Queens Crossing "Mulan" Restaurant?

[ZenFoodist]

Any thoughts on either of the two second floor restaurants in the new Queens Crossing building in downtown Flushing? One of my high school students just finsihed waxing poetic about the fantastic purple (!!!) xiaolongbao she had with her family at Mulan today. According to her, they had shredded meat inside and a fantastic broth. "Unorthodox soup buns" she teased using one of her newly acquired SAT words... Mulan is supposedly billed as nouveau, upscale Chinese, and the other place, Ahrisoo (sp?) is a Japanese-Korean fusion place. The interior of Mulan is supposedly really beautiful.

I haven't checked either out yet, but am curious about the BBQ place that is still unopen but going to be on the ground floor. Does anyone know of any other restaurant plans for the building?

All Good Things,
lisa

[nupace]

the best place to especially lunch
what can you get at aout 15.00 for 4 course
at the high end high scale resturant,

I recommend this best place at Flushing,
if you go to lunch one time,
you will go back again and again

[bigjeff]

peeked into both of these restaurants today, as well as a short tour of queens crossing on a very busy father's day, mulan was packed and looking very sleekm columns of water and wine bottle decor all over the place. did not have a chance to look at the menu however. ah rhee soo is the korean-japanese fusion place but it appeared to be all smaller rooms, although I couldn't tell. a friend of mine was having a big meal there tonight so I'll get the review from her. rose house, the tea parlor a half-floor below these two, looked really nice as well, supposedly a chain from asia (china) and a combination of english afternoon/high tea service, with asian teas. the decor looked like . . . vintage fusion, very cool actually. there is a mini-food court with some distinctive brands I've never seen, also looked like there is a branch of the practically universally panned Paris Baguette in chinatown (bad bad banh mi but fresh baguettes). but the food court looked unfinished. this is all in great contrast to the humble offerings at the Flushing Food Court (still going strong) and of course, to the "real" food courts at golden mall, etc. flushing is changing!

[izy]

I went to my friend's birthday dinner last Sat at Mulan restaurant in Flushing; only because my friends wanted to try it. All of us were disappointed. Besides the modern decor, nothing was measured up to the price they charged.
The hot appetizer was cold in the middle. The seasonal priced lobster was not fresh. One of the "Chef's Specialties", XO Sea Clam, was not special at all. I couldn't even taste the XO sauce. The "Lion head" meat ball was too sweet. I had much better food in a more reasonably priced Chinese restaurants.
The service was ridiculous. They were not rude or anything but it was a bit too attentive. There were different waiters coming to serve us. Some could not even understand what "Iced Tea" was and they told us that they do not serve iced drinks!
We brought in a birthday cake as a surprise to our birthday friends. In any other restaurants that I had been to, the server of the table would know better that we did not need to order dessert and they should just bring out the cake. But it was a chaos in this restaurant to get the cake out. When we ordered coffee, one of the waiters said to us "It is a $4 coffee!" in Chinese; as if we were crazy to order such expansive coffee. We were basically shocked at his response.
This restaurant needs a lot more improvements in both food and service before I would ever go back again.

[spanishfish]

Just went to Mulan for Brunch. Excellent service, actually a bit over-attentive. It wasn't very busy, and we had about 6 different wait staff at our table. The design of the space (and the bathrooms) was nice and being an architect myself, that is important.

Unfortunately, the food was the most bland food I've had in a long time. The portions would have been perfectly fine if the food actually had any taste to it. I will NOT be going here ever again. Next time, we'll check out Ah Rhee Soo. I hope their food has some spice and flavor.

[Good eating]

i just went to this restaurant this passed wensday for dinner. we got a table for 7 around 7pm. The restaurant is really beautiful but that's as far as it goes...the food...
ah well....i guess because i'm a chef myself so i'm a little more....picky i guess
food wasn't all that impressive...the price point isn't high for flushing but the portion of the food was way too small..especially in chinese cuisine it's all about family style and sharing the food. the worse part was the dessert..oh my god...we ordered 6 different dessert but only 2 came the other 4....well....after half and hour who cares....not a manager even touch the table and we waited another 20 mins for the check....overall experience....terrible....i wouldn't go back again

[Anonymous_]

I don't know but I think I been to Mulan Restaurant in Queens. I went there to eat with my parent's friend and when I first enter,I was like "WOW!" It was very high class as in only for rich people could offord it but really, it is cheap. The bathroom was very nice too.
I'm not really sure about your Mulan Restaurant because I didn't see any xiaolongbao on the menu(unless your friend ask if they had xiaolongbao.)Anyway, I recommend Mulan to everybody.I don't really know where the exact location is but it is in Flushing and kind of near Old Navy.

[chefjellynow]

went today to mulan in queens crossing. very upscale. special elevated room with 10 tables in the middle of the restaurant, had flowing water as all 4 walls heh pretty cool. best part about this place is thier $10 lunch prix fixe. i had a crispy calamari app and short rib meatballs as entree. very detail oriented food. all custom plates and china in weird sizes and shapes. i highly recc. the dessert menu, all $4 and over the top in detail. i had the molton chocolate cake with bubble tea ice cream hehe. all for $16.50
next time i will try dinner or just tea and desserts some night and definatly get dressed up

[UltraC97]

I went to Mulan on Sunday 3/2 and they did not have any purple xiaolongbao so I don't know what you're referring to. The decor was really something else, very modern and sleek. The mahagony wood floors and the cream colored leather chairs were a nice touch. They even have a wine list and can serve cocktails. The food was pretty good, we had the pepper steak with wasabi mashed potatoes and pork belly. The curry fried rice was really spicy! I will have to go back for dinner and try again.

