read more »
Some of the better chinese I have had delivered in the US.
After looking at the site here, I went with the Dan Dan Noodles, Jellyfish in scallion oil, yang chow rice and the crab and pork soup dumplings.
Delivery was a little on the cold side by the time it got to me, even though I am only 8 st blocks away from this little place, but the quality was enough for me to look the other way this time.
Dan Dan noodles are just hot enough to discipline you from wolfing them down in 3 delicious mouthfuls, the soup dumplings are in my opinion really good, but I think I would have to be at the restaurant to really gauge them instead of delivery where they are a little cold/mushy by the time they are delivered, The yang chow rice is great, not greasy, I can even still taste some of the starch in the rice as if it were home cooked and not from the local US corner chinese joint. The jellyfish is a great menu item that you dont get to see from too many delivery places. the texture is clean and a little crisp, just how it is supposed to be.
Chinese restaurants are a dime a dozen, but finding good and authentic Chinese eats is a tough task. I was told this by a Chinese friend: "Eat where Chinese people eat". Every so often, I peer through storefront windows to see if there are in fact Chinese people eating there. I've passed by Sichuan on many occasions but never really gave it much consideration; how authentic can a Chinese restaurant in Chelsea with a largely non-Chinese clientele be? Could my bookcover judgement of Sichuan be wrong?
Upon arrival, I wrote my name down on a clipboard and was told to wait outside. As I was shoo'd away, I glanced at the tables to see what the food was like. Portions were small, which is unusual for Chinese restaurants. Thirty minutes and a Bass ale at a neighborhood bar later, my party of five was seated on a table meant for three small children. Authentic so far.
We started with the soup dumplings, which weren't soupy enough. Our first order was warm, meaning it was probably sitting somewhere for a bit, which explains the lack of soup. If you know how soup dumplings are made, you'll know the soup starts to thicken as a result of a cooling process. Our second order was scalding hot (which is the way it should be), but there still wasnt much soup. The juice was thick and savory, and it had no problem sticking to my teeth. Dumpling skin should be thin and slightly translucent, but the skin at this particular restaurant were thick. Not that it was unpleasant, but it didn't abide by my particular standards.
For entrees, we went family style and ordered a number of dishes, and I can't really complain about the taste. The garlic/chili sauce is very good. I know I mentioned this before but it has to be mentioned again; the portions were considerably smaller than those in other Sichuan style restaurants. If you're eating family style, big portions are a must. Nobody wants to be "that guy" who takes the last piece of meat without asking around (I'm usually "that guy"). It's not far to complain about the food being too fried. That's like whining about ice cream being too cold or a time-machine being too fast. The best part of the meal was easily the ma-po tofu, which was spicy and loaded with buttery soft cubes of soybean goodness.
Shortly after the meal, I tried to think back on the dishes we had, but I was constantly interrupted by heartburn and belches. I'm glad we were outside, where the wind carried our gas to a far away place called Staten Island.
I've come to the conclusion that there is no perfect Chinese restaurant. I guess that's just the nature of Chinese food; it's never the way you want it, even for the least-pickiest eater. The final verdict? I've had better.
Grand Sichuan was a pretty decent restaurant. When we arrived, we had to wait for about 15-20 minutes for a table. The place was packed! Finally when we sat down and ordered quickly since we browsed the menu while we waited. The food arrived super quick and was scorching hot!! Be careful because they bring the food as soon as it's done.
I ordered the chicken with garlic sauce and it was a little sweeter than I thought it would be, but still good. My boyfriend had chicken and chinese broccoli and our friend had veggies and pork. Both enjoyed their dishes, but wished they weren't super hot (as in heat, not spice).
The service at this place was fast, but the servers are not there to be nice and friendly. They smile just enough and are there to seat you, bring you food and get you out! And I can understand that as the place stayed super busy for the entire time we were there.
Finally at the end of the meal, they brought yummy orange slices and fortune cookies. :) I'd go back, but I'd make sure not to go starving because there will be a wait.
My go-to Sichuan restaurant in NYC.
Pleasant atmosphere, wonderfully gruff (Chinatown-style) service, but efficient.
The pork/crab meat soup dumplings are on my list of top ten favorite food of all time. Little packets of savory goodness.
The twice cooked pork, either sweet or spicy comes with tons of cooked onions and is heavenly. Great the next day.
Prawns in garlic sauce are large, shrimpy tasting, and pack some heat.
The tea smoked duck is also a favorite.
If you're looking for a head clearing psychedelic experience, try the wontons in red sauce. I was tearing for 30 minutes, but what a rush.
