Hao Noodle — Restaurant in New York

We went with 4 adults and 2 children.

Kind staff, very pleasant and calming interior design, with a mixed and sophisticated crowd offering spicy fare from various regions of China, specializing in Dandan noodles and soup dumplings.

We played cards with the kids prior to ordering. Didn't feel forced to order. Food came out very quickly after ordering. We were the first people in the restaurant at 5pm for the dinner shift but the restaurant was already out of Soup Dumplings ($8) and Steamed Pea Shoots $18. There was only one single person bathroom and it was clean.

The sweet and sour ribs ($12) were very dry, the bones were falling apart and they cooled very fast but I finished them searching for a juicy piece while dipping them in chilli oil.

I couldn't get enough of the Dandan noodles ($12) which were spicy and vegetarian. The Shrimp Wonton ($8) were made with pork so we didn't order those but the regular steamed pork dumplings ($8) were a little dry on the inside too although they had more meat than any other Chinese restaurant steamed pork dumpling. They came with delicious chilli oil so we couldn't help but finish them.

Sautéed Sole Fish in Clay Pot $22 was tasty but spicy, there was a lot for two people and the fish was bone-in. Be aware that many items will be felt the next day if you are not used to the spicy food.

Crispy Duck Confit with Sticky Rice $26 was dry but tasty with chilli oil and it went fast.

Sautéed Bok-Choy $15 was tender and surprised me because I was expecting it to be slightly bitter or overly spiced with garlic but it wasn't at all.

The Hotpot Beef Noodle Soup $22 was big, brothy and spicy but it too went fast and was shared by two to three people AND the two deserts on the menu. Also the restaurant has a tasty soft drink the "Lychee green tea" and various other alcoholic beverages.

Cured Duck and Sausage Clay Pot Rice $25 over sticky rice and lettuce was interesting but didn't really provide the Wow I was expecting. The chilly oil did wonders here.

Garlic Pork Chop $18 was surprisingly crisp, tasty with the Chinese 'Worcestershire' sauce and it was enjoyed by everyone including the kids.

I plan to return and taste some of the other things I didn't get to try like the Crispy Spicy Wings $15, the soup dumplings, shrimp wonton and the...

We came here after deciding the lines at Chelsea Market were too long. Maybe we should’ve just stuck it out.

Upon entering around 1:30PM, we asked for a table for two, they asked if we had a reservation. I always find this strange, since people with reservations would certainly volunteer that information from the start (rather than ask for a table for a specific number of people right upon entry) and the restaurant was fairly empty.

We sat down and ordered. Our food came out SO SLOWLY. By the time lunch was done and over with, it was 3:30PM. Fine dining pace almost. We were killing time, so we didn’t mind it, but if we had a schedule that day we would’ve been very annoyed.

Steamed watercress and pork dumplings: These were good, nothing spectacular.

Organic chicken and mushroom noodle soup: Soup was rich, but also very salty. I was torn between drinking more of it for flavor or less of it for health. Rice oodles themselves were overdone. Even grasping them with chopstick pressure would cause them to break in half (imagine how difficult this made eating them!)

Spring rolls: SO OVERFRIED. Couldn’t even break them apart with chopsticks, you needed to bite into them. We complained about these and the restaurant offered sesame ice cream on the house.

Pan fried dumplings: Hao, like other Chinese restaurants, prepares pan fry dumplings with a starchy slurry at the bottom of the pan. When the water evaporates, the starch leaves behind a crispy lace-like pattern. Well, these crispy bits were one notch away from black. We ended up scratching off the burnt bits before digging in.

Sesame ice cream: I mean it’s just sesame ice cream, eh.

The bathrooms were well appointed though. Baby wipes, cotton swabs and pads, Bioderma make up remover (I suppose if you felt the need to change your look suddenly at a casual lunch), and floss picks. Too bad what would’ve most helpful for me was mouth wash or a toothbrush, neither of those was there.

I requested to pay cash, they said no. So we swiped a credit card and...

Love the plants that are inside this building. They have an extensive menu with lots of good choices.

I had the Mapo Tofu. It was tofu with a bunch of sauce. The sauce was delicious, but a bit heavy for me at that time. I expected more of a tofu + veggie mix given the description of the meal. I wouldn't order this unless you want something tasty but very heavy, due to all the sauce.

My date got the sauteed corn with pine nuts. It's literally a big plate of corn. It was a unique dish. I'm not sure if I'd want to eat a big plate of corn for a dish, usually, but if I did, this would be the plate of corn I'd choose.

We also had the appetizer which includes three different foods to try. It was a good choice for us, as we could split everything, and we were coming for the first time so we didn't have any other favorites to pick. I liked the beef jerky kind of thing with the szechuan peppers the most.

The beef with cilantro and ginger was truly delicious. Tasted sort of like Mexican food to me.

The duck with rice confit was unique. Not as delicious as the beef with cilantro, but more unique for me. I like the flavor of the rice and the schezhuan. I wish it had a little more duck.

Not crazy about the noodles with XO sauce and shrimp because it didn't taste great or very flavorful. Relied on oil too much for its flavor in my opinion, and not enough spices or other sources of flavor.

The Crispy Chili Shrimp was very battered and fried. It was solid if you want something fried, but very heavy.

I had the duck and sausage with rice. I'd consider getting it again, but would ask not to make it spicy, and for them not to add the sauce when they bring it out. I often like heat, but only some parts were very very spicy and most of it wasn't spicy at all, which I didn't like, so I'd just skip the spiciness altogether. The sausage tasted good. It didn't have as much duck as I'd have liked, and had a ton of sausage instead. I think the sauce wasn't necessary and it may have...