Uncle Lou 快樂人 — Restaurant in New York

Uncle Lou 快樂人 really feels like sitting down to a Cantonese banquet dishes keep landing on the table, each one with history behind it and flavors that make you pause to appreciate them.

The Honey Walnut Shrimp was rich and satisfying. The shrimp themselves were plump, with a light crunch that held up under the creamy mayo glaze. The sauce was sweet, but not in a one-note way it had that silky, slightly tangy edge that makes it addictive. The candied walnuts added caramelized crunch, and the broccoli ring gave just enough freshness to cut through. This dish became iconic in Hong Kong banquet halls in the ’80s for a reason it balances indulgence and playfulness.

The Peking Duck 北京鸭 was another star. The skin had that delicate crackle, almost shattering as you bit in, while the meat underneath stayed moist and savory. Wrapped in a bao with hoisin and scallions, it hit every note smoky from the roast, sweet from the sauce, sharp from the scallions, and soft from the bun. It reminded me why this dish has been an imperial centerpiece since the Yuan dynasty it’s luxurious but deeply comforting.

The Peking Pork Chops had the glossy, sweet-tangy glaze that makes this dish so nostalgic. Despite the Kyoto name, it’s really a Hong Kong spin on Shanghainese flavors. The sauce was bright and sticky in the best way, clinging to every piece. Taste-wise, it had that balance of sour and sweet that makes you want another bite. The only flaw the pork was fried a touch too long, so the edges were crunchier than needed and the inside leaned dry. The flavor carried, but a lighter fry would’ve made it perfect.

The Garlic Fried Chicken was a standout. The skin was golden and crisp, and every bite was perfumed with fried garlic. You get this wave of savoriness first the crunch, the garlic aroma before the juicy chicken inside settles it. It’s the kind of dish that looks simple, but when done right, it’s addictive, and here it was hard not to keep reaching for another piece.

The Steamed Chicken with Chinese Sausage and Mushrooms brought a comforting contrast to the table. The sausage gave off that signature smoky-sweetness, the shiitakes added a deep umami, and the chicken soaked up both. The steaming kept everything moist, so the flavors melted into one another rather than competing. It was homestyle at heart, and it tasted like the kind of dish you’d find on a family table in Guangdong.

The Stir-Fried Chinese Broccoli was refreshingly crisp. The stems had a satisfying snap, and the slight bitterness of the greens paired perfectly with the glossy, savory-sweet oyster sauce a Cantonese invention from the late 19th century. It balanced out the heavier dishes, and honestly, it was one of the plates I kept coming back to between bites of richer meats.

The Beef Chow Fun 干炒牛河 had that prized wok hei that smoky, charred aroma that clings to wide rice noodles when they’re stir-fried over intense heat. The noodles were soft but with a chew, the beef tender, and the bean sprouts kept it bright and fresh. Taste-wise, it was savory, slightly smoky, with that slippery texture that makes chow fun so comforting.

Finally, the Crispy Pig Intestine surprised me. The exterior was shatter-crisp, while the inside was chewy and rich. Someone at the table found it a bit gamey, but I didn’t. To me, the flavor was clean, with just enough depth to remind you it’s offal, but not overwhelming. With the dipping sauce, it became something bold but balanced a real showcase of Cantonese cooking’s respect for texture and the whole animal.

Altogether, Uncle Lou captured what I love about Chinatown dining. The banquet dishes like the duck and honey walnut shrimp were indulgent and polished, while the homestyle plates like the steamed chicken and Chinese sausage carried warmth and comfort. Some dishes, like the pork chops, could have been refined further, but the overall spread felt abundant, flavorful, and deeply tied to...

a cold thursday night in a shutdown chinatown due to filming, a disappointing dinner was had.

making our way thru the fake snow the production - code name unicorn - was generating, we found a full restaurant with a 20 minute wait.

we started with dumplings ... and this is the last time i'm ordering dumplings in a restaurant that isn't solely pumping out dumplings and the like ... barely warm. clumpy. blah. to make matters worse the red hot oil they were sitting in was simply just not very good. if you could give zero stars, zero stars it would be.

