Okay, I concur with those in love with this place
Friday, March 17, 2006
This branch trumps the 56th St branch handily. The thing about the soup dumplings that makes it spectacular are the delicacy of the skin and amount of soup contained within. Everywhere else, it's always a dried out bundle of dough with little soup or meat. Other Shanghainese must-haves are the Lion's Head, Tofu with Crabmeat Sauce and Eel with Yellow Chives. I'm not thrilled about the Noodles with Spicy Sauce (Jar Jiang Mien) and the Potstickers (Guo Tie) are just okay (I've had better elsewhere). Service is rather abrupt if you don't speak the language and you get lumped with strangers. Plus sometimes their cleanup of previous diners' detritus isn't as good as I'd like. Best trick is to either dine before 5pm or after 10pm to avoid the crowds as much as possible. But what the heck. You're here for the dumplings, not the promptness, service or ambiance, right?
Pros: Soup dumplings, Eel with Yellow Chive, Lion's Head
Cons: Long wait, Service , Cleanup