Taiwanese food is one of the types of cuisines that is seldomly found in Manhattan and just simply cannot compare to the San Gabriel Valley in the greater Los Angeles area in California. I asked my partner before a show if they wanted to check this out, and to my surprise they said yes! Normally they are not fond of this type of food, especially when noodles are around. This is not too far from Broadway theaters. We were able to walk in around 5:30 PM on a Monday without any issues.
Taiwanese food is slightly different than general Chinese food in the sense that it seems to be generally less saucy with heavy street food portion influences.
Ambiance & Service
The interior feels like one of those typical Chinese/Taiwanese fast casual restaurants. Typically, service is very attentive because they are usually about turning tables around.
Food
The Braised Pigs Ear ($6.95 - bottom) came in a small plate with a soy marinade on top and on the bottom. The pig ears were cooked very similarly to other Taiwanese restaurants I’ve been to, and the portion size for this is pretty good for the value.
The Braised Soybean Curd ($4.95 - top) came with the same type of marinade as the braised pig ears. The portion size for this is also very good, especially for Manhattan.
The Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken ($9.95) came in a pretty big bowl, and had heavy basil and garlicky flavors along with balanced salt seasoning. Taiwanese popcorn chicken typically is fried with flour, so it does not have a super thick batter like southern fried chicken. My partner thought the flavors of this were superb and tasty.
The Braised Beef & Tendon & Tripe Noodles Soup ($16.95) came with a decent amount of tendons, tripe, beef, and pickled mustard. The noodles were chewy and doughy, which I kind of prefer in general. The broth was balanced in salt, and it was quite pleasant. Overall, I would say this was actually pretty good, and I can probably order the spicy version of it next time.
Final Verdict
For a no-frills Taiwanese restaurant, this one was quite good in the area. Perhaps one day, they may allow stinky tofu, but otherwise, the other Taiwanese dishes are pretty decent. If you’re into noodle or rice dishes and are around the theaters, don’t hesitate to check this out.
Yelp Jabs
My main point for improvement was that it was super quiet inside, even with the open kitchen close by. They did play some light Taiwanese music toward the end of our meal, but the atmosphere could be further improved by turning up the volume a bit just to create a slightly more lively environment.
As you peruse Yelp reviews, you have some Elitists complaining that it’s too quiet, and others complaining it’s too loud. It’s really a no win situation.
The fried dishes would have a higher rating if they would just do one minor thing of poking a small hole in the container lids!!! Then the fried pork chop/chicken will have some ventilation and not be steaming in the container and turn the batter into a gummy, unpleasant texture
There’s also the possibility that letting the steam out of the boxes will actually cause the entire bag to condensate for better or for worse. Imagine the condensation dripping on other bags or containers and causing other problems. This is an example where this Elitist’s review has to be dissected a bit to figure out the good and bads about their food review.
Revisions
- Jul 31, 2023 - Initial revision.