Kung Fu Xiao Long Bao — Restaurant in New York

Okay, I saw about this restaurant on YouTube. It was on the internet and it is always correct right? Luckily, I have friends that live in Flushing and with a car. I guess I could have taken a bus and while I may go near and far to try a new place it has to be within a train stop.

We arrived in our comfy American made coach dropped right in front. The restaurant is your typical Chinese restaurant. Don't expect much in the way of décor and on our visit AC. The restaurant was toasty to say the least during the summer heat even at 8pm. There was a 20 minute wait but I think that's what she tells everyone. So we patiently waited outside which was actually cooler. 20 minutes came and went and 45 minutes later our group's name was called. Yay.

Seated we looked over the extensive menu. Of course we came here for the famous soup dumplings first and fore most. We ordered the crab meat and the regular pork to start. My dumpling connoisseur of dumplings is like wine. Most taste all the same unless it is really cheap/bad. These dumplings were quite delicious. They claim to have the 'thinnest' skin dumplings and while they seemed thin they weren't any more than other I had in the city. They weren't thick or doughy so I'll take their word for it. We also ordered a selection of other food to try. What came out of the kitchen was all very good. We were very pleased with all the dishes.

As many Chinese restaurant especially this far flung in Flushing having an Chinese friend at the table is invaluable in order but for the most part one can get by my pointing at the menu. I'm certainly glad we made the trek out to try this restaurant and certainly would like to go back but then there are plenty of soup dumpling restaurants that are just much more...

When we ventured out to Flushing, Queens, we had a nice early dinner before we headed back to Manhattan. This spot was on my list for a while, so we decided to go check it out. They had two igloo-style outdoor seating, with the entrance to the igloo wide open, making it safer with nice airflow. They do have indoor seating as well, seemed nice and clean. Not too large of a space though. We decided to sit outdoor for the fun igloo experience.

We ordered one of our favorite dish, Mapo Tofu. It had three red pepper icon, which means “very spicy” according to their menu. With their price tag of $13.95, we were hoping it would be a nice portion, and it was quite large! A good shareable size. Packed with flavor, with a good amount of spicy-ness, not too crazy. Then again, I might’ve avoided the super hot pepper in the middle…

We also ordered Kung Fu Xiao Long Bao, six pork soup dumplings. The wrap was nice and thin, and the dumplings were pretty good size, not too big nor small. They were really good!

Last but not least, Braised Pork Belly with Quail Eggs. We asked for buns, and we got four buns on the side for additional $3. Again, the portion was shareable size. Pork belly was tender and moist, melt in your mouth. Quail egg added more substance and flavor. The tangy sauce was tasty, but it had such strong flavor, you didn’t need too much of of it. We made our own pork bao buns, which was fun.

We had a really nice dinner here, the staffs were friendly and polite, he took a good care of us. We were very full and happy. They are CASH ONLY, so make sure to bring some...

Woah... I found my new Chinese go-to restaurant place.

Most Chinese restaurants load up the grease and cornstarch to give you that full feeling much sooner but it also hides the imperfections in the dish. Not crazy about going to Chinese restaurants, always got a grease headache afterwards. This place uses very little cornstarch and all the dishes aren't heavy greasy.

Loofah Xiao Long Bao Best XLB in NYC. Beats Joe Shanghai and Nan Xiang's XLB, I don't feel like I'm eating a ball of grease. It was so amazingly delicious, wish I could order a 2nd, damn you stomach, make room!

Beef pan fried noodles Off menu. We substituted pork with beef. I always wondered why my wife likes ordering this dish at Chinese restaurants, it's always loaded with heavy cornstarch that I feel like I'm eating just the sauce rather than the dish itself. Now I get it. Wow... must order. Wonderful crispy thin noodles with a tasty moderate sauce.

Sesame pancake with beef Thank you fellow Yelpers. Woah, nice thick slices of meat. Again, love the fact that it's not soaking in oil. Will order again.

Chicken dumplings in spicy sauce. This was the only dish that let me down. 7/10. Looked nuclear spicy but it's spicy like Korean kimchi, very mild spice. The dish was okay, not crazy for me to order again.

Bottomline: Didn't get a grease headache. The flavors are amazing! This is what Chinese food suppose...