They're often crowded, but the wait at peak times isn't usually longer than 20 minutes.
This is our first choice for Chinese food. Not sure why I never Yelped it before. Love the dumplings, Orange Beef is good, Great Variety, Good Sized portions, I have order things that were not on the menu, tried lots of the dishes and they are always prepared well. Only down side is sometimes there is a wait.
used to live in the area and have had Grand Sesh delivered over 50 times and have dined here on numerous occassions. I haven't eaten here in a few years, but went back last night with a good group. I still love this place. I love the ladies who work here - they are straight to business. Kind of like the chinese lady version of the soup nazi but they are actually really nice and joke around with you once you get to know them.
Here's what we had.
Spicy Jellyfish in Scallion oil - Excellent, one of my fav dishes here.
Xiao Long Bao - I was really suprised at how good the soup dumplings are here. I had ordered them delivery and thought they were so-so, but eating them there they tasted much better. For some reason I even liked the pork-only ones better than the pork-crab. So much umami goodness in there - one of our dinner companions was asking if there was egg yolk in side. Parag P. says he likes these soup dumplings better than Joe Shanghai, but I wouldn't go that far. I still like Joe's Shanghai and Nan Shian's much better.
Dan Dan noodles - These are always on point here. Nice kick to them. They tend to be a little on the salty side but then again so am I.
Conch w/ Black Bean Sauce - This was good, but it's one of those dishes that everyone picks the conch out of and you end of with a big plate of veg. Conch had nice texture and good taste.
Chinese Brocolli - Well executed.
Mapo Tofu - Very well executed - a little heavy on the sauce for how I like it.
Sliced Beef in Chili Sauce - This was pretty good - the beef is so-so.
Freshly killed chicken An Zhou style - This is usually a crowd favorite. I'm not particularly fond of this breaded and deepfried preparation, but the chicken was good.
Sauteed Soft Shell Crab in Chili Sauce - I had never had this here and I was shocked at how good it was here. I have eaten so much soft shell crab this season and this was probably the third or fourth best I've eaten.
Yung Chow Fried Rice - I have ordered this many times. It's not the best I've had but it is like a warm blanket that's always there for you on a chilly night. A little bit too oily, but overall it's a nice B/B+ dish.
Some of the best Chinese food I have ever had. I make the trek down here just for this place- rain or shine, day or night.
The food here is amazing. I love all the spicy dishes I have ever tried and their dumplings are the things dreams are made of. The hot and sour soup makes me drool, too. And everything is incredibly reasonably priced!
The decor is your typical, "understated" chinese restaurant with bland walls aside from a few pieces of Chinese kitsch. The service is average at best. But, I could not rate this place anything less than a five based on authenticity and addictive qualities.
Yum yum and more yum.
The soup dumplings are AMAZING! Shrimp dumplings are awesome as well.
We ordered beef with broccoli, general tso's chicken, house special lo mein and a "special" chicken w/ garlic sauce - that last one was great, but I really didn't notice much of a difference to it or why it was $4 more than any other dish.
Service is fine and atmosphere is typical - but really, come here for the soup dumplings!
Grand Sichuan doesn't joke about spice.
The Dan Dan noodles are delicious - definitely worth trying - but are also very spicy. Not for the faint of heart.
The wontons in their soups are fantastic - the dough is the perfect texture and locks in the broth flavor and the meat inside isn't too chewy or lumpy, it's just right.
Their spicy beef dish is super tender (not my style). The scallion pancakes are a green win (literally). Possibly one of the best chinese food places in the city.
I'm addicted to the Dan Dan noodles. So good, so tasty. The soup dumplings are fantastic too. Almost everything on the menu is very tasty.
I agrre with many posts here; the service is sub-par. And the wait is usually long.This would have been 5 stars if not for the service.
However go because it is that good.
great prices, great location (near movies on 23rd street and why we went here)
bad service, I had to ask several time for WATER, while the couple next to us was served water at least 3 times without then asking? I guess we looked like bad tippers?
decor is horrendous. Food was ok, nothing spectacular, it's pretty typical, as far as what we ate...however the chicken wings were really good!
Upon my return to NY I've been looking for a replacement for the venerable China Village (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). This ain't it, but it's pretty damn good. Highlights:
- Crab and pork soup dumplings with a pre-formed slurp spout
- Aoi Zhou Chicken (raised in some guy's backyard)
- Dan Dan Noodles
- Emperor's Daughters Spinach Thing
As for the service, brusque comes to mind.
