FuLoon Restaurant

6/16/2016

• 1 check-in

FuLoon in Malden, MA has attained the unlikely status of legendary east coast Szechuan staple, thanks almost entirely to the boosting of food writer J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. As my girlfriend and I have been big fans of his for a long time, an unrelated trip to the greater Boston area became an excuse for a side-quest to this famed outpost of spice.

FuLoon was, it must be said, generally excellent, but was weighed down slightly by our expectations. It did not quite live up to the hype, but the hype was enormous. Dishes are as follows.

Smashed cucumbers were really at the height of the art. Big heterogeneous chunks of cuke (they really are smashed, after all) sat in a pleasant soy vinaigrette and plenty of pickled garlic. Don't order this on a date but do order it at all other times.

The Dan Dan Noodles (although I think they're called something else on the menu) were very good, but perhaps not the best I've ever had. They are notable for a potent and VERY funky kick of fermented black bean.

Kenji had, at one time or another, cited the mapo tofu here as his favorite. Like with Pete Wells' review of College Point's Little Pepper, I once again found myself a little disappointed. Maybe I'm just predisposed against the mapo tofu you get at restaurants? Definitely something worth learning to make at home because fresh as best. Nevertheless, I found this a little gloopy and bland, but that's sort of the norm. Pass unless you just gotta have some mapo.

The dry pepper chicken is really a must-get here. It packs both a salty and spicy punch, and has a real fried-in chili taste that will pucker your tongue and leave you debating whether eating more is a good idea. But you will want to eat more, and you will give into your desires.

I don't know if this place would be worth a drive all the way from New York, but if you're anywhere in the greater Boston area I'd say it's worth the trip for sure. Portions are huge, so make some room in your fridge.

6/5/2016

• 1 check-in

All of you who came here for non-Sichuan food, you're missing the point. This is a Sichuan restaurant, and they do the buffet to make margin. The real cuisine here is the Szechuan food.

I waffled between a 3 and a 4: FuLoon deserves a 4 within the broader genre of "Chinese restaurants in America," but a 3.5 in the more specific Szechuan category. Personally, I'm not a fan of American Chinese food but I am a Szechuan fiend, and I drove here from pretty far away (I live in NYC) because ever since reading J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's glowing review of the place (seriouseats.com/2013/02/…) several years ago, I'd always wanted to make a pilgrimage here.

Frankly, I was a little disappointed, and there's better Sichuan food to be had in New York. I'm aware that this is probably the snobbiest statement possible in a review, but Sichuan fiends, you know I speak the truth. FuLoon's food seemed to lack something essential -- it was all good, but none of it was truly transcendent. We ordered many of my Szechuan barometers: mapo tofu, dan dan noodles, chong qing chicken, smashed cucumbers. While none of them were abjectly bad, I didn't have the flavor experience I'd been hoping for, and overall, the meal came up short. Note: we did come here on a Saturday for lunch and most people were opting for the buffet, so I'm not sure if that made a difference in how the kitchen prepared the food (it shouldn't, but that's my one caveat).

Here's what we ordered:
--Hot Diced Chicken Szechuan Style ($11.95): this is a cross between chongqing and kung pao chicken (read: SPICY!). This was my favorite thing that we ordered, and it had the most engaging interplay between flavor, texture, and aroma. The deep-fried chicken pieces are crispy and tender, and it's a delight to pick them out from the copious assortment of chopped chilis, hot pepper seeds, and Szechuan peppercorns. It's a dry dish, but it has a lot of flavor. Still I'd give it a 4/5.
--Noodles with Spicy Szechuan Sauce / aka Dan Dan Noodles ($6.50): I really wanted to like these, because I love dan dan noodles SO MUCH. Alas, they lacked a depth of savory flavor (umami) that I was looking for. I ended up spooning some pickle juice over them to make the taste more interesting. I thought the vermicelli was an odd choice, as well. Pass, 2/5.
--Mapo Tofu ($9.25): This is what everyone raves about, but I found FuLoon's mapo somewhat lacking in depth. Sure, it has the fiery slick of chili oil that I expect from mapo, and the silken tofu was extremely tender, but somehow, again, this didn't seem savory or complex enough. I've had much better mapo elsewhere. This wasn't awful, but I wasn't impressed. 3.5/5.
--Pickled Cucumber ($3.50): These smashed cucumbers were dressed in a tangy vinegar sesame sauce with several tablespoons of JARRED garlic. I know that from-a-bottle taste of garlic when I meet it, and I was disappointed that this garlic wasn't freshly minced. Still, for some reason, the pickled jar garlic taste kinda worked, though it would have been better with fresh garlic. These were fine. It's hard to screw up cucumbers, ya know?

The waitstaff was all extremely deferential and soft-spoken, which I found dismaying -- but Yelp is not the place for my commentary on identity politics. I did like the setting, which I found comfortingly reminiscent of the Chinese restaurants of my youth: A/C blasting, big round tables for families, and the centerpiece fishtank in the middle of the room. That, at least, I could appreciate (and the bathrooms are clean). I guess this is probably one of the best bets for Sichuan cuisine in Boston, but personally, I won't be making the drive again.

