Chinatown -- little underpass betw Bowery/Elizabeth

[Simon]

i've always been intrigued by the Malaysian place and the other restaurant (also Malaysian or Hainanese?) in that little alley/underpass...

Can any recommend either of the two places and/or what to order?

[jumpingmonk]

also with yummy noodles has anyone else notcied that the broth the give you on the side when you order the hong kong type lo mein's has a funny stale fish aroma?

[pabboy]

WARNING!! Avoid Yummy Noodles at all cost!!

I used to go there all the time. One time 4 of us hit the Saturday evening crowd and had to wait by the door. We were hungry and not in the mood to chat so we just surveyed the crowd to see which tables will be finishing up. A large table next to the door had just left and the waiters decended on it. We noticed one of them picked up bowls of soup and other red roast type dishes and poured them back into the original pots at the kitchen in the front of the restaurant. She stirred it a bit and promptly scooped a bowl and served it to another table! Our jaws just dropped! My friend said to her in Catonese as she came by to scoop another bowl "That's wrong! Are you crazy? Why did you do that?"

Her reply was "Mind your own business!!"

We walked out of that place and never ever returned.

[Pan]

That's really sad. A friend of mine witnessed something similar at a restaurant in Brooklyn that I particularly liked (and which he liked, too, up till that point). I won't post its name because it would be a 2nd-hand report.

[Chandavkl]

It's well known that a lot of Chinese restaurants re-use the unused white rice from the rice pots to make fried rice. I'm OK with that since "used" white rice makes much better fried rice than freshly cooked fried rice. But this is absolutely disgusting.

[Lau]

agghhhhhh i like that place, damn it

[pabboy]

Sorry for ruining it for you Lau. I really miss those claypots myself....

[designerboy01]

The quality did go down over the years. I haven't been there for a while, but got my claypot when it first opened.

[KRS]

Phoenix Garden, at the Elizabeth Street end of the arcade, is a grubby looking place that specializes in squab. It's to die for.

[csw]

I would goto Yummy Noodles for the casserole rice. I like the minced pork with salted fish or the chinsee sausage with preserved duck casserole rice.
The malaysian restaurant has good shaved ice desserts thats great during warmer weathers. I usually order their fried rice, stir fried noodles, string beans with shrimp paste, and asparagus with belacan sauce. Their menu is long but it seems to be lacking in comparison to other malaysian restaurants.They seem to offer alot of cantonese style dishes which isnt what we want when were in a malaysian restaurant.
Coluck is like a chinese diner that tries to serve every chinese dish under the sun along with westernized rice dishes as well as sandwiches, fries, spaghetti, burger, wings and franks. Great for kids.

[Lau]

you picked my favorite dish, i love the minced pork with salted fish...reminds me of hk mmm

[Pan]

Yummy Noodle is worth going to. I like their pig's heart casserole and other casseroles with or without rice. I haven't been to New Malaysia lately but was unimpressed when I went. As many who read this forum know, I am a fan of and regular at Skyway.

[prunefeet]

Pan, what are some of your favorites at Skyway?

[wleatherette]

i'm not pan, but i love skyway so i hope it's okay to make some recs: pearl noodles, asam laksa, baby oyster omelette, crispy fried squid (the entree, not the tentacles on the app. menu), squid in special sauce, achat, and curry mee with young tau foo.

[prunefeet]

Of course you are!! I know I have my heart set on the pearl noodles. Going Saturday, can't wait. Thanks for the recs! What is young tau foo?

[Pan]

Stuffed tofu. Stuffed with fish and spicy long green peppers, usually.

[Pan]

I've covered this on threads specifically about Skyway, but I really like the place and, therefore, enjoy promoting it. So I'll recommend the seafood and fish dishes, such as Aromatic Crabs, the two jumbo shrimp dishes, and Curry Fish Head Casserole (they call it "Curry Ikan Kepala Casserole," showing their lack of knowledge of Malay, because "Ikan Kepala" means "Head Fish"!), the Satay, the noodle soups wleatherette mentioned, the Hainanese Chicken Rice, Ipoh Chicken, Nasi Lemak, Kangkung Belacan, and Pasembur, among other things.

[prunefeet]

THANKS!

[Pan]

You're welcome. I see I forgot to mention the Roti Canai and Roti Telur, which I also like at Skyway.

[prunefeet]

THanks again. I have all threads printed out in preparation!

[Simon]

Pig-heart casserole sounds good...i shall try it...

[Chandavkl]

The fried cheung fun with peanut sauce (only rice flour, no filling) at Yummy Noodle is fabulous.

[KTinNYC]

As is the wonton noodle soup. My very picky mom approves.

[Produce Addict]

Did you ever get the casserole to go? They gave it to me in the claypot which I found confusion, was this a mistake?

[csw]

No. It costs them nothing anyways. Your rice costs them pennies and the toppings are cheap. I can make the same dish at home for under a dollar.

[Pan]

I've never gotten anything to go from Yummy Noodle.

[designerboy01]

Nope no mistake. I have one at home.

[olia]

I've been to New Malaysia a couple of times and have loved it!
Great roti canai, asparagus dish in some sauce, and nasi lemak.
Also tried some others (like mango chicken) but weren't that impressed.
If you do a search you'll find more opinions on it (my next try is their noodle soups and curries)

[bob192]

The curried beef brisket soup is my fave for the last dozen years (also good over rice) and for milder tastes, the Hainanese chicken is good. My brother in law particularly likes the spicy salad, blanking on the name now. Roti canai is great.

[ChefJune]

A chinese friend of mine says there's a place down there that's "DA BOMB!" I'll have to ask her the name and report back.

[squid kun]

If it's the one closest to Elizabeth, it's a Hong Kong-style cafe called Coluck. Haven't been; keep meaning to drop in.

[Andy T.]

Coluck's primary attributes are price (very inexpensive) and availability of Western items such as curly fries, onion rings, and egg sandwiches (without crusts). Their drinks are also OK (grass jelly, ices). Do not expect an earth-shattering meal; it's really for quick cheap eats. That said, I usually go for the pork and pickled veggies on rice, or shrimp and egg on rice.

[randumbposter]

Never been to the malaysian places. At the end of the tunnel on the Bowery there's a place called yummy noodles that serves good individual rice casseroles (perfect for the cold weather). It would be a lot better if they gave you more meat inside the casserole though. The only one i remember is the meat and egg rice casserole but I'm pretty sure the other ones are good as well.

[Lau]

Yummy Noodle has great bo zai fan (claypot rice with different toppings), food is generally good there...definately recommend