we followed that with the jellyfish salad. i found the presentation so poor - a big ol' pile with a spring of cilantro on top - that it jogged the memory of the jellyfish salad from sam wo's in san francisco. and edsel the rudest waiter. and how you entered sam wo's thru the kitchen and proceeded up the narrowest flight of stairs to floor your table was at. and how the food came up a dumbwaiter. so ... good convo. but so so jellyfish salad. it was served on a bed of what i would term "szechuan pickled vegetables" that were stellar ... crisp. vinegary. a touch of heat. excellent.

a servicable pile ofpeapods was ordered to accompany the steamed fish that was our main. again, presentation was lacking. but if a "pile" of food is what you are looking for, it seems that is the go to here. in short ... i've had way better at numerous places a hop skip and a jump away.

buffalofish was steamed and served in a very tasty ginger garlic broth. the menu notes a "braised pomelo peel" but i could find no notes of this. personally, i think catfish would have served this broth better and once again, memories of a similar dish at genghis cohen in los angeles begat table conversation of fairfax/melrose mid '80's.

i had been unimpressed with the rice and was basically not eating it but i enjoyed the broth of the fish so much, i spooned some over ... this only highlighted how poor the quality of the rice was we were served. one star for the rice would be generous.

it is a very nice dining room bathrooms were clean. host was helpful and on point from start to finish ... she was the one that got our bill and helped in closing out.

service was poor ... no water no napkins no refill on tea no would you like another beer/wine is everything okay. zip. nada. zilch. it was so bad that their system was having difficulties with apple pay (gonna happen that's okay) but you shouldnt THROW the bill back at me and say "what are you going to do". i'm gonna take out a physical card, pay and then call you out on your brusque and rude behavior.

up until that point, had planned on coming back. everyone can have an off night. and there were parts of the meal that were good. but that was unacceptable. your host understands the nature of the business ... the other people on the floor, i think not.

note: upon reading my review i realized that a. really should have given two stars, and b. if not for the impression the host gave at both the beginning and end of our visit,...

After a disappointing lunch here, I have decided to skip any local articles of "best places to eat" since this is the 5th city where those articles proved biased or inaccurate. The best meter for a great local eatery is still following the long lines of local patrons at some hidden lackluster unknown (to us tourist) neighborhood hang. Some of the best joints are accidental finds and it is more fun and exciting.

Having made plans to visit Uncle Lou for months, it was sad to find food that was cooked with wrong ingredients or tasting like it was kept under a heat lamp.

We ordered standard dim sum fare. The beef chow fun was cut into strips which gave it a lumpy texture instead of the usual noodle length. My mom thinks they used rice noodle rolls as a substitute instead of the actual long rice pasta.

Before I even took a bite, I already knew it wasn't freshly made since the edges of the cut pasta was dry and curled at the corners (my left overs from the day before looked fresher). And it tasted like left overs.

The bbq pork steam bun was huge and the filling had more fatty meat than most dim sum places but it had a milder taste which is more homemade than some of these factory super salty pre made versions.

The chives shrimp dumplings had great flavor but they used wonton wrapper instead of rice dough which made it very dry and have unappealing texture. The reason for using rice dough is because it is bland so you can appreciate the filling better. And the soft texture is better.

The pan fried pork dumpling had the right size filling, taste and great wrapping technique but it wasn't crispy enough to really be worth the calorie count. The taste was traditional but not my favorite.

The fried stuff tofu was ok but not delicious, just like most places. The shrimp rice pasta also same as all others.

As a dim sum restaurant, the food was average. Decor and space size was nice and staff was very friendly and fast.

I did like the fact that they labelled their two single stall bathrooms as unisex since it is the most logical way to assign use. I hate restaurants where women have to make a line when there is an empty stall nearby.

Unfortunately, I will not be coming back. My mom looked over the menu and said their main dishes was also over priced. Their dim sum...