Kings Co Imperial In Williamsburg Delivers Delicious Homemade Dumplings And Chinese Dishes

Nestled in a hip neighborhood in East Williamsburg, Kings Co Imperial serves Modern Chinese cuisine with regional influence.

Soup Dumplings

The Soup Dumplings at Kings Co Imperial are so popular that it’s not even on the menu. You have to be “in-the-know” to order these limited quantity (only 30 servings each night!) menu item. The chewy dumpling skins are filled with juicy soup and pork meat.

Dan Dan Mian

The chewy egg noodles are mixed in spicy chili oil and topped with scallions, minced pork, ground peanuts, and Sichuan pepper. If you are a fan of spicy dishes, you will certainly love the Dan Dan Mian.

Crispy White Radish Cake

The radish cake, made with white radish, Lap Chong sausage, and rock shrimp, has perfectly crispy exterior. The cakes are topped with sweet soy glaze sauce and scallions.

Tea Smoked Mu Shu Duck

Served with warm homemade pancakes, the Tea-Smoked Mu Shu duck includes julienne vegetables like red pepper, onions, carrots, and scallions along with tofu, mushroom, and savory duck.                        

All The Divine (Crispy) Items You Must Try At Vandal In NYC

Inspired by Chef Chris Santo’s travel around the world, the exquisite menu at Vandal - the hippest new restaurant located on Bowery Street in New York City - highlights the eclectic cuisine of global street culture from New York to Korea to Italy and beyond.

1. Crab Tostadas

On top of crispy plantain chip is a generous lump of crab meat, fresh mango salsa, and aioli with a dash of pepper flakes and micro greens.

2. Sticky Rice Dumplings

These piping hot, fried dumplings are made with sticky rice for the much desired chewy texture on the inside and crispy outside, and filled with juicy char siu pork over a bed of sweet red chile oil.

3. BLT Pizza

A twist on everyone’s favorite sandwiches, the BLT Pizza features charred broccoli, crispy prosciutto, and fresh mozzarella atop thin and crispy pizza dough.

4. Crispy Bao Buns

These magical, fried buns are crispy and buttery, and packed with tender brisket and creamy Asian slaw for the perfect balance of eclectic flavor profile.

5. Crispy Eggplant

While the Crispy Eggplant only appears in the “Extras” section on the menu, this eggplant dish is perhaps the best eggplant I have ever tried. The miso-glazed exterior is charred to perfection for the crispy texture, while the inside is soft and moist to highlight the essence of the vegetable.

6. Two Pound Whole Lobster Scampi

Sure, this lobster dish lacked the “crispy” texture, but the massive, two pound lobster is stuffed with creamy garlic rice pilaf with spinach. The generous amount of lobster meat packs buttery, rich flavors.

7. Matcha Lemon Semifreddo

Perfect for sharing, this dessert features a scoop of semi-frozen green tea custard over blueberry compote, and topped with crispy, zesty candied lemon.

8. Vandal S’Mores

The deconstructed s’mores at Vandal includes moist, rich brownie topped with fluffy marshmallow meringue, with a scoop of graham cracker ice cream sitting on top of crispy, thin chocolate “spoon.”

Best Bites At The Stanton Social, One Of The Trendiest Restaurants In NYC

A collaboration by one of NY’s hottest team of restaurant creators, The Stanton Social offers a unique menu that features shareable dishes full of flavors.

1. French Onion Soup Dumplings

A fusion of soup dumplings and French onion, this signature dish is heaven in your mouth. Dumplings are topped with generous amount of cheese. Use the toothpick to pick them up and dunk in your mouth.

2. Potato & Goat Cheese Pierogies

Crispy, pan-fried pierogies stuffed with potato and goat cheese and topped with caramelized onions. Dip them in truffle creme fraiche served on the side for additional flavor.

3. Beef & Broccoli

This dish has a wide range of textures and flavor profiles, from the crispy sticky rice cake to the creamy broccoli puree to the savory braised short rib.

4. Maine Lobster & Squid Ink Tagliatelle Pasta

Generous amount of Maine lobster, coupled with juicy cherry tomatoes and wild mushrooms in creamy lobster Riesling broth. The squid ink tagliatelle pasta is cooked perfectly al dante.

5. Warm Doughnuts

Straight-out-of-the-fryer, warm fluffy doughnuts with powdered cinnamon sugar. Have your pick at three dipping sauces, ranging from caramel to chocolate and berry.

Authentic, Home-Style Chinese Cuisine At Fang Restaurant In San Francisco

Forget typical Chinese American entrees like General Tso’s chicken, Mongolian beef, or sweet and sour pork when you dine at Fang Restaurant. This eponymous, family-owned and operated restaurant highlights authentic yet experimental Chinese cuisine sourced from seasonal, local ingredients.

