CHELI MANHATTAN 浙里 — Restaurant in New York

We were offered cold tap water or hot tea to start. The tea tasted like typical dim sum tea. Service was great as we were seated by the entrance area where the staff would welcome diners. After asking the helpful server for recommendations, we decided on 3 mains and 1 dessert.

Longjing shrimp- basically just a mound of warm mini peeled shrimp with a sweet vinegary dipping sauce. The staff also poured some liquid nitrogen into the dish which was a cool special effect but not worth the price tag for the dish.

Hot Stone braised rice- this was SO GOOD. I loved the sauce that they used and the mushrooms absorbed the flavor so well! The staff mixed it up for us and served us our first bowls of rice as well. I loved the stone pot because by pressing the rice into a layer, we were able to get a bit of crispy rice at the bottom. For 2 people, we each had about 3-4 bowls of rice. The green pepper in this dish was too spicy for me though. I'm not sure if it was but it tasted like a jalapeno pepper to me. My mouth was on fire each time I ate the pepper so I just avoided it. Luckily that spice didn't mix into the rest of the rice.

Moonlight- a good palette cleanser and something to mitigate the spiciness from the peppers of the hot stone rice dish. There were wood ear mushrooms, asparagus, green peas, lotus root and carrots. Flavor wise, it was on the blander side which was not bad since our other dish was super flavorful.

Jasmine tea pudding- a super creamy dessert to finish a great meal. I think this might be one of my favorite desserts ever! This item wasn't on their online menu but it was on their menu at the restaurant. If I visit again I'll be sure to get this again!

Complimentary spicy preserved carrots- surprisingly addicting and very crunchy! The flavor was very savory with a hint of spice that kind of hits you in the back of the throat.

Overall I think this place might be one of my top most aesthetically pleasing spots I've dined at. This definitely makes me want to visit their Flushing branch too! Also loved that their menus came in booklets similar to those I've seen in period cdramas (though personal preference is menu with photos)! The decor was also on point. Where else would I be able to dine on a bench...

One of my favorite spots for Chinese food in NYC! I was honestly a bit dubious when my friend first recommended this spot to me since the dishes seemed a bit too Instagrammable, but Che Li was beyond ready to prove that gimmicky food can be authentic and delicious.

We started our meal with the xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), and they were genuinely some of the best soup dumplings I've had in the US -- the skin was remarkably thin, yet sturdy and managed to defend the ultra-flavorful soup from my manhandling and multiple failed attempts to pick one up. We also had the pu'er tea rice with uni, which was a great way to whet our appetite for the rest of the meal; the rice was cooked well and soaked up all of the goodness from the pu'er, and the uni gave the whole dish a great hit of umami. While this was a great and well-executed starter, it was also really small and not the most earth-shattering, so I'll probably opt to skip it for next time; even so, it was great preparation for the next round of dishes, including the full steamed yellow croaker, stir-fried water spinach, and crab and tofu.

The steamed yellow croaker was fantastic; the sauce was subtly salty, umami, and tangy, and the fermented rice offered a little pop of sweetness. The fish itself was remarkably tender and easily slid off the bones; the dish was simple, yet executed perfectly. The same could be said of the crab and tofu, which went perfectly with their freshly steamed rice. The crab offered a bit of brininess and saltiness, which the silken tofu just soaked up like a sponge. The stir-fried water spinach was a great pop of green in our otherwise very protein-heavy meal. The veggies were well-cooked and not too oily, but also had a ton of flavor from the verifiable mountain of garlic they threw in there.

All in all, this was an absolutely wonderful meal -- the dishes we chose were relatively simple, but crafted expertly and authentically. While a few others definitely felt a bit gimmicky (i.e., the longjiang prawns), the tables around us still had rave reviews for those dishes' authenticity and taste. Will absolutely be stopping by here again the next...

Ranked #15 on the New York Times top 100 restaurants and listed on the Michelin Guide, Cheli definitely deserves all its hype and recognition.

Tldr: their desserts are FIRE, especially the Sweet Osmanthus Rice Cake!!

Don’t get me started on the ambiance—it is like walking into an old village in China with the traditional decors and dining booths. A total immersive dining experience for high quality Chinese cuisine.

＊Flaming Beggar’s Chicken 南宋叫花雞 $35 ** The fire show is magical. They pour alcohol over the bread crust and lit it up. When we cracked open the crust and unwrapped the lotus leaf, the chicken underneath was incredibly juicy and fall-off-the-bone tender. I usually don’t order whole chicken but this one surpassed my expectation and beyond.

＊Minced Crab Meat Tofu Stew 蟹粉豆腐 $23 ** The crab meat over tofu was another standout dish. It was bursting with crab flavor and the sauce was so velvety. Perfect with a bowl of rice.

＊Hot Stone Braised Rice 牛肝菌燜飯 $26 * I loved the hot stone braised rice from their new sister reataurant Blue Blossom, so I had to get it again. It spoke a lot about how much I love this dish. It wasn’t too spicy even it was mixed with green pepper.

＊Xiao Long Bao 鮮肉小籠 $7 The texture, flavor and filling all hit the spot. The wrapper was thin and chewy, filled with juicy minced pork. 10/10 perfection.

＊Eggplant in Garlic Sauce 魚香茄子 $16 It was flavorful but not as impressive as the other dishes. The garlic sauce was on the sweeter side.

＊Sweet Osmanthus Rice Cake 桂花拉糕 $10 * These flower-shaped rice cake are the PRETTIEST DESSERT EVER. You have to get this no matter how full you are. It is a mochi alike snack with osmanthus honey. So floral and delicious!! Will definitely come back for this.

＊Triple Sweet 紅棗銀耳桃膠 $8 * Traditional chinese dessert soup with red date, peach resins and white wood ears. Peach resins taste like jelly if you’ve never had one. It is especially beneficial for women after menstruation and mothers after childbirth.

＊Jasmine Tea Pudding 茉莉茶奶凍 $8 ** Literally a jasmine milk tea presented in pudding form. It was infused with tea aroma. Very fragrant, milky and...