Lunch Box Buffet’s New Chef Brings a Piece of Flushing to Midtown

Lunch Box Buffet
How do you go about making a place that is already pretty awesome, thanks to baked goods and 5 items for $5, even better? By making some really damn good noodle soups. We got a tip from Lunch’er “William” that Lunch Box Buffet (on 34th btw 7+8th) had hired a well-known chef from Flushing to make some of the most popular Chinese noodle soups. If it’s from Flushing it must be good right? I hope so! See what’s on the new menu after the jump.


Lunch Box Buffet

I’m really liking the new soupy noodle menu because they got few of my favorites (beef noodle, pickled cabbage & pork, snow cabbage & pork and HELLO noodles with bean sauce aka ja jiang mein.) I’ve been on a beef stew noodle kick so I decided to get that ($6.75). Along with the order you can also decide what type of noodles you want (Taiwan noodle, Shanghai noodle, udon or rice noodle), so I went with the Shanghai noodle.

If you’re dining in, the lady behind the counter will tell you to go upstairs, find a seat, and wait. Unlike some places where they will give you a number so that the person bringing you your food can easily spot you, at Lunch Box Buffet it’s best if you sit near the staircase. So that you can wave at the lady carrying a bowl of noodles (hopefully it’s yours and not somebody else’s.)

Beef stew noodle

I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t have high hopes for this bowl of noodles. But oh man, after my first bite all my worries were gone. This bowl of beef stew noodles was just simply delicious. The noodles had a great snap when I first bit into it, the chunks of beef were tender and flavorful, the soup was robust and clean (it was so good I picked up the bowl and drink all of the soup.) There was one thing I was a little disappointed about. The Chinese name for this noodle, on the menu, was “red roasted beef noodle” which meant it was suppose to be spicy but it wasn’t at all. Though few squirts of a nearby bottle of sriracha quickly remedied that.

I haven’t been back to Lunch Box Buffet/Fay Da for over a year now because I found Fuji Bakery’s lunch combo tastier. But with the new menu, I will probably make many return trips to try the rest of their new soupy noodles. If you’re looking for a little piece of Flushing in Midtown, Lunch Box Buffet’s new menu is definitely worth the try.

The + (What somebody who likes this would say)

  • Finally Flushing in Midtown!
  • I love pork and snow cabbage noodles and have never seen it outside of Chinatown.
  • I can get cheap buns and a milk tea afterwards, so convenient.

The – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

Lunch Box Buffet/Fay Da Bakery, 257 W. 34th St. (btw. 7+8th), 212-868-8881

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