Manhattan, New York! 45,678 times of sweet and sour pork in 8⃣ years!

The Dongpo pork here is amazing!! All my fellow fatty meat lovers—you need this! I crave it every once in a while and have been coming here since I was a student at Columbia 8 years ago! The fatty part of the pork melts the second you it, and the lean part isn’t dry at all. It’s well-seasoned but not overly sweet. They serve it with a basket of lotus leaf buns, but I love mixing it directly into rice 🍚—so fragrant!! Another must-order every time is the sponge gourd with edamame～ The sponge gourd is in big chunks, never bitter, and cooked to the perfect texture—light but flavorful. It might be out of stock sometimes, though, depending on the season. 🐟 As a total fish lover, I also always choose between steamed perch or chopped pepper fish head! It just depends on whether I’m in the mood for spice that day～ The steamed perch is lighter, drizzled with fragrant scallion oil, and the fish is super tender—plus, it’s cleaned really well. I order it when I want a healthier meal. 🌶️ The chopped pepper fish head is one of the best I’ve had in Manhattan—even better than some Hunan restaurants! The head is big, with plenty of those chewy bits that fish head fans live for!! It takes a bit longer to come out, but it’s totally worth the wait. 🦀 For dim sum, I usually get the crab roe soup dumplings—eat them hot, and the broth is so rich! The scallion shrimp noodles are good too, with big dried shrimp, though they use thick noodles. 🥦 I’ve tried most of the vegetable dishes, and the water spinach with fermented bean curd and the soy sauce bean sprouts are both delicious—flavors you can’t easily replicate at home. 🐮 Other dishes I’ve liked: three-yellow chicken, Sichuan pepper beef shreds, malantou (a type of greens) with crab roe tofu. Personally, I think the Sichuan boiled fish is just okay—you can skip it. Oh, and I don’t think they use pre-made dishes here, because sometimes I ask for less salt or oil when I want something lighter, and other times I keep it normal. The kitchen can adjust it, unlike some places that just say “no, it’s fixed.” That’s it for today’s share—hope I made you hungry! Follow me for more NYC food and life bits. Keep up the good work mid-week, everyone! ✨ Little Alley ✨ 550 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10016 #NewYorkFood #NewYorkLife #ManhattanChineseFood #NewYorkShanghaiFood #MidtownManhattanFood #ShanghaiFood #NewYorkEats #DongpoPork