Golden Szechuan

[designerboy01]

On my To Do eat list for today was to hit Golden Monkey. I was a little skeptical about going since I didn't hear much about this restaurant for a long time. I went with a friend and told him if the restaurant is empty we aren't going to go in. To our surpise the place was packed and it was a weekday. Its a really ghetto Chinese place. They got private rooms but its not like Jade Asian. To our surprise they got an English menu and a small menu written in Chinese on the wall. I was able to communicate with the waiter who spoke both Mandarin and Cantonese. I think he can speak a little English but I know its a barrier for him. I just asked him what the restaurant's best dishes were and he recommend the spiced lamb and the fillet fish in ma la sauce. I need veggies so we got the Pea Leaves in garlic sauce. They weren't anything exotic for us but the quality and portion size were terrrific and my friend said this was great food. We were pretty happy campers and the bill came out to be a little under $50 with four bowls of rice, drinks, and a plastic bag of leftovers. This one is a repeater for me and it has the possibility of being a winner for Szechuan.

FYI, the sign outside still says Golden Monkey

Golden Szechuan
133-47 Roosevelt Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
718.762.2664

1 hour free parking at Flushing Mall on 39 Avenue

[designerboy01]

I went back today today for lunch. I almost got the Peking Noodles which really zha jiang mian, but the waiter who remembered me from the first told me that the Hot and Sour Noodles were more spicier and I was the mood to numb my tounge. It was pretty good and the portions were large. They didn't use the mushy kind of wheat noodles which I was really happy. There were pieces of chicken and I also ordered the Hot and Sour Tofu with peanuts (on the whiteboard). I realized I made the mistake of ordering the same sauce after I put the order in, so I made the best out of it by mixing the tofu into my noodles. I It was a pretty large bowl with sliced chicken with hot and sour sauce. The noodles weren't the mushy wheat ones and they were good. It was pretty satisfying and this place is going to require a dinner with a large group of friends.

The old waiter is Cantonese but he told me the Chef is from Szechuan. If I recall, I think he said the place has been around for about 20 years and they use to partner with some other owners when it was called Golden Monkey but they split and they are now called Golden Szechuan.

[Lau]

interesting...were the hot and sour noodles served cold? there is this taiwanese place in LA that serves northern / taiwanese food and they have this cold hot and sour noodle that is awesome (u can get it hot, but its better cold)

[designerboy01]

It was hot. My mouth is still a little numb from lunch.

[Brian S]

This brings back memories. I first went to Golden Monkey in 1995, and it was the best Sichuan food I'd ever tasted in New York. I went time and again, even dragged my Dad there. I pass it every time I go to Little Pepper and I've always wondered. So thanks for posting this!

Here is the Times review of Golden Monkey that got me to go there:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage...

[designerboy01]

Brian S, it was because of the article you posted that got me curious to try that place. I walked by it probably gazillions of times but paid no attention to it.

I didn't see any fusion dishes on the menu. I did see a sprinkle of Cantonese dishes and maybe one dish that had the word Taiwanese in it.
I think this owner was one of the original owners as Golden Monkey. Its a great place and I would probably stick with the Szechuan dishes, unless the owner gives a dish his vote.

[dnc300]

I'll start with the disclaimers that my friend and I went to Golden Szechuan around 10:30 p.m., an hour before they closed, and that we ordered food for take-out. . . Maybe we mis-ordered, maybe the cooks were in a hurry to go home, maybe my taste for delicious food has been skewed by Szechuan Gourmet and Little Pepper. . . but I was really disappointed with our meal. We got braised beef with tofu, Szechuan style chicken, and the cold bamboo shoot appetizer. The beef had a nice fragrance of what seemed to be a mix of star anise and garlic, but it had no heat (the waiter assured us that it would be "very spicy") and the sauce had a gross slimy texture. The chicken was also really mild - barely a hint of Szechuan peppercorn, and itself had a strange gummy texture. There were both pickled and fresh peppers in the dish, which tasted ok, but were weirdly listless and limp in texture. The bamboo shoots were the most edible dish - tender, with a generous splash of chili oil, but I kept getting a hint of metallic taste, presumably from the can. I don't know if I'll be going back here anytime soon as long as that cute little cartoon pepper at Little Pepper beckons from a few doors down.

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Golden Szechuan
133-47 Roosevelt Ave, Queens, NY 11354