Carnavores in Chinatown
We showed up hungry to Christine’s Chinatown Food Tour (meat lover’s version) and each contributed a sheet of paper with our favorite snack spots. After piecing together a rough map, we set off to procure dumplings and other Chinatown treats.
Our first stop was was a Prosperity Dumpling on 46 Eldridge, where we shared a plate of pork dumplings. The filling was delightfully fresh. One of the students, Jay, broke out his collapsible chopsticks and thoroughly impressed everyone. Christine was quick to break out the Sriracha with much enthusiasm.
Next, we arrived at Super Taste Restaurant on 26 N. Eldridge and got beef pancakes, which one of the students said the owner would not serve him for the longest time. We then found ourselves at Xi’an Famous Foods at 88 E. Broadway, where we ordered several small plates to sample: the cold skin noodles which were tangy and chewy, the savory cumin lamb burger (my favorite), and the formidable tiger salad — a concoction of cucumber, celery, cilantro, and chilies so spicy it left us tearing up and thirsting for a refresher.
The group hurried past the fresh produce market under the Manhattan Bridge (where Christine bought three huge bunches of cilantro for $1) and made a beeline for our next destination — Esther’s recommended New Malaysia Restaurant at 46-48 Bowery. We picked up two orders of roti chanai: steaming pastry-like bread dipped in a rich chicken and coconut milk stew. The whole mixture was sweet and opulent and melted in your mouth (mm… getting hungry).
After stopping in next at the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory at 65 Bayard for ginger and black sesame ice cream, we finally sat down next door at Shanghai Kitchen at 67 Bayard for soup dumplings. Each person had at least two of these steamy, juicy little buns and happily no one got burnt. Next we made a detour to Christine’s favorite meat market at 79 Elizabeth, where she picked up a box of roast duck, followed by a quick visit to the almost-hidden Bahn Mi Saigon Bakery at 138 Mott.
We ended the three-hour tour at our final stop, Nyonya at 199 Grand, where we indulged in shrimp puffs — jumbo shrimps wrapped in bacon, breaded, deep fried, and dipped in mayonnaise. Thankfully, no one had a heart attack.
Come join us for the vegetarian leg of the Chinatown Food Tour next weekend!
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