White River Soup

An interesting fusion of complexity and delicacy, the hearty White River Soup includes a whole fried fish simmered with aromatics, tofu puff, pork wontons, vermiciili, julienne scallions, and ginger. All the ingredients in the dish bring out the rich, intense flavors to the creamy, white broth. I would have personally preferred the fish to be steamed rather than fried. The big, chunky pieces of wontons have the perfectly chewy skin with juicy meat inside.

Fang’s Crispy Honey Chili Shortribs

One of Fang’s signature dish is the Crispy Honey Chili Shortrib. Served as a skewer, the tender, fall-off-the-bone shortrib is lightly fried on the outside with sprinkles of black sesame seeds and cilantro. Both the spicy chili oil and the sweet soy sauce accentuate the flavor of the dish.

Five Spice Whitefish

While the identify of the mysterious “whitefish” used in the Five Spice Whitefish remains a mystery (halibut? tilapia? cod?), this delectable dish of moist fish filet with caramelized red onions and spinach is a must. The tender fish seasoned with salt and pepper goes well with the vegetables, which provides a nice mix to the texture. dish heightens your senses with The dish is a bit salty so be sure to get a bowl of white rice on the side to balance out the palate.

Crabmeat Soup Dumplings at Joe's Shanghai in Midtown NYC

While spending the summer in New York City, my roommate and I ventured into the city quite often to sample its diverse ethnic cuisine. One of my favorite places was Joe's Shanghai, a popular Chinese restaurant that has opened a total of three chains throughout NYC since opening its door in Chinatown.

Joe's Shanghai is popular for its soup dumplings. For light lunch, we decided to share a serving of crab meat soup dumplings. We were considering going to the original, Chinatown location, but since we were already in midtown, we decided to go to the closer location on 56th St. and also to save taxi fare.

I sort of wished we had gone to the original location because I don't think the dumplings tasted as good. Further, we only got 6 dumplings, as opposed to 8, and paid more for it at midtown than at the Chinatown location!

Eating soup dumpling is an acquired skill. You first have to bite into the outer layer to make a small hole so that you don't burn your mouth. Once the juice seeps out on to the spoon, you can drink it and bite into the crab meat interior.

The peel was a bit thicker than I would have liked. I thought the crabmeat dumpling had nice seafood flavor, though I would have appreciate richer taste.

The dumplings weren't super greasy. I wonder the proportion of meat vs crabmeat vs shit...Haha

New York City's Chinatown Adventure

To continue the theme of ridiculously cheap food in New York City (See post on takoyaki Japanese snacks), my friend and I decided to go to the quintessential place for all things cheap: Chinatown. This was meant to be a culinary adventure through Chinatown, so instead of settling on one eatery/restaurant, we decided to hit a couple spots that are known for their Chinese delicacies.

The first spot we visited was Prosperity Dumpling, a tiny hole in the wall famous for its dumplings (as the name suggests). Most people had dumplings to-go because the place was tiny. There were about eight stools with a tiny table sticking out against the wall. My friend ordered Chives and Pork Fried Dumplings (5 for $1). The dumplings looked too greasy so I didn't try them.

She also ordered Chives and Pork Boiled Dumplings (10 for $2). The skin of the dumplings were a bit too thick, and I am not sure if the content inside was actually pork.

We split the Vegetable and Shrimp Dumplings (10 for $3.50), which were slightly more expensive. These dumplings may look small, but they are packed tightly so I got full really quickly.

The vegetable and shrimp dumplings surprisingly had a big shrimp inside. These weren't as juicy as the pork dumplings, but I much preferred them nonetheless.

I would say the ratio between the chive and the shrimp was 1:1. Quite impressed! I would definitely order this again. Also $3.50 for a filling meal in NYC is such a bargain.



After the dumpling appetizer from Prosperity, we walked a couple blocks to Joe's Shanghai, which is famous for its xiaolongbao, or soup dumplings. There was a long line of people waiting outside, so it took about 45 minutes to get a table for four. Joe's Shanghai has already established some fame in the city, having been recognized by New York Times Restaurant Guide, Gourmet Magazine, and Zagat Survey. Without hesitation, we ordered two orders of Pork Steamed Buns (8 for $4.95), which were served in a wooden bamboo steamer over a bed of cabbage.





This was actually my first time trying proper xiaolongbaos. The key to eating these are to place them on a soup spoon and make a small hole with your teeth to suck out the juices, and then eat the skin with the meat inside. You have to be careful not to burn your tongue. The dumplings were juicy and savory.

In addition to the soup dumplings, we ordered Fried Rice Cake with Beef ($7.95). I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered this dish, but it was very similar to the Korean glutinous rice cake and beef in slightly sweet soy sauce, sauteed with cabbages, onions, and spinach.

I would definitely order this dish again. In fact, I preferred the rice cake to the soup dumplings, the latter of which the restaurant is famous for. The rice cakes were chewy, while the beef was tender. My friends and I were quite stuffed after Joe's Shanghai that we decided to skip our third stop, a noodle place. Until next time!