Midtown Lunch

My friends Jeff and Dave told me about a new place in Chinatown serving Sichuan food AND soup dumplings. Just a few months ago, the space was occupied by the short lived “Family Bistro”. Red Kings has variety going for it, serving Shanghai, Fuzhou, Sichuan, and Thai food. It also has a very long menu and cheap cheap lunch specials. They even have a Facebook page.

Hearing that they serve juicy buns/soup dumplings/xiao long bao, there was no way I was not ordering them. A tray of 6 is $5. I could tell by looking at them that these would not be the best I have ever had. The skins weren’t droopy enough, and upon biting in to my first it was confirmed that they suffer the same affliction as those at Dim Sum Garden- just not quite soupy enough. Sakura Mandarin still reigns supreme. But really, just the very act of biting into a dumpling and getting a bit of soup makes me so happy and there is no such thing as a bad soup dumpling.

Besides the soup dumplings, a major draw was the cheap as hell lunch special, for $4.95 you get an entree with white rice and a soup (The specials are also available outside of lunch time, after 3pm, for an extra dollar). Instead of the standard hot and sour or wonton soup, I was served a plain chicken soup that had a strong and enjoyable flavor.

From the list of lunch entrees, my eyes zeroed in on pork belly, as they tend to do. I was excited that it was not only pork belly, but pork belly and taro. I enjoy the elusive substance in its many forms. The strips of pork belly were the half meat/half fat version, so if eating fat scares you, you might want to order something else. I liked the soft slices of taro, though the mealy potato texture might not be for everyone. The brown sauce was well balanced and I appreciated the addition of spinach underneath. The portion is exactly perfect for one person.

Off the regular menu, I tried more pork. The waiter suggested the Peking style spareribs ($8.95). These were just not quite right. I was not expecting them to be fried and the tangy sauce was cloying.

Don’t be fooled by the cold appetizer list. Many are not actually cold. I wanted to test out Red Kings authenticity by ordering the dan dan noodles ($5.50). These noodles with ground pork are typically spicy as hell, with some peanut and sesame flavor. I wanted to see if Red Kings was going to hit me with that Szechuan spice.

OMG peppercorn. So it turns out these Kings are not even a little afraid of making it burn. The noodles are loaded with Sichuan peppercorn. This type of burn is completely different. It feels like electric current is running through your mouth. Like if you plugged a lamp into my face, it would light up a room. I prefer more of a chili oil than peppercorn oil when it comes to my dan dan. The numbness that comes with the peppercorns dominated, and I couldn’t taste much else. This dan dan version is for the person who wants the burn over the layers of flavor.

My meal was accompanied by a lavender milk tea. I was hoping to receive something similar to the version at Yummy Yummy. Unfortunately, it was the opposite- sweet and fake tasting.

The menu is extensive and full of things that sound interesting. I wonder if I would have enjoyed other dishes more. My verdict is not out yet on whether this was a case of bad ordering or a new restaurant that doesn’t have its act perfect yet. At $4.95 for a lunch special, I still encourage exploration of the menu. Please report back on your findings.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• Your choice of Shanghai, Fuzhou, Sichuan, and Thai food
• I am a spice head, burn me please
• I am willing to try any place that serves soup dumplings
• Long list of lunch specials that are all under $5

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

• Fatty pork belly and cloying ribs
• I like my soup dumplings full of soup
• If I wanted to feel like I ate a battery, I would do it

Red Kings, 933 Race St (@ 10th St), 215 351-5388