Gai Kitchen — Restaurant in New York

Happiness is about managing expectations. And when I received my order today, I was devastated. It was not my first time. I remember when they had been handing out free samples (did I imagine this?!) in the very beginning and I'd kept coming back whenever I was nearby. But it may well be my last time.

I arrived at 11:40. First mistake. Despite the hours telling me they'd been open for over an hour, I was told to come back in twenty minutes. Completely fine.

I returned around 12:00. I was happy for them seeing they were preparing a huge catering/takeout order. I waited for them to finish and I ordered a small chicken rice.

As they were preparing, I watched one of the girls switch out a piece of chicken the other girl had prepared for a smaller piece. I received my order and sat down to take a look.

I was sad. So sad that I literally couldn't live with myself if I didn't go back to confirm if there was some mistake. I couldn't bring my boyfriend back such a sad plate of rice! The manager(?) told me I could have another piece of chicken if I would like (?!), but the order looked fine. I wanted to scream and ask if my order looked anything like the pictures they had up on the laminated menus plastered all over the stall, any of the pictures in the reviews or advertised on Instagram!

As someone who grew up in Chinatown, I understood good food at affordable prices. I understood good food at less affordable prices. I also understood less than good food at hardly affordable prices. I understood shrinkflation. I understood being angry at rising costs. I understood working in the restaurant industry and enduring long hours for little pay.

A dish that once brought pure joy brought not anger, but despair.

Am I being dramatic? Maybe. But anything less and you wouldn't choose to work in food.

I asked to exchange my order for the larger size and waited another 10 minutes or so because they'd run out of rice. I walked out at 12:30. And then I got on the N train...

CHEAP EATS ALERT!! You can get a hearty bowl of delicious hainanese chicken rice starting at $6.5 in Chinatown. Gai Kitchen offers thai style hainanese chicken rice and appetizers with most items under $10.

My boyfriend is a self-proclaimed hainanese chicken expert. He approved their chicken rice and said we should visit more often. Given how affordable and tasty the food was, we’ll definitely come back.

＊Roasted Chicken Ginger Rice (L) $9.5* ＊Hainanese Chicken Ginger Rice (L) $9.5* Small starts at $6.5 while large is only $9.5. They don’t skimp out on the amount of rice and chicken while keeping it affordable. Their chicken was tender and the sauce on the side further enhanced the flavor. The ginger rice was fragrant and delicious.

We added Red Curry ($3.75) to pour on our rice. It wasn’t spicy and had a rich coconut milk taste.

＊Chive & Scallion Pancake $4.5* The pancakes came in 6 pieces, served in mini cubes. We didn’t know what to expect but it turned out to be our favorite appetizer! It had a crispy and charred outer, while the center was as chewy as mochi.

＊Spicy Wings $10 I am obsessed with thai zabb seasoning so I was excited to try their wings. It was spicy with a hint of citrusy note. The chicken skin was perfectly crispy while the inside was still juicy.

＊Thai Iced Tea $3.95 ＊Pink Milk (Nom Yen) $3.95 Thai iced tea was great here. Made of sala syrup and cold milk, thai pink milk was described to taste like strawberry milk. We thought it looked and tasted...

I'll never forget when I was in Mexico City and we had a tour guide at the pyramids of Teotihuacán. He mentioned he had never left Mexico but put so eloquently "I have not been around the world, but the world has been around me." I often find myself replaying this quote in my head when I am in New York City. Gai Kitchen is a fantastic example. It is located deep in the heart of China town in a food court setting with folding tables and cheapish chairs, with much of the signage being in Mandarin. To me, this no frills set up shows a strength of character. I look around and see the most diverse group of people in this place, a campus photographers wet dream. "The world is around me" the hero thinks to himself... Anyways my roommate (former USC Basketball rotational player) and I, both got the Thai Style roasted chicken as a small only runs $5.99 with a large being $8.99. True inflation buster pricing. I got the small, as I am currently going for the rockstar skinny look. The plate was delicious, with the ginger rice really being the X-factor. 1000x better than the bland chicken and rice that I cook for myself at home. At this pricing they may be seeing me every...