Sometimes, it's service and atmosphere be darned, the food is so good you brave the lines and being manhandled by the wait staff, and Grand Sichuan, would be just such a restaurant. Now my friend pointed out that Bobby Flay was actually in the restaurant the same time we were, so I'm thinking if it's good enough for Bobby Flay, then the restaurant must be at least A-OK.
I'd highly recommend the soup dumplings of course, but I also found the tea leaves wrapped duck seductively good. The tofu was light and fluffy. If there was every a time when blandness was actually a delectable flavor, this would be it as the sharp contrast of the absence of flavor really stood out, who, or rather the flavor of the usually excessively under noted soy finally came out in full force.
I think compared to the negative reviews, the trick is knowing what to order. When in doubt, stick to the chef special's section, and of course the soup dumplings. I don't think the restaurant is for everyone, but someone not liking the restaurant when skipping out on the soup dumplings is like someone railing against Katz's when skipping the pastrami sandwich in favor of a burger or something.
Grand Sichuan=
1. Generally scrumptious
2. Greatly savory
3. Greasily scintillating
4. Generously supplied
5. Gently spiced (not)
6. Gingerly sauced (especially the sauce with the ginger in it)
7. Gastronomically satisfying
8. Gustatorily superior
9. Good soup (dumplings)
9a. Gimme some (more)
10. Go see (what I mean)
Tonight I came here with a friend and we ordered too much food.... Our request for everything extra spicy was ignored.
Appetizers: Ox tongue and tripe was a little bit oily but tender and very flavorful... Dan-Dan Noodles were a little over-cooked but still tasty... Sliced conch was tough and not at all fresh... Shrimp toast was alright... Crab and pork soup dumplings were chewy on the outside and bland on the inside -- by the time they reached our table most of them had already popped.
Entrees: Double-cooked pork was decent... Steamed tilapia with ginger and garlic was decent.
It's only because this place is in Chelsea that I'm giving it three stars, because for the area it's surprisingly good, it adds some charm -- but it really isn't comparable to similar places in other neighborhoods.
Service is dependably inattentive. Bathrooms are kinda gross.
The food is very good and comes FAST. However, there is usually a wait for a table. We often order in stages because everything comes at once but I am amazed at how the waitresses find room for it all on the table.
This is the kind of place you go to with at least 4 or more people. The only downside is that the waitresses are kind of pushy and impatient. Maybe it's a cultural thing, but I always feel like they are too efficient in trying to get us out the door. I've learned to take it as part of their "charm".
Our favorites are the dan dan noodles, dumplings, and double cooked pork.
3.5-4 stars for the food.... and maybe 2 stars for the service.
We had: dry-fried string beans with minced pork, the little wontons with chili oil, and the hot beef slices in a soupy like sauce (shui zhu niu rou).
The string beans are GOOD. The flavoring is reminiscent of one of my favorite Chinese places back home in San Francisco, and the pickled vegetable and minced pork are almost perfect in this dish.
The little wontons had very fresh pork, and the chili oil mixed with soy sauce was a pleasant accompaniment.
The beef slices were not usual -- the sauce had WAY too much cornstarch (it's really supposed to resemble more of a soup than a sauce), and the slices of beef were overmarinated with some sort of softener, so the texture was too soft, which isn't right. Flavor was good, though.
The portions here are large, so it's good if you are either very hungry or are coming with lots of hungry people. The service here is extremely spotty -- it takes a long time to get noticed when you want things like your check, but the food comes out pretty fast.
I'll concur with the other reviews here.
The food is solid, the service needs work.
I'm obviously not Chinese, and not really expert on what constitutes authentic Chinese food, but this place definitely has a more extensive and authentic-seeming menu than your average (non-Chinatown) Chinese place. Basically they have split their long menu into "American Chinese Food," which has your General Tso's, etc, and more authentic stuff. (Don't be too embarrassed to order the American Chinese stuff. Just because it isn't how they eat in China doesn't mean it isn't valid cuisine)
I had Spicy Chicken with Cucumber, which was excellent. My commie/vegetarian girlfriend had Family Style Bean Curd, which was pretty good too.
As for the service, the wait was just about what they said it would be so no complaints there, but they brought out my dish almost 10 minutes before Girl's. She, of course, couldn't share mine, because she is going to marry a a carrot, so I either had to be rude and start eating or let it get cold. Bad form on their part.
Prices are perfectly reasonable.
This is some of the best Chinese food in the city. Even new york magazine rated it the best.
My favorite has to be the soup dumplings and their gigantic egg rolls.
If you plan on going for dinner be prepared to wait. I usually wait about 45mins to and hour for a table for 2. but its all worth it at the end.
