New Kam Lai — Restaurant in New York

I’ve only been to this Chinese restaurant maybe three times — all spaced months apart, like my attempts at personal growth. So imagine my surprise when the lady behind the counter remembered my order. Not just vaguely — like, with surgical precision. I don’t know if she’s got a photographic memory or a hit list, but I felt seen. And not in a comforting way.

Our first interaction? A disaster. I had my earphones in like the antisocial degenerate I am. She called out my food. I didn’t hear. Chaos. Shame. I probably delayed someone else’s sweet & sour destiny. Her eyes said, “This one’s already too far gone.”

Fast forward to my redemption arc. I come back. No earphones. Fully alert. Ready to engage in the sacred ritual of ordering greasy food I pretend is dinner.

She yells out the total: “Nine seventy-five!” (or so I thought). I hand her a ten, proud of myself for functioning like an adult.

And then it happens. She stops. Stares at me. Not just any stare — that long, horrified, “Are you okay? Were you dropped as a child?” kind of stare.

Then she says it again. Louder. Slower. Like I’m the last kid picked in life: “Twelve. Seventy. Five.”

I panic. Apologize. Fumble through my crumpled bills like a man trying to pay for his sins. Hand her the correct amount and exit the premises in a fog of shame and MSG.

I think the Chinese lady genuinely believes I’m not all there. And honestly, she might be right.

Anyway, time to find a new Chinese spot. One where the staff doesn’t look at me like I eat glue and cry...

I lived in this neighborhood since the 1960s. My dad was a chef and co-owned a Chinese restaurant on 103rd st Broadway. Being a chef myself I like to taste the local cuisine every quarter of the year to see how well most restaurants are doing and I can say New Kai Lam here on 94st-95st is the real deal for Chinese food. I've tasted their chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, and vegetables dishes and I can grade them at a 4.7 stars out of 5.0. Unfortunately, i didn't try their fried foods as i personally want to not get high cloresterol/diabetes issues. I typically order to take out and at dinner time frame. For a mostly take out "order to cook on demand" restaurant and getting hot with quality, I say they are an overwhelming 4.8/5.0! Are they perfect? No but they do get right vastly most of the time. This review was not influenced by the owner or workers at this restaurant and only want to share my personal experience and taste buds to us upper west...

Very nice people who work here however. I wouldn’t come back. First, I do not like how when I pay by card they just take the card from me without telling me the amount. I let it go once but it happened again and I do not know at the moment how much I pay. Second, I saw one of the workers who cook the food close someone’s French fries with his fingers without gloves. He touched the fries with his hands and handed it to someone. It’s very unsanitary. The food is a hit or miss. I had good sesame chicken but the chicken broccoli is too chewy. As much as the people are nice, I cannot justify after seeing someone touch the food with...