Spicy Village: My Latest Obsession (Back From The Dead)

Now that I have so much spare time, I figured I would try to revive my sad food blog. I guess my problem with food blogging is the writing part. I end up being way too detailed, and does anyone even really care? This time around, I’m going to try to be more concise with my reviews.

That being said, I recently have been reading and hearing a lot about a hand-pulled noodle place similar to Xi’an Famous Foods, called Spicy Village. The famous Danny Bowien (also, I keep seeing him in NYC) is a huge fan of the food and supposedly copied some of their dishes at his popular Mission Chinese Food. To be honest, I have only been to Mission Chinese Food NY once and I had to wait two plus hours in the rain during the week, so by the time my friends and I sat down, I was not a happy camper. The best dish I recall us ordering was the Chong Qing Chicken Wings.

Anyhow, on one fateful night, I convinced my friend, MS, to go to Spicy Village with me after our first Cirque Du Soleil. We braved the light rain and made it to the restaurant by 10pm. We ordered a few dishes, but our favorites were:

Spicy Beef Brisket Hui Mei (dry noodle)

Pancake With Pork

The pork pancake was very crunchy and not overly bready. I find the “burgers” at Xi’an to be more bready. Also, I really like the spices used in the Spicy Village pancake. I don’t know how else to describe it! At a more recent trip to Spicy Village, DZ ordered the pork pancake WITH a fried egg. It looked amazing and I bet it elevated the pancake even more! We also ordered stir-fried baby bok choy because it’s only $5.95 for a huge portion of vegetables. Our parents would be so proud that we happily order vegetables when we go out! Since it was only us two and we had eaten a “snack” at the circus, we saved the famous Spicy Big Tray Chicken for another meal as we were completely satisfied with all our dishes that night. The noodles as you all can see are very wide and remind me very much of the noodles at Xi’an Famous Foods. MS noted that unlike Xi’an Foods, the spices and flavors were better. Basically almost all the dishes at Xi’an Foods taste like they were made together in the same pot. This isn’t bad, but it’s a good observation!

Within a week, I convinced another friend to accompany me to Spicy Village to try the Spicy Big Tray Chicken. Since my friend, DZ was known to have a large appetite, he was the perfect friend to bring along. I also promised bubble tea from nearby Teado. Is it fate that my favorite tea shop in Chinatown and new favorite noodle place are only 2 minutes away? What a match made in heaven! After getting our tea drinks, we arrived at Spicy Village. The owner was there again and she was very nice. We ordered the Spicy Big Tray Chicken and it was everything I imagined it to be! It’s cut up chicken (with bones!!) with potatoes and peppers in this big pot. Then as per all the reviews I read, I requested noodles to be added to our dish for $1 or $2. It was delicious! At this point, we noticed that the other happy customers sitting around us were drinking beer and wine. I asked the owner if there was a corkage fee and she said nope! So, feel free to bring your own alcohol!

Spicy Big Tray Chicken With Noodles

MS, DZ and I have returned to Spicy Village many many times since then. MS and I have perfected our order: two pork pancakes, baby bok choy and cold cucumbers. If we’re really hungry, we’ll add a noodle dish. Recently, I returned to the restaurant for take out (just pork pancake) and before I could even get the words out, the owner said “Pork pancake right?” I guess I should be happy that the owner knows my order now? I went back yesterday and she still knew my order. I guess being Foursquare mayor of Spicy Village does matter! 🙂

Besides the really good food and service, the prices are excellent. The restaurant is owned by a really cute family consisting of a wife, husband and at least a young daughter. The wife speaks pretty decent English and is very polite. If the restaurant ends up being full and it’s not too dark outside, order your food to go and eat at the Hester Playground at the tables. You won’t regret it!

Spicy Village

68 Forsyth Street (between Grand St and Hester St)

New York, NY 10002

212.625.8299

Cash Only

David Chang’s Momofuku Noodle Bar – Better Second Time Around

Note: I guess my streak of at least one post a week has ended. I’m going to still try to update at least once a month. We shall see! 🙂

I went to Momofuku Noodle Bar a few years ago with a friend who was visiting NYC for the weekend. When another out of town friend a few months ago requested a meal at Momofuku Noodle Bar, I was a bit hesitant. I am a big fan of noodles and during my first visit to this over-hyped restaurant, I couldn’t accept that a bowl of ramen could be priced at $16 and still be mediocre at best. Also, a couple years later, it was named best bowl of ramen in NYC by Chef Morimoto (over Ippudo??) I was shocked and disappointed.