• 

  Hot Diced Chicken Szechuan Style ($11.95): this is a cross between chongqing and kung pao chicken (read: SPICY!), 4/5

  Hot Diced Chicken Szechuan Style ($11.95): this is a cross between chongqing and kung pao chicken (read: SPICY!), 4/5
• 

  Noodles with Spicy Szechuan Sauce / aka Dan Dan Noodles ($6.50): 2/5

  Noodles with Spicy Szechuan Sauce / aka Dan Dan Noodles ($6.50): 2/5
• 

  Mapo Tofu ($9.25): I wanted to like this more. 3.5/5

  Mapo Tofu ($9.25): I wanted to like this more. 3.5/5
• See all photos from Natasha G. for FuLoon Restaurant

5/6/2016

• 1 check-in

Come here. Get the Mapo Tofu. Enjoy

...the above is all that needs to be said. the remainder of this text is so yelp marks this as a review instead of a tip

• 

  Steamed beef, Szechuan style (yes the bowl is gigantic)

  Steamed beef, Szechuan style (yes the bowl is gigantic)

10/3/2016

• 1 check-in

I wish yelp have 0 rating.
I went to this place on reading from serious eats that this is the  best restaurant for Sichuan in Boston despite of its look. I thought to give it a try and it's the worst chinese I ever had in my lifetime. Disrespectful. I have seen waitresses eating food right off the buffet food,lick her fingers and proceed to serve others. We went to dine in and it clearly are left overs from the buffet. I always believed you may go wrong with everything but never with fried rice. Boy I was so wrong. Fried rice has this fowl oily smell. I seriously doubt if they use any fresh oil. They are already charging 10$ or more for dishes like kung pao chicken and you have to spend extra for steamed rice. At this price I can go to other chinese restaurant with much better quality. Never ever ever ever ever stepping into this restaurant again.

10/9/2016

The Sichuan dry fried chicken is amazing if you're into spice. Numbing, crispy, and leaves you a bit buzzed. Pair it with pickles & pass on the lunch buffet.

10/13/2016

Love this place!!  Really delicious and creative dishes, I really love the spicy noodles.  Great dumplings.  Good for kids too, they love the fish tank.  Delivery can be a bit of an issue, they have gotten my address wrong in the past even when I spelled it out, and last time forgot the rice.  If I can I go eat in the dining room or pick up if I order take out.

11/18/2015

Should have read the Yelp reviews before coming here. The service and food were both awful; possibly the worst Chinese I've had, I'm sad to say.

I came for lunch and ordered the green beans from the lunch specials menu. The waitress didn't ask me about my choice of other options and I had to flag her down to ask for soup. When the green beans came out (less than a minute later), she grabbed one crab rangoon (which I don't like anyway) and the soup from the buffet. I rarely eat at buffets because I typically don't find them that fresh. So, although when you first enter they give you the choice of eating from the buffet or ordering, you're having buffet food either way. :/

All of the ordering stuff wouldn't have mattered much if the food was good. However, the rice and green beans were the consistency of stale leftovers, waaaaaay over-salted, and tasted like someone had been smoking and ashed into the dish. Yum!!

Definitely do not recommend.

12/12/2015

Worst service ever and the waitress even verbal abused me for not giving her enough tip....

Never went there again after that experience!

3/13/2016

Beef Chow Foon was very tasty. If your looking for traditional American Chinese food I wouldn't recommend this place. Authentic Chinese dishes are more their specialty and the do them quite well. Traditional appetizers were the greasiest and very bland in taste.  Knowing this going in and sticking to what they do well I'm sure you will have a wonderful dinning experience.

Now that I know what to order and not order I am very satisfied with this restaurant. Don't forget to request hot oil which is not normally included. If you enjoy spicy it certainly adds the perfect kick to most dishes.  Location and parking very convenient.

I can't speak on the waitstaff as I've always ordered takeout.

6/16/2016

On the drive home, it hit me what was wrong with our meal at Fuloon. We were served leftovers. Reheated leftovers. Neither of our dishes was fresh out of the wok hot. The spicy eggplant and pork with bean curd were both luke warm. Furthermore, the eggplant was very oily and lacking any spice, as others have complained, and the pork with bean curd lacked any distinctive flavor. I can't recommend Fuloon. Finally, the place is pretty shabby. The menus are pretty disgusting - dirty and cracked with years of use.

7/21/2014

The restaurant is unassuming with no frills and a quiet atmosphere, but the food is delicious. The wontons in hot oil is my favorite dish along with the crispy diced chicken with red peppers. The food arrived promptly after ordering and was fresh. The only downside is that the restaurant charges for a bowl of rice regardless of the dishes ordered. Typically, restaurants will give at least one bowl of rice with each entree free of charge.

If you are in the Malden area and looking for authentic szechuan food then this is the place to go. Boston's chinatown has very good alternatives as well - spicy fish at Gourmet Dumpling House and Sichuan Garden.