I have been a customer for 5-6 years and have not much to add to the other reviews here except to say that:
-the food quality is very good eat-in BUT when delivered to your home, it is NOT good. I don't know why but this happens consistently!
-the soup dumplings are something every one should try at least once before they die!! They are better than most places here in NYC and as good as the places I went to in Asia.
-the Sichuan dishes are what make this place special. The American and Cantonese styles dishes are not bad.
-Don't expect service to be luxury in this kinda of no frill place. Just order, eat excellent food, pay, and leave!! The staff is actually pretty friendly if they are not overwhelmed....
-the wait is often long at rush times, the sister restuarant in Hells Kichen has shorter wait time but I havent been there in a while. (not sure if they are related really but the menu and taste are almost identical)
This is my review: Soup dumplings and the tea smoked duck.
I bring wine and pay their corkage fee and it makes for a lovely evening (or lunch, actually).
Chinese food is ALL about regional specialization. So much so that in China, the food of one region might be completely indistinguishable from the food of another; as indecipherable to each other as regional dialects.
However, as is often the case with all immigrant communities, the regionalism of a cuisine is sacrificed to the altar of market demand. Whole steamed fish gives way to sweet and sour chicken with pineapple and red dye number 5, and a shanghainese-centric menu morphs into a grab-bag of cantonese and taiwanese crowd pleasers.
When I first walked into the Chelsea branch of the Grand Sichuan restaurants, there were more than a few red flags. When prejudging a Chinese restaurant, the first leading indicator of authenticity is the clientele. As me and my friends were the only Chinese customers in the entire restaurant, my immediate suspicions were aroused. This unease was prodded further when I saw that their menu had a specific section called "American Chinese Dishes", filled with the usual suspects of general tso's and cashew chicken.
However, for the most part, Grand Sichuan confounded my expectations by serving an authentic, true to form meal of Sichuan staples. The Sui Zhu Niu or beef cooked in flower pepper oil was tender and spicy. The Fish Head Soup, which I doubt anyone else in the restaurant would have had the cajones to order, was fantastic. The broth was earthy, complex, and punctuated with pieces of tender, moist fish. A particularly pleasing find on the menu was La Zhi Ji, or Spicy Fried Chicken, on bone, tossed with chilies. To the restaurant's credit, they offer an entire section of Chicken dishes made from only freshly killed chickens.
The worst dish was the Spicey Sichuan Wontons with Hot Oil. This is by far one of my favorite dishes of the region. Instead of large, golf ball size wontons with a thick, chewy skin, we were served lemon drop size nuggets of mediocrity with soy sauce and chili oil. So disappointing.
The lone deviation from the Sichuan only meal were the Xiao Long Bao, or soup dumplings, which we just couldn't resist. Who has the best Xiao Long Bao in NYC is an ongoing epic debate, but suffice it to say Grand Sichuan's were well executed.
Overall, a good, authentic meal. Despite my initial concerns, the kitchen kept it real and showed that you can still produce the good stuff despite being forced to shill out for the insufferably ignorant egg roll and fortune cookie crowd.
Also, props to the hostess for forgoing the corkage fee on the bottle of wine we brought (hey being the only Chinese table at a Chinese restaurant has its benefits).
This might have been the best Chinese food I have had in New York City is 10 years. The food was well seasoned using real flavors like Chinese 5 spice and star anise. The spicy is genuinely spicy and the flavors are not overly Americanized. If you are looking for a quality Chinese restaurant, this is the place to go.
As a note, the soup dumplings are good, but Shanghai Café's are better. However the rest of the food beats Shanghai Café in flavor.
Ok - here is the deal...excellent food, really bad service. We went last night (Saturday). It was packed, but we got a table in 15 minutes. All the "American Chinese" choices present in the menu, indicated as "American Chinese". It took them a while to take our order and then the order came piece meal - first entree minus the rice. It took 10 minutes for the rice to arrive. The second entree came well after we had finished the first entree. We had General Tso's Chicken and Kung Pao chicken - safe choices. We also had one appetizer - fried chicken dumplings - so-so. The waitress was rude and did not even look at us while delivering the food. No one came to check on us. I would have taken one star off of the rating if the food was not just right.
*** Minor highlight: I spotted the actress Parker Posey outside the restaurant! Looked like she may have had dinner at this place a few minutes ago.
Shhh. Don't tell the people queued outside of Joe's Shanghai but the crab and pork soup dumplings at Grand Sichuan are way, way better. I will travel from any corner of the city to get my soup dumpling fix here.
The service is famously atrocious, but the dumplings make up for it.
