Wenwen — Restaurant in New York

Wenwen has been on my to go list since it opened and I heard many great reviews! I understand that Wenwen is a Taiwanese restaurant that aims to bring flavors of a Taiwanese household into Greenpoint, and I was very disappointed.

I walked in around 1 PM on a Sunday with no reservations but that’s no issue. Despite the restaurant being packed, we were seated right away. Mind you the restaurant is small and seatings are very close to one another. As soon as I sat down, there was a bowl with a spec of rice inside my bowl but it was resolved immediately.

What we ordered:

Gourdgeous Mocktail (2/5) $10 It was described to have was Oolong Tea, Winter Melon Gourd and Lemon. When it came, it was definitely aesthetically pleasing as it had a long block of ice with a dried lemon on top of it. Initially you get a hint of winter melon but then you have lemon juice aftertaste. The mocktail isn’t the worst thing I have had but not exactly the taste you expect to get.

Sacha Hot Honey Popcorn Chicken (3/5) $13 I had super high expectations for the popcorn chicken! They came in huge chunks of chicken to my surprise with the sauce drizzled over them. The sauce was both sweet and salt and I wish I had more because it was delicious! The chicken was crispy and easy to bite into but the insides were a bit dry.

Stuffed Shrimp Toast (2/5) $15 The dish came in with 4 toast and in the description it does mention it also contains cuttlefish. On the side, you will have a dipping sauce of sriracha (unsure if they mixed it with something else) but the sauce was good. Texture wise, the exterior wasn’t as crispy as I would like and the inside wasn’t chewy/bouncy. I tasted more of the cuttlefish but missing the shrimp taste.

BDSM Chicken Sandwich with Seaweed Fries (3/5) $22 This dish was almost on every table when I came in and I was intrigued to see what the hype was about! Biting into the sandwich, you do get the crispy texture of the chicken with a hint of dryness but the pickled lettuce did help bring some moisture into it. Though it wasn’t the best chicken sandwich I had but it’s worth a try! The seaweed fries is basically what the name sound like: bunch of fries with seaweed furikake sprinkled over it

Cold Sesame Noodle (1/5) $15 I’m not sure what happened to the dish but this is definitely not what a sesame noodle dish taste like. First thing I noticed when I put the noodle in my mouth was the texture: it wasn’t al dente nor was it bouncy. It was kinda hard? There was no sesame or sweet taste to the dish, I did notice a lot of pepper in my dish, not sure if that affected the taste a lot.

Overall, not sure why everyone was hyping this place up. Besides the nice service and atmosphere, the tables were very close to one another and the foods weren’t great. For the price they’re charging, I expected the dishes...

There are some moments of triumph and, unfortunately, more moments that fall short of expectations. My recent visit to Wenwen in Brooklyn was a mixed bag of flavors amidst an otherwise mediocre ensemble of dishes. The low hum of conversation contributed to an ambiance that felt relaxed and welcoming. The restaurant maintains its understated charm, allowing the focus to shift to the array of dishes rather than the surroundings.

Let's start with the standout: the hot honey popcorn chicken dish soared high above the rest. The crispy exterior, bathed in hot honey, provided a delightful contrast to the juicy chicken within. It was a taste that lingered on my taste buds and it was a tantalizing tease of what could be. On the flip side, the beef noodle soup lacked the depth and richness that characterizes a memorable bowl. The broth's flavor missed the mark, and the beef slices fell short of elevating the dish to its anticipated height. The shrimp floss lettuce wraps and fried rice, while not outright disappointing, failed to leave a lasting impression as well. Both dishes failed to rise above the mundane, lacking the nuance, boldness and freshness that I fully expected and clearly was needed. It was the dessert that managed to salvage the meal to a certain degree. The fried tangyuan with ice cream hinted at the kitchen's ability to shine, even if fleetingly, with a perfect union of crispy and creamy, sweet and savory. The rice-shaped balls, filled with luscious black sesame, provided a delightful contrast to the cool, creamy taste of the ice cream, making it the standout moment by far.

While the service was satisfactory, it lacked the finesse we had experienced elsewhere at similar establishments. The staff seemed a tad disorganized, leading to occasional delays in service. This is a place where selective choices can lead to a satisfying experience, so if you find yourself here make a beeline for the popcorn chicken and dessert....

I just came here yesterday and I had really high hopes for this place. I personally wish I could give a higher rating, but the reason why I’m knocking down my rating to 3 stars is due to a lack of consistency in the quality of the dishes and the overall ambience and customer service of the place. The best dishes we had were the dessert (the tang yuan is definitely inventive and well executed and worth ordering) and the crispy tofu appetizer. I love fried tofu when it is done well. They did a great job of getting silken tofu crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. The dipping sauce was a bit strong but still good. We also ordered the Lo Ba Beng, which was good -it definitely was a generous portion size and had good balance of flavors. It was a comforting homestyle dish. The popcorn chicken was well done in terms of the seasoning of the chicken, but personally it was too heavy on the honey and I don’t crave a sweetness like that when I order Taiwanese popcorn chicken. I was expecting a drizzle of honey, not for it to be doused in honey. The biggest disappointment for me was the cold sesame noodles. This should be a really basic dish to get right. The flavor of the sesame sauce was really off - too salty but also bland on sesame flavor and did not have the complexity of spice or garlic that I would really expect from a sesame noodle dish. Frankly, I make this dish at home better than they did. The restaurant was loud and the host up front was distracted. It took the host a while from when we walked in to take our number to be put on the waitlist for the bar and the host attended to a number of parties that arrived after us first. Perhaps we did not come on a good night or ordered the wrong things, but I do think the lack of consistency is something that would give me pause on...