• 

  Diced crispy chicken; looks like a lot but isn't that much after you parse through the peppers

  Diced crispy chicken; looks like a lot but isn't that much after you parse through the peppers
• 

  tofu knots with braised pork

  tofu knots with braised pork
• 

  Wontons in hot chili oil

  Wontons in hot chili oil

11/7/2015

Weird to read the varying reviews about this place. I really enjoyed the mapo tofu and vinegar cabbage dish here. I went during lunch time and it was also empty, but the food was oh so delicious. Spicy, greasy food, just the way it should be.

12/29/2015

Best SIchuan food in Boston!!!!!

Ordered the sichuan style beef which was swimming in oil and chilis, cabbage sour and spicy, mapo tofu and they were all incredible.

Come here if you want amazing Sichuan food. Don't come here if you want to eat orange chicken and a crab rangoon and have the waitstaff dote on you. That's not how great Chinese restaurants roll.

8/29/2015

• 1 check-in

Where was the taste? Everything tasted kind of strange. May be someone used bleach on the dishes and didn't rinse them properly. I don't know what was wrong, but my meal was not enjoyable. And my Chinese in-laws clearly stated that they do not wish to return to FuLoon. So the verdict is: not authentic, not good, not acceptable.

5/7/2015

• 1 check-in

Terrible food (how can you really mess up shrimp and steamed veggies?!), slow as molasses service.  Word of advice, never go with a large group during lunch.  It will take about 3 hours to get  your food, even if it's empty in there.  Thankfully, we called ahead to order for a group of 15.  It was still slow.
I will not be coming back.

3/15/2015

The best actual Sichuan food in Boston, some of the best I've had outside of Asia. Mandarin cabbage, cucumber, spicy chicken, steamed beef, mapo dofu - ALL of it was very good. As always, stick to the proper meals and avoid the Americanized dishes.

Cheap as hell. Two very hungry people and left with half our food for $65 (that includes half a dozen beers).

Kitchen speed: VERY fast. Although admittedly we went at a low service time.

Service: ABSOLUTELY FINE. It won't be your thing if you feel like you have the peculiarly American desire for the the wait-staff to be your best friend, though.

Decor: very 80s, but find it very difficult to care, it's a Chinese restaurant.

Lastly: I don't understand the negative reviews - tastes pickled, too salty, too oily, too dry, etc. ... it's Sichuan food, it isn't sweet and sour pork! Ordering steamed beef and complaining that it's too hot or too oily is ridiculous, it's like buying a Chieftain tank to drive to work, and then complaining about the gas mileage.

If you get a spicy chicken, expect to see 40 (not a misprint) dried chilies in it. Expect a quarter-inch of oil ontop of some of the cooked dishes. Sichaun food is usually VERY hot, oily, seasoned, and a lot of ingredients are salted or vinegar-pickled. This is not some horrible mistake the restaurant makes, it's exactly how the food is supposed to be.

We live an hour away, and it was absolutely definitely worth the trip.

10/8/2015

I went there last weekend, The duck is great, but other food just ok.

When this restaurant first opened in 2005-06?, it was very excellent, this chef from famous Beijing hotel. It's good from 2006-2010...But after that, food quality has gone down ever since...and customer service not so good.....

5/20/2015

YUMMMMMMY.

Super authentic food here.

Faves include:
Braised pork shoulder (drool)
Steamed fish (in a variety of flavors... Spicy, soy sauce, etc)
Tofu knots with pork (I forget the actual name but that's what I remember it looking like)
Tea smoked duck

To be honest almost everything I've tried here is great. They aren't afraid to pile on the spice, either.

The menu also has a bunch of pictures for easy ordering haha. Everything looks so damn good in the menu too so it can be difficult.

Service is quick and friendly enough.
Reading other reviews on the service, I felt kinda bad for the lady they mentioned.
I have actually had her as my server several times (it's really either her or the owner for the most part) and I've always found her service to be good.

Well I definitely like the place. I'm kinda craving it now. I may have to make a stop in there tonight for dinner =)

12/19/2015

One one comes to mind, YUCK. When you think of that gross salty greasy MSG chinese food....this place comes to mind. Service was friendly unlike others experience, but VERY slow. Came here for lunch and waited forever for my food. It was expensive for the quality. Also I was clearly ordering lunch for one and ordered an entree and a side of rice. Low and behold the entree I ordered came with rice. It would have been nice to have been informed. I was stuck with awful food and a ton of rice with slow service and paid more than I wanted to for the quality of food. 1 Star!

12/31/2015

I just finished a New Years takeout dinner from Fuloons and have to say the experience was top notch. We ordered the duck, hot and sour soup, the vegetable and chicken soup with the pan fried noodles, the house fried rice and the steamed dumplings. Every item of food was savory and delicious, particularly the duck and the dumplings. The only thing that was missing was the sauce that goes on the duck wraps but aside from that it was a very satisfactory experience.
As a side note, we ordered the food two days in advance because of the duck's need for preparation and it was only couple minute wait for the time we scheduled the pickup. All in all, I am impressed with Fuloons execution and after the meal was left a happy and fulfilled boy.