I am a Sichuan peppercorn addict and this is now THE place to get my fix. Sure, the service is a little cold-shoulder, but who cares when the food is so good and so authentic? Bring a friend or a book and get ready for some buuuurn.
My husband and I shared a little bowl of wontons in chili-infused oil, cold cucumbers tossed in scallion-garlic oil, braised pork belly with chestnuts over a bed of glassy-green spinach, and a heaping helping of Guizhou chicken, a spicy-sweet-numbing stir fry.
P.S. I just had some leftover Guizhou chicken with half a leftover potato knish from Lansky's -- fantastic.
I'm not sure what the big fuss is about this place, it was super average Chinese food. We got 1 "American Chinese" dish, chicken with broccoli, 1 Szechuan dish, beef filet with chili sauce, vegetable lo mein, an egg roll and a vegetable roll. The chicken was pretty bad, the sauce was ok and the broccoli was pretty good. The beef filet was very tender, fairly spicy but just not wow. The rolls were kind of greasy and the lo mein was just average. Never need to return.
People have asked me to expand on the art and science of eating soup dumplings as I mentioned in my review it requires a surgeon's precision. Apparently, hinting is not enough. Let me be more specific. Now, this may come as a shock to some people. Heck, you might even have to think outside the *teabag*. And I leave it at that.
It's not international, it's Chinese food, and it's not bastardized either. What better way to end… Read more »
Best authentic Chinese in NYC.
Fresh ingredients, dishes that pop with flavor.
Attentive, but hectic service.
how do i spell szechuan? let me count the ways....
but only one really matters..... damn delicious.
so the hype about grand sichuan is that they do mao's home cooking. of course, this brings to mind sauteed aristocrats and braised nobility but it is actually just good, down to earth yummy fare. and no cannibalism, which is nice.
had the pork soup dumplings, beef tendon in hot pepper oil, and sauteed duck with bitter melons. first, i just love the technical aspects of eating soup dumplings. very geek satisfying. the beef tendon was delicious but not as tender szechuan gourmet. and when they call it bitter melons, they mean bitter melons. i mean these things were about as bitter as the tits on heather mills. i'm not saying it was bad, just not to my taste.
we got there around 7pm and only had to wait a little while for the table. on the way out at around half eight, though, there was a throng of people waiting for a table. i would definitely recommend getting here early.
i will definitely come back to try some of the myriad of wacky sichuan, szechuan dishes they have on the menu. the also have what the call "american chinese" dishes which really cracked me up. cause sesame chicken is not chinese food. i get it.
Just had take out from this place last night. I love real sichuan chilies! My tongue was numb from the third bite.
Very good pork soup dumplings just wish the sauce was a little nicer, more flavor less vinegar.
The cold sichuan noodles are fantastic they just need a little stirring.
Beef with spicy green peppers was great, good flavor and sticky. This went fantastic with the spicy saute'd Chinese broccoli.
Are you seeing a pattern yet? Yes everything here is spicy _because it's sichuan_ :D
Last little tid bit that makes me happy is that they have a part of the menu called 'American Chinese Food'. I do enjoy this kind of food but also like to venture into the more authentic stuff.
When you're in the mood for something that's cheap, easy, and yet won't give you a scorching case of Chlamydia, then try the lunch specials at Grand Sichuan. It's a good stopover for London Terrace locals, grunts of the gallery world, and the hordes of art seekers headed into Chelsea.
I recommend the Hot & Sour Soup with any of the lunch items. The Sesame Chicken and the General Tso's Chicken taste very similar. The Hunan Chicken sometimes lacks consistency. While I would say that the most consistently good menu item would be the dumplings - either steamed or in a soup.
Of the 50 or so times that I've either dined in, ordered take out, or gotten delivery, I did contract a minor case of Salmonella from a Sesame Chicken lunch special. So it goes. Hey... at least it wasn't Chlamydia.
Great food, the dumplings were especailly good.
I will definitely come back.
We went in at noon as a party of 3 on a Monday expecting some of the best food and surliest service in NYC based on the reviews. We were girded for rude and aggressive servers but almost disappointed by the warm welcome. Our waitress was somewhat LEP but this is an ethnic restaurant.
We ordered fresh chicken with mushrooms, bok choy braised with garlic, and red cooked pork with chestnuts. The lightness and delicacy of the chicken and bok choy was notable. The stewed pork had a little too much far for my taste and could have used more chestnuts but was flavorful. The 3 dishes came to about $40.
My 2 dining companions do not like hot food, so we steered away from the many spicy Sichuan dishes on the menu. I'd go back to see what kind of heat the kitchen delivers.
Peking Duck Lunch Special
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