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Whatever - CLOSED
Rating Details »
Categories: Desserts, Coffee & Tea [Edit]
Neighborhood: Chinatown150 Centre St
(between Walker St & White St)
New York, NY 10013
- Nearest Transit:
-
Canal Street (J, M, Z, N, Q, R, W, 6)
Grand St (B, D)
Chambers-Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall (4, 5, 6, J, M, Z)
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
10 reviews for Whatever
This Chinatown spot is close to the N, R, Q, W, 4, 5, and 6 trains. I ate here way back when, when it used to be Hui Lau Shan. I came back with friends from Illinois and Virginia and luckily it STILL has a variety of natural fruit ("natural fruit", is that redundant?) drinks and desserts with lots of seating and STILL is deliciously, sugary good. By the way, some of their desserts have harsmar as an ingredient - just eat it and don't look the word up, trust me.
Service is quick, friendly, and ordering is a snap, just refer to the menus on your table. Try their durian pudding! Stop in if you have a sweet tooth.
I bring everybody and their mama's here...because you know why?
ME LOVES IT!
I totally love mangoes and this place offers several variety of ways on serving these tropical delights!
Whether it's in a bowl, or in a cup----it's soooooooooooooooooooooooo refreshing and makes me happy!
I am so happy just writing about it and now I am sad because me wants some NOW!
If this place delivered-you know it would be on speed dial!
Come here since BUBBLE TEA was so 8 years ago!
And this place is really famous in HONG KONG!
Sure they got the bird's nest and harsmar----if you're not down to try new things-just get the more common flavors like watermelon juice.
*Sadly to say, they don't exist anymore ... boo hoo. I went by today (4/24/08) hoping to have some jelly desserts and saw that they have been replaced by 1 + 1 Cafe Inc.*
Whatever Chinese Dessert is such a cool cosy place for hanging out and enjoy the refreshing desserts and drinks like mango, watermelon, papaya, honey jelly, aloe jelly, bird's nest, hashima, coconut, and many other fresh fruit juices . They even have some new durian dessert now. My favorite is the Aloe Jelly with Mango and Coconut milk, really good! :o)
[Update: Whatever is no longer there. It has been replaced by a #1 Hong Kong Cafe, what a travesty !]
You wouldn't expect it, but their Fried Dumplings are GOOD !!!
I went there last night with Team Mooj (my volleyball team) and friends, after I not-so-filling (but decent) meal at Big Wong's (went at 8:30pm, and they had no roast meats left).
The cafe is nice and relaxed, and is a great place to just sit without worrying about time, and talk with your friends.
My friends tried the fruit bowls and various drinks and seemed to have liked it. I was still hungry, so I opted to try the Fried Dumplings, and to my surprise they were very good !
As for regular food, they also have mozarella sticks, lemon calamari, buffalo wings, HK-style toast (with condensed milk), and chicken fingers.
I need to try the Bird's Nest or Harsmar next time...
Beforehand, maybe I'll try the Japanese Izakaya "Mikata" upstairs too.
While eating there, none of us knew what the name of this dessert cafe was. Afterwards, when we stepped outside, the storefront read "Whatever". We didn't believe that could be the actual name of the place, but it's Chinese name "Sui Bian" definitely confirmed it.... Whatever ! Hahaha.
I never thought mango could become so many different creative desserts? Originally a different name, Whatever is actually a break off of from what I am told a Hong Kong franchise of desserts. Most of their food is good, and the service is very prompt. I've never really had to wait long times in this quiet tucked away place, which at it's "worst" has been maybe 2/3rd full, but still extremely prompt service.
I wonder if the staff is just trained to be responsive. Seldomly do I see them chit chatting or joking around, as if they are always ready to answer a customer's call. 5 stars for the service alone. 5 stars for the desserts.
Sadly, its no longer there now, replaced by a asian fast food chain. sad news indeed,
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/29/2007
Its all about the mango! This desert spot is a must go for those who wish to enjoy a fresh fruit… Read more »
Tucked on the ground floor of 150 Centre Street, WhaTever is a cozy little joint that serves up refreshing and tasty Chinese style drinks and fruit desserts.
A stone's throw from Canal Street, this is little-known spot offers a fine assortment of goodies such as mango jelly, aloe, coconut, and other fresh fruit concoctions. Come on, when was the last time you had an aloe drink? (And you thought it was only for your skin!)
There's about 30 seats inside, perfect for taking a breather from all that "name brand bag" shopping that's so popular in the area. Sure there's a Starbucks nearby, (there's ALWAYS a Starbucks nearby), but how often can you find a quiet spot to regroup in the middle the busiest neighborhoods in the city? Exaaactly.
It is closed :(
Came here to get in from the cold and with a hope that somehow, my friend and I would be allowed to eat our sandwiches at a table so long as we ordered a drink or two. Our prayers and appetites were answered by two very young, shy, but cute waitresses who refilled my teacup with hot water almost religiously. This was very sweet of them, though I wish they hadn't given me a green tea from Tazo flavored with spearmint of all things. My friend had Aloe jelly with mango and coconut milk, which was pretty to look at and tasty, though the texture wasn't anything he went crazy for.
Because the atmosphere was relaxing and comfy, we decided to order mango pudding with fresh fruits for dessert; I was personally disappointed. None of the fruits were in their season, and therefore not particularly ripe, and I was turned off by the gelatinous texture of the mango pudding (partially my fault though. I should have known it would be jelly-like rather than creamy). At least the mango sauce topping it was good, though I wasn't too crazy about the coconut-y ice atop the pudding; it was a cross between meringue and shaved ice...cream....something....I don't know, it just wasn't for me.
Overall, given the prices and the prevalence of birds' nests *I'm curious*, I'd come back here again, and recommend it at the very least for the large variety of juices, sago, and nice service.
now that you know what this place is, i am writing just to confirm how good and special it is. mango pudding dessert is excellent and will delight you with its exciting combination of custard/icy/mango puree/real mango. all the different combination drinks are really yum, and don't forget to look at the wall posters for additional offerings not listed on the menu. fyi: a great place to cool down not just with cold drinks because a/c is on high in the summer.