[donnywarchild]

I had lunch today with my friend at the korean place. It was pretty much a waste of time.
My friend is a architect and a interior designer, and i work for a interior design and construction firm. So the enviroment seemed rather contrived and brutish to us. The decor is not particularly interesting or beautiful to look at. But it must be considered a massive upgrade for Flushing.
The menu was very long, Its not a fusion menu at all. Pretty standard of most Large Korean restaurants in Flushing such as KumGang San. They had a bar menu that seemed more experimental. But we decided ordered standard korean fairs not taking a chance with the sushi and sashimi selections. We ordered their special Gingsen Kalbi. and Pork Belly. Some seafood pancake and other appetizers. Overall the food was not bad(my friend didnt like it at all) Pork belly was 3 thick slabs sprinkled with coarse salt. The meat looked very nicely marbled but didnt taste very porky. The Kalbi dish came in a pot with marinade and some vegitables. It was tender and slightly too sweet. Note that they do not have charcoal for the bbq. its done on a gas burner and they have a discreet but effective vent which comes out from the bottom of the table. I asked for some lettuce to wrap my bbq in, and was told they dont have any. Also missing are the grilled mackeral and steamed egg custard which are my favorite parts of the meal and standard korean side dish in flushing korean joints. The bill was no more expensive then usual.
Over all, the restaurant looks pretty nice, taste decent, and at lunch time(2pm) on Saturday,they had more wait staff then patrons. I will probabaly return again at some point just for the heck of it.

On another note: we checked out a tea place called Rose home which have a english tea service and sell tea and tea ware. We didnt get to have tea there but it seems very popular. The decor is a little more authentic and things smell very good. Thats gonna to for tomorrow I think.
We had some desert at JoJo cafe in the same plaza. They have gelato, frozen yogurt, and food. desert was very mediocre, and gelato is fairly good. At least its the only place that have gelato on mainstreet if i am not wrong. They also have a expresso machine there and its cheaper then starbucks.
On our way back to the car, we watched a lady clean the golden mice statue carefully with a brush, the gold foil is starting to chip off around the top...
Tonight i think i will try Mulan. the other place in the plaza. I doubt it will be very good but i hope i am proven wrong.Flushing is really my favorite neighborhood in new york, I wish there are more high end dining establishments here. the restaurants at Queens Crossing is a step up, but I think we still have a long way to go here in flushing.

[ZenFoodist]

Thanks for your report. I've heard the same about the Korean place. My Chinses-American students were not very impressed, and my Korean kids basically don't cross Union Street so none have tried it. I'm curious about Mulan because I'd like to host a very large party at a Chinese restaurant in downtown Flushing, and although ambiance is is very low on my needs scale, there will be quite a few people who are *quite* into aesthetics to say the least. A brand spanking new Chinese place with better than average decor is a large draw for this particular crowd. I'll get there soon enough. Today I was too busy eating pretzel croissants in NYC at City Bakery and tomorrow evening I'll be at Babbo. Woe is me....:)

All Good Things,
lisa

[donnywarchild]

I didn't end up at Mulan on Saturday, just wasn't going to have another unsensational meal after my unsensational lunch. I am thinking I will do lunch there and scout out the menu for you this Sunday if it isnt too late. Chinese dining is pretty low on ambience everywhere. I'd say that the Sichuan Gourmet on 37th and corner 28's upstairs dining room can be sort of ok for parties. but then the food at corner 28 leaves something to be desired......

[Lau]

try ocean jewel, its reasonably nice and they do have private rooms....food is excellent

[ramen girl]

Can you post more info on the location of the restaurant.I also want to write i really enjoy your post of the going on in Bayside,Flushing area.

[ZenFoodist]

Thanks, Ramen Girl :)

Queens Crossing is the new skyscraper on 39th Avenue and Main Street. It's beautiful. At the moment there is a golden sculpture of a Rat outside the 39th Avenue side of the building to commemorate the lunar year. Apparently the two restaurants I described in the initial post are on the second floor accessible by elevator. If you go, please report back!

[ZenFoodist]

Got a call last night from another student who is actually long graduated from my classes and presently far away from the Flushing Food Scene at Williams College. As soon as I picked up, she shrieked into the phone "I just had a purple xiaolongbao and thought of you!" How well do these kids know me??? Anyway, I take it as a divine sign that I must go exploring. Not sure it can be this weekend as my husband surprised me with a reservation at Babbo and I feel the need to "go light" in anticpation, but very soon. I hope someone beats me to it... I am curious about an upscale, brand new, aesthetically-pleasing Flushing spot with excellent food. Sounds like a cool party venue for our less "gritty" friends, if it's not too good to be true...

All Good Things,
lisa antinore