Comments on: PROFILE: Midtown Lunch’er “Joanna”

By: locondcoco

locondcoco — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:09:39 +0000

Hai Zi Wei is more commonly known as “66″.

By: djwerdna

djwerdna — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:22:15 +0000

@joannie – There are 2 Taiwanese restaurants are fairly good: Gu-Shine on 39th, just south of Main St, and Hai3 Zi Wei4 on the corner of Prince and 39th. Gu-Shine is more homestyle cooking and has great deals.

By: joannie

joannie — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:53:57 +0000

@hungryteresa I will definitely check out King 5 Noodle the next time I’m in Flushing (probably not for awhile, but who knows!) Thanks for the recommendation…! Yay!

@The Prez I haven’t tried any of the other places in the city, someone should do a walking tour. I could easily eat 5 plates of pork chop rice. Then again, I might not be able to walk afterward, but whatever, that’s the beauty of eating 5 plates of delicious food!

By: The Prez

The Prez — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:35:53 +0000

Joanna, I think the whole state of chicken leg/pork chop over rice in the 5 boroughs is pretty sad. It’s not just the Cravings Truck, but Mai-Wah, Wu Chung and even 66 (in Flushing) don’t serve the same tasting offerings as in the past.

As for the problem with the Cravings Truck, it isn’t just that the rice is undercooked, the Cravings Truck just doesn’t use the same type of rice (stickier/sushi grade rice) eaten by the Taiwanese.

One thing that I really miss is Lu Ro Fan (Braised Pork over Rice). There’s nothing like it in Manhattan. When Suibi was around, it had served an Okinawa version of it, but of course, that paled in comparison to the real thing in Taiwan.

By: hungryteresa

hungryteresa — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:18:37 +0000

Joanna, I’m glad you share the same thoughts on the Cravings Truck as I do. I thought they were having a bad day when the rice was undercooked. If you want Taiwanese breakfast, the only place in Flushing that serves it decently is King 5 Noodle on Prince Street. I’ve been meaning to go because who knows which restaurants will close during this recession.

I just got back from Taipei a month ago. It was AMAZING :) I love the food. Night markets all the way!

By: soupdumpling

soupdumpling — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:31:36 +0000

Looking forward to hearing your recommendations, Joanna. Oh, I forgot to mention that I love the gua bao and stewed pork at Temple Snacks that’s located in the Flushing Mall.

By: joannie

joannie — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:47:39 +0000

@soupdumpling I’ll ask my Taiwanese friends who live in the Flushing area where they eat and I’ll post it int he comments here eventually heh. Oh man… I love gua bao too… makes me miss home and my mom’s cooking!

By: soupdumpling

soupdumpling — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:27:04 +0000

Thanks Masterb8ker for the location.

Joanna, I haven’t done a ton of Taiwanese eating but am really enthusiastic about the gua bao (puts Momofuku’s pork buns to shame) and bamboo shoots and stewed pork. I’ve had a couple of other things from there but they were misses. I’ve also had some good food at a couple of other places in Flushing and Elmhurst in the past. But they are closed. So that’s why I’m on the lookout for more.

By: mrburns952

mrburns952 — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:08:04 +0000

@Steve: Torchy’s does have the best tacos. I would be in heaven if they were to move to NY.

By: joannie

joannie — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:41:37 +0000

@soupdumpling I won’t lie, I haven’t actually eaten anything distinctively Taiwanese in Flushing (probably because I very rarely go out there), but if YOU have any recommendations for me, I’ll gladly go the next time I trek out there!