Fast forward a few months ago, after getting delicious drinks at Angel’s Share, my friend JC and I walked over to Momofuku Noodle Bar. I was expecting a huge wait since it was Friday at 9pm, which is prime dinner time in NYC. To my surprise, we only had about at 15 minute wait before we seated at the bar. In case you are living under a rock, one of their most famous dishes is the steamed buns with pork. I already tried them during my first visit, so I wasn’t really interested in having it again. I have this distaste for visible fat on meat, so I have trouble enjoying pork belly like most people. JC ordered the buns and really enjoyed them. I think this dish comes from Chinese cuisine and it’s pork belly served in steamed pillows of bread. Anyhow, after taking a look at their menu, I decided against their famous “Momofuku Ramen” as I wanted to try something different and I didn’t want to cheat on Ippudo. I skimmed the menu and the words “hand cut noodles” rang my internal noodleaholic alarm. Then I saw other delicious words, “brisket” and “soy egg”. I decided that would be my noodle soup of the night.

Handcut noodles and brisket

JC ordered the Momofuku Ramen as she just had Ippudo the night before so it’d be the perfect taste test. When my steaming bowl of noodles arrived, I was pleasantly surprised with the presentation. The noodles were thick and chewy, just the way I like it. The broth was really rich and beefy. I was in love. If only there was more noodles (maybe double portion), then I’d be even happier. I hope David Chang keeps this dish on his menu permanently as it is so much better than his signature ramen. All I know is that my next meal at Momofuku Noodle Bar will be for the highly coveted Fried Chicken Dinner. If I could only snag a reservation.

Momofuku Noodle Bar
171 1st Avenue (between 10th and 11th Streets)
New York, NY 10003
212.777.7773
Takes credit cards
No reservations except for the Fried Chicken Dinner

WTD: Cheap Bowl of Beef Knife Shaved Noodles

For the few readers of my blog, it’s quite obvious that I am obsessed with all things noodle. I enjoy ramen mostly because of the broth and other ingredients. I also like chewy (qq) noodles regardless if they are thick or thin. However, if I could only eat one type of noodle for the rest of my life, I’d have to pick thick and chewy. Some people ask me why I like noodles and how they think noodles are so tasteless. That’s the beauty of it! Noodles soak up the broth/flavor of whatever it’s in. I think I also enjoy the texture of it as well.

Nice thick and chewy knife shaved noodles with beef!

I can’t remember the first time I had knife shaved noodles (dao xiao mian – 刀削麵), but I know I love them. They aren’t that common in NYC. I only know of a handful of places that serve it in Chinatown and Flushing. These noodles are quite simple. The chef takes a large piece of dough and then uses a very sharp and wide knife to “shave” noodles into a boiling pot of water. Then they put the cooked noodles in soup or stir-fry it. I prefer mine in soup of course!

HLTR (she used to blog here) and I first discovered this Lan Zhou Handmade Noodle (蘭州拉麵）almost three years ago. We were amazed at how cheap the food was. I believe our first meal cost us about $12 and this included an order of dumplings (8 for $2). Even though this hole in the wall (think of a food stall in China) was located in very East Chinatown where no tourists would dare to visit, we made it out there a few times a year. After a few visits, I asked the chef if they do the knife shaved noodles. To my surprise he said yes! I was very happy and ordered these noodles with my beef noodle soup. At the same time, I came another time and requested these noodles and they said no. Going forward, I always call the restaurant ahead to confirm they are indeed making knife shaved noodles before I trek all the way to the eastern side of Chinatown where only the F train runs. Now that this place is quite popular with the foodies, they have put up an English menu to make it easier to order. During our first visit, the menu was handwritten in Simplified Chinese so even I had some issues comprehending. I always order the beef noodle soup, but my friends have been adventurous and order other items. Being the beef noodle soup connoisseur that I am, I rate their beef noodle soup at a B+. Their noodles are outstanding naturally and their broth is very rich. However, their beef could be a little more tender, but what do you expect for $5 a bowl? I’m not expecting perfection. A couple of weekends ago, I brought JC to this humble restaurant. I was a bit worried she would disapprove since we spent our previous meals at Momofuku Noodle Bar and Alice’s Tea Cup, but she was brave and JC ordered a mix of tripe and tendon for her beef noodle soup. Wow! I was really impressed.

Mmm, crispy dumplings!

I definitely recommend ordering the pan-fried dumplings. They are 8 for $2. What an amazing deal. They are nice and crispy and you dip them into the black vinegar. If I haven’t made it clear, this restaurant is NOT known for service. You place your order with either the chef or the lone waitress. You get your own utensils/napkins/drinks. In fact, I don’t think they even gave us plates to eat the dumplings on. You just have to fend for yourself! The good news is that they don’t charge tax and you get to eat for cheap. Also, you don’t need to worry about not having enough noodles. They definitely give enough in each bowl. At the same time, if you’ve never had hand-pulled noodles, I highly recommend you try it. You can watch the chef make them in the restaurant. I do want to warn you that he slaps the dough quite hard, so do not be scared!

If you ever are by East Broadway or the Manhattan Bridge (maybe catching a Chinatown bus) and are craving for some soup noodles, you should make a quick stop at Lan Zhou Handmade Noodle. You’ll be surprised just how tasty the food is.

Lan Zhou Handmade Noodle
144 East Broadway (between Pike and Rutgers Streets)
New York, NY 10002
212.566.6933
Cash Only
Call in advance to confirm knife shaved noodles availability