Noodles to the Rescue
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008A word about Chinese food in Westchester: bleh. Aberdeen rocks, and thumbs up on Bao’s ma po tofu, but other than that, eesh (That’s one “bleh” and one “eesh”; I may soon add an “ugh”).
The Chinese take-out situation’s not much better. It amazes me how throughout the county, the take-out all tastes the same! Is everyone cooking from the same bad recipes? The food’s too greasy, there are too many filler vegetables and the sauces are goopy and cornstarched to death. Here it comes…
Ugh.
New Wah Yuan (no relation) in Port Chester doesn’t exactly break they mold. They suffer from the same problems as other take-out spots. But just when I’d lost all hope, I discovered their surprisingly consistent Singapore noodles.
It’s roast pork, shrimp, chicken and a few shredded veggies over spicy curried vermicelli. Not terribly difficult to make, but sort of time consuming with all the prep work, so sometimes it’s easier to pick up a batch.
Speaking of noodles, have a look at this Chinese restaurant near my office on E. 45th St.:
I’m waiting for the P.C. police to come storming in and shut the place down. That’d be a shame, because if you ignore the mildly offensive logo and name, you can get tasty noodle dishes and noodle soups here at reasonable prices, especially for midtown (lunch will run about $7-$10). I especially like the thick, almost chewy texture of their pan fried noodles.
I guess my point is, when all else fails at a Chinese restaurant, poke around for the noodle dishes. They’re usually a safer bet than the entrees. When I go to Wah Yuan these days, I get one thing, and one thing only. Hasn’t failed me yet.
New Wah Yuan Chinese Restaurant
262 Boston Post Rd.
Port Chester, NY 10573
914-939-7776
Oriental Noodle Shop
135 East 45th St.
New York, NY 10017
212-697-2353