NEW YORK CHINESE FINGER FOOD TOUR | FULL REVIEW
Welcome to our first food review! We have spent a day wandering around New York City and trying different types of Chinese finger foods. If you haven’t already, check out our Youtube video where we take you on the journey. We will also be releasing transcripts and vocabulary lists in accompaniment to the video. Here is a complete food review of the different treats we tried and what we really thought about them.
CropCircle ✩✩✩(3.425)
Background & Vibe
CropCircle was our first stop. It specializes in a type of flatbread called 锅盔 (pot helmet), or Guokui. The flatbread comes with different types of fillings that foodies can choose from. The storefront was small but it gave off a cozy vibe with the wooden accents of the decor. There was limited seating, so we wouldn’t recommend going in a group of more than six if you are looking to dine in. The staff was very friendly and they spoke in Mandarin and Cantonese. The menu was not too long but there were enough flavors to make you feel conflicted on which one to try first.
Each Guokui costs $8.75 for savory flavors and $7.75 for sweet flavors. In consideration of covering the flavor spectrum, we decided to order the least and most popular flavors according to the staff.
The most popular flavor was pork with preserved vegetables (梅菜扣肉). Pork with preserved vegetables is a very typical dish seen in Chinese cuisine and is a mass favorite. But the dish actually takes a long time to prepare and has a rather tedious preparation process. So it was quite surprising to see it being used as a filling in a flatbread. The least popular flavors were the sweet alternatives. This includes options like taro and red bean. In the end we got one pork with preserved vegetable Guokui and one taro Guokui.
Presentation & Waiting Time
The presentation was pretty standard, a large flatbread wrapped in oil paper. The smell was comforting, like fresh bread, since it came straight out of the circular ovens. It did need a longer waiting time, which was understandable due to it being freshly made. We were told to wait for 15 minutes but ended up getting our order in under 10 minutes. In my opinion, it is always worth the wait if I am getting something fresh rather than pre-made.
Taste
The pork with preserved vegetables guokui was savory and flavorful. The multiple spices used along with the preserved vegetables complemented the bland taste of the bread, bringing it into balance. The bread was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. All in all, the combination was quite delicious even though it was different. It might be more of an acquired taste to westerners who haven’t tried pork with preserved vegetables.
The taro flavor was sweet. The taro was turned into a paste and was mixed with a sweetener that was either be condensed milk or sugar with milk powder. However, the sweetness was not overpowering. When paired with the slight crispiness of the bread, it was like biting into a pastry. We recommend this flavor for dessert or a filling afternoon snack.
In my opinion, the taro flavor was better than the pork with preserved vegetables in terms of taste. However, that depends on preference. There are many other flavors like spicy beef, cajun chicken, and shrimp. You can also add condiments if you pay an extra dollar for the customization. There are also side desserts available. You can check out their full menu at the link below.
New Wing Wah Bakery ✩✩✩✩(4)
Background & Vibe
Next we went to a bakery in Chinatown. It was actually a spontaneous stop because the Guokui made us crave for a drink. The interior looked similar to most Chinese bakeries. Several vitrine lined up against the walls with tables pushed up against them. The bakery had seating for people to dine in but it was not available the day we went due to the pandemic. As we walked in, the aroma of coffee and freshly baked cake was very evident. The atmosphere was quiet and pleasant providing a stark contrast to the noisy streets of Chinatown. We believe that it would make a good spot for a relaxing afternoon.
There were many different treats from steamed buns to roll cakes. Prices were relatively cheap with a small hot coffee priced at $1. We ordered a classic Hong Kong drink called Yuenyeung. It was essentially a mixed beverage of coffee and milk tea. Since we just had a flatbread type snack, we did not try out other treats. We may always come back for a NY Bakery Food Tour.
Presentation & Waiting Time
We asked for the iced Yuenyeung but with light ice and less sugar. It came in a standard clear plastic cup and a straw. All in all, nothing too special. We didn’t wait too long as well since it wasn’t busy. I would say 2 to 3 minutes tops.
Taste
Since we asked the staff to go light on the sugar, it was not too sweet. However, according to Jade, it was even less sweet than her usual Yuenyeung with light sugar. For those of you who are not afraid to go for regular sugar, it is recommended since it has a richer and creamier taste. The aroma was not too strong so it probably wasn’t made out of the best coffee or tea in town. But for its price, it can be a satisfactory quick pick-me-up after lunch time. However, it is far from being the best yuenyeung we have tasted.
QQ Café ✩✩✩ (3.75)
Background & Vibe
Our last stop was QQ Cafe in Chinatown. It was a backup destination since the dumpling place we initially intended to visit did not have a seating area. The place serves typical Fujianese food. It was quite small with tables lined up against one wall. On the other side of the store was the kitchen separated by a counter. The place was busy and hectic with staff yelling out orders and people rushing to get their orders from the counter. It did not have the most aesthetically pleasing look, so we wouldn’t recommend it if you are looking to take some instagram pictures.
The staff was not too friendly but it might be attributed to the chaos and business of the place. Everyone was rushing about to complete their individual task so don’t expect the service to be excellent. The price was very affordable, so it is perfect for a dining option for students with a budget craving for some hot food.
Presentation & Waiting Time
The presentation resembled a takeout as it is served in white plastic bowl. The amount of food for the price was actually quite impressive. It wouldn’t be a really filling meal but it sufficed as a snack for two people. The downside was that we did need to wait for over 10 minutes for our order. This might be due to the large number of customers in the store simultaneously at the time we visited. Hopefully this is not the case when it is not as busy.
Taste
We ended up ordering a 魚丸燕 yú wán yàn, otherwise known as fishball and Fuzhou dumpling soup. It is basically a dumpling soup with two tops of dumplings. The first type is a type of fish ball, or yú dàn filled with pork. Usually it is filled with minced meat but this cafe surprisingly filled it with small cubes of hand diced meat. It made the fishball juicier and the fragrant from the grease of the meat became much more dominant. The second type of dumpling was the Fuzhou dumpling, or yàn wán. It looked a little bit like a wonton. The dumpling skin was said to be made of fish. It was then filled with a chewy pork paste mixture. The texture was satisfying to bite into. Unlike the burst of flavorful juice of the fishball, the Fuzhou dumpling gives a more subtle aroma that gets stronger the more you chew on it. According to Jade, it was actually better than the usual fishball and Fuzhou dumpling soup she had.
It was a fun journey around New York City. Aside from the delicious food, we also had a chance to look at the different architecture that lined the streets of Manhattan. Being distracted all the time by our phones and walking with our heads down made us forget to look up sometimes. Shooting this video allowed us to take a break from gluing our eyes to our phones. We hope you enjoyed the journey as much as we did. If you would like to see more videos like this one, please leave a comment under our Youtube video. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to stay tuned for more content!
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