Gala Manor

One of my favorite parts of this Gala Manor, especially when bringing guests, is the option of entering through the almost empty mall, going up in the elevator, and having the elevator open up to the restaurant. I usually arrive after the dim sum rush, around 1 and have never had to wait. The dim sum here is great, if you know what do order. There is one dumpling that seems to be stuffed with frozen corn and peas, so avoid that one.The leek dumplings, shu mai, har gaw, shrimp wrapper things, congee, fried calamari, are delicious. They once served seashell stuffed with an egg seafood mix- different and amazing. Occasionally the dishes won't be hot enough (like the fried calamari w sesame (which happens to be one of my favorite dim sum dishes/favorite preparation of calamari[or is it octopus?]))- sometimes you can ask to get a fresh plate of it... if anyone can understand you.

Also they do actually have several private parking lots- just look for the signs. This is extremely convenient when driving into Flushing.



3702 Main St

Joe's Shanghai

This restaurant will always have a place in my heart. I started going here for soup dumplings when I was about 7 and developed a huge crush on a waiter who later became manager and consistently gave my family free meals, Chinese New Year gifts, and birthday presents. When most kids were having their pottery making birthday parties, I brought my chopstick ignorant friends here. The soup dumplings are unparalleled. But you will burn your mouth on them.
Know how to eat them properly (as the hot waiter taught me: put one on your spoon, bite a little hole, let it cool a bit, slurp the soup, eat the thing) or you will look dumb.
The pan fried noodles are also stellar. Although simple, they prepare bok choy very well.

13621 37th Ave

Flava Cake Stand

Flava flave...This tiny food stand doesn't look like much, but for $1 you get a package of freshly made Flava Cakes. These are tiny, airy cakes reminiscent of sponge cake. The taste and texture is strangely comforting. You should eat them while they are hot.


Main St and 38th Ave

Flushing Mall

I love the Flushing Mall. You can spend hours here. Its clearly not a typical mall and its not really a place to do heavy shopping. If you are Asian, you can come here and enjoy things you may be used to, all wrapped up in one location- if you are a whitey, like me, its an adventureland of wonderment and deliciousness.

Shopping: There are about 2 cute clothing shops on the ground level that on occasion have amazing sales. Granted, 88% of the sale items are shiteous, but if you dig, you can find some great one- of -a- kind steals. Also it helps if you are smaller sized. There is an adorable store on the second level that sells novelty items like tissue box holders in the shape of anime poop.

Activities: There are some holistic ways to pass the time here. Tiny store fronts offer massages beds or actual massages in the sketchiest of settings. I tried cupping for 15 minutes, which was $15. If you are brave enough and into painful back massages, like myself, you may want to check it out. Voice your opinion if it gets too hard, I made the mistake of not doing this and it was pretty painful; the giant round hickys on my back will most likely be there a week from now. I surprisingly don't regret it though. I do warn you in advance - this is not a spa experience.

Food: This is the main draw. Fattytastic hand drawn duck noodle soup for $5, and you can actually watch the noodles being made. Fresh fruit shakes and juices. Homemade dumplings- I recommend pork and leek. Its just a blur of cheap yummy greasy food. At one stand they make a salt and pepper squid that is amazing and under $4. You can get tokayaki- which are good but they are not consistently great. Dumanjoo is kinda pricey for how many you get- ask for a sample of a damaged one instead. Next to it is a stand with popped rice cakes like the ones from Stew Leonard's that are worth picking up, they give you a good deal for 3 packs.


133-31 39th Ave

Corner 28 Peking Duck Sandwich Stall

If you are in Flushing and can find the place on the corner, it is worth it to pick a few up- they are also still tasty when you get home. The duck itself is crispy and full of flavor and the (hoisin?) sauce and pancake wrapper go perfectly. Its simply standard delicious peking duck preperation, as you would expect in any restaurant, but in affordable portions. And street food is always more fun! Prices were 75 cents back in the day but they are 1 dolla now.

Next door I got a serving of tasty pork rice noodle for $1.50 that they made fresh as we were waiting. They are now also doing random skewers. We tried the squid skewer, which was rather terrifying in appearance, decent in flavor- would not get it again unless attempting to freak out friends. Inside the is a restaurant that we have not frequented though there is an additional line to pick up portions of roasted items, like pork.


Main Street and 40th Road

Golden Mall: A recap of our first adventure

First there was buzz on http://chow.com and I knew I had to get there, then in the Village Voice, and by the time it got in the New York Times I had to head over before things got tainted, gringofied, or had a red hook or DOH situation and got shut down completely.
It was a family outing to the Golden Mall and we were so pumped for an adventure. Down the stairs and into a maze of food stalls we went, nary a white person in sight.
The first stall we went to was number 36, Xi'an snacks for the cold noodles and lamb burger. Articles about this stall mentioned the Muslim influence in this province of China that definitely shows itself in the food. Specifically, the cumin in the lamb burgers is a hint at this fusion. These ground lamb sandwiches are spicy and flavorful and really cheap. As much as the lamb makes this trip worth taking- the liang pi cold noodles are incredibly addicting with a unique flavor coming from the chili oil and special vinegar. The texture of the noodles is also great. Its really saucy and messy; its hard not to make a mess.
Next door to this stall on the right is a stand that I do not believe has a number (I asked a lady working there what number stall it was for identification purposes and she proceeded to write down her cell phone number for me)
You can watch the different steps in their dumpling making process- there is one gappy toothed guy who stuffs the dumplings and is so smiley you can't help but smile back. So these dumplings are 8 for $2 and stuffed with pork and chives. They are damn good. Put some chili oil and hot sauce from the tables and they are perfection. On another trip there I bought a frozen pack of 60 for $10, I am sure I will love them.
A good thing to know is that there is a dude who sells beer outside the mall. A lot of these spicy foods go perfectly with a cold beer. And there is no problem with drinking in the stalls, many do that anyway.
Since it was a hot summer day we skipped a lot of the delicious looking hot pot or homemade noodles soup stalls.
We got the dan dan noodles at the Chengdu Heaven stalls- the first one on your left when you walk in. The noodles had quite a kick and a great flavor. My parents ventured to eat the mixed meat cold salad, but it was a little too offaly for me. The people at this stall really do not speak English at all. http://Chow.com recommended bringing a Spicy & Tasty menu to the stall to show them what you want.
Back outside the mall and a few doors down is another smaller mall with food stalls. One stall serves bing (savory stuffed fried thing) and giant dumpling things that are convenient, cheap, and great tasting.
So, in conclusion, its a great adventure and food experience. We are now regulars. The liang pi noodles in particular rocked my world, the to-go version comes with the sauce separate to avoid sogginess. I am a big Flushing fan and would recommend to anyone to take the trek over there.


41-28 Main Street

Caracas Arepa Bar

I was so pumped to finally check this place out. The host was good about putting our names down and predicting when we should come back- 30 minutes, which was fine- we grabbed a drink down the street at Cafe 81 and came back just in time. I suggest having a back-up plan of somewhere to go while you wait. Started with the yoyos which I do not recommend. Our group decided they taste like cinnamon raisin bagels. Since we already ate tapas before we shared the La Guayanesa 5.75, La de Pernil 6.25, La Sureña 7. We purposely avoided anything with jalapenos due to the salmonella scare at the time... All were really delicious little bites. The meat in the pernil arepa was so tasty and tender. Yummmmm can't wait to go back, but the waiting is a hassle.


93 1/2 E 7th St