Fer is a nearby neighborhood restaurant that has similar spicy features comparable to other Chinese restaurants around the area. I’m a big fan of little shops because it usually means you can get your food pretty fast, and it feels casual. We stopped by late Saturday afternoon, and there was hardly anyone there. We were seated right away, and the food came out very fast. The menu has a lot of chili oil in all of their items, but luckily the spice was tolerable when ordered mild.
This is an excerpt from the “About” section from their website:
Homemade with love, we’re thrilled to share the authentic taste of southwest China with our friends and neighbors in Long Island City. Besides our signature rice noodles, the menu also incorporates traditional artisanal southern meat and vegetable small dishes, aiming to satisfy people’s taste buds through intimate experience with a myriad of flavor palette.
fer intends to serve growing communities of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, connecting people with intricately made dishes. From the menu and food presentation, to the modern design of the dining space, fer is the chic hang out neighborhood destination that welcomes everyone.
Ambiance & Service
The interior feels a lot like the typical fast casual, modern Asian restaurant. There are strong accents of white and maple all over, so it feels bright and lively.
The service was attentive and quick, since we were one of two parties. One call out is that they didn’t have any of the special teas for some reason, so we just opted to order canned Sprite and coconut juice. The check, if paid by credit card, is done through the portable tablet system.
Food
The Chewy Chicken Gizzard ($12) came with chicken gizzard, scallion, cilantro, and chili oil. This was surprising to me because I thought it’d be smaller gizzards and have that crisp. The texture turned out to be more chewy like regular meat and not crunchy as I was expecting. Despite that expectation, this is loaded with aromatic leaves that give it a good counterbalance. The chili oil, as always, gives it a nice kick that’s not too spicy.
The Supreme Beef ($14) came with rice noodles, braised beef, bok choy, and scallions in a homemade broth. The broth here was less soy sauce based, and more natural beef based with a lot of water. It was decent, but definitely not my preference. The noodles were hot and bouncy. The braised beef was probably the star here because it was incredibly tender and flavorful. Overall, the soup and noodles were just OK to me.
The Spicy Chicken fried rice ($14) came with chopped chicken, fresh veggies, scallions, and cilantro in a homemade chili sauce. The portion size of this was great, and my partner had to bring much of it home. This fried rice reminded me of it having some chili garlic sauce mixed into it because it was both sweet and spicy. I did find after a few bites that I was tired of eating it because the flavor was more one-dimensional.
Final Verdict
Fer is a decent neighborhood Chinese spicy joint that will give you those ever-popular spicy notes that seem to be popular right now. The price is good for the portion, and it reminds me a lot of Silky Kitchen.
Yelp Jabs
Personally, I can’t handle my spice well, so this was not the best choice for me because it was quite spicy.
I interrogated the waitress, and she mentioned to me that mild is actually decently spicy. I was glad I kept it at that, otherwise the spice could have been uncomfortable.
I ordered the beef noodle soup and the beef was a bit tough.
Both the beef and tendons for me were very soft. Sometimes when you read these Elitist reviews, it’s hard to ascertain if the situation is genuine or it’s just their perception.
Revisions
- Apr 20, 2024 - Initial revision.