A Pillar of New York's Chinatown: The Great N.Y. Noodletown
Restaurant Review | Food | Culture | Austin Kong
The Great N.Y. Noodletown, or more commonly referred to by Cantonese folks, “Lei Hau Fok,” (利口福) is one of the pillars of great delicious home-style cooking in New York City’s Chinatown. This cash-only gem has been around since 1981.
Growing up in lower Manhattan I’d often come with my parents or treat my friends to good and hearty food or just casually dine alone. It’s one of those places that’s reliable, cheap, and always serves good portions. Their display of roast meats such as duck, pork, and chicken with succulent drippings from the window is found most common in many well-known Cantonese spots but what makes Noodletown distinguished is their fatty roast pork aka “fei char” (肥叉) and their “wok hei” (鍋氣)—usually referring to the heat of the wok that gives it flavor—in their on-rice plates that is served from kitchen to table just moments after the order.
If you’re expecting to be coddled into impeccable customer service or a luxurious dining experience, then you’re in the wrong place. The slightly greasy floor and the brisk attitude of slapping the check on your table after you’re finished eating is what makes the experience. The waiters can be rude, yet the food always comes out good. Many locals and tourists alike come here to eat through sheer popularity and well-known reviews from the Eater, The New York Times and even famous eaters like Eddie Huang and Anthony Bourdain.
The restaurant’s ambiance has always been busy serving numerous diners and Asian locals looking to get takeout of their signature meats. The chef would bring out roasted ducks the kitchen to the window where they chop them on a block soaked with its blood, juice, and gizzards.
They renovated recently, being closed for some time after the pandemic and some things are new such as the lighting but they still retained its character keeping the original chairs and the menu behind paned glass on the table.
These are some of my personal favorite dishes that deserve mention.
There’s no beating the most iconic dish at all from this greasy spoon of a restaurant and that’s their roast pork on rice. It’s a classic dish that I get whenever I come here. The fatty and sweet meat on top of fluffy white rice and cabbage is the perfect meal whether you’re out for lunch or dinner. If you’re one that’s afraid of fat, you can still ask to have your portion 40/60 or 30/70 percent of fat to lean meat ratio, depending on what you ask for. You can also order different combinations of meat such as roasted duck and roasted pork, roast pork and white chicken, or duck and soy sauce chicken are terrific dishes to pair. Ask for the ginger scallion sauce that pairs perfectly with the honey encrusted roast pork with the salty umami ginger scallion.
Order this to have your heart content. A traditional “dep tau fan” (碟頭飯) or one-course dish that mainly serves one course over rice! The eggplant and chicken, usually breast meat that is cut in strips, is topped off with a rich gravy sauce sauteed with ginger and scallion for an aroma that is irresistible. The eggplant is a long Chinese eggplant unlike the ones where you would find in non-Asian supermarkets. It’s not as dense as a regular eggplant and the skin is a lot softer but it comes excellent when stir fried from a jet fuel powered wok. Never forget the chili oil if you like it hot and spicy for that extra kick that is guaranteed to bring more flavor to an aromatic dish.
If you’ve never tried bitter melon, then you’re in for a real treat. While those that haven’t had the awkward-shaped gourd that resembles boils under its skin, might not even like the taste. It’s still a unique dish that is quintessential Cantonese to say the least. In actuality, the way it’s cooked is not even that bitter. The texture is a lot like a cucumber and only has a slight bitter taste that pairs well with the steak. The delicious brown gravy is seasoned with a black bean sauce that gives it another wave of salty fermented essence. The sheen of the gravy makes the whole dish shine like you would see in a Studio Ghibli movie.
It’s not Noodletown unless you try their famous shrimp dumplings with noodles. The broth is in a soothing and clean chicken broth while the al dente noodles will have you slurping like crazy. There’s a chewiness to the noodles that makes them bouncy in the mouth. The shrimp dumplings aren’t like ordinary wontons. Of course, you can order the regular wontons, but I like the shrimp dumplings more because there’s also bamboo shoots as well unlike the shrimp and pork filling in wontons. Whenever I have this, I feel like my soul is cleansed and I’m ready to start the day. You can also get the “ho fan” (河粉) as well which is a flat rice noodle that is silky smooth in slurpability.
