Yi Pin Chinese Cuisine

Looks like there's fresh thatch up on the roof.

Yi Pin and its cold sesame noodles ($5) were profiled in the recent New York Times guide to Flushing food, so no surprise that the owner guessed my order before I even sat down. (She returned while the noodles were cooking to ask if I also wanted the thistle dumplings, likewise praised by the Times, but I had to decline; after all, I was on my way to dinner.)

Before she added the cucumber — julienned nearly as thin as the housemade noodles were thick, which greatly benefited the back-and-forth of flavors when I plucked them together from the bowl — she emerged briefly with a dipper of deep red, thick hot sauce, and seemed happy when I gestured for a healthy portion. Clearly, she disdains peanut-buttery goo on her sesame noodles, as you can tell by the bare leavings in the photo below.

Yi Pin Chinese Cuisine
40-04 Union St. (near Roosevelt Ave.), Flushing, Queens
718-939-3489

Comments

[Polecat]

Dave,
Those thistle dumplings are definitely worth a return trip. On my next visit, I'm going for the dill.
P.

[Ready Go]

The prices here are killer. I wasn't a huge fan of the sesame seed noodles (just didn't have the palette for it), but I loved the dumplings -- one dozen for $4.50! Plus the bun dumplings are fantastic (were $1, but have gone up to $1.25). Nice pics!

[John]

The restaurant is under new management. The menu consisted of only a few types of steamed buns so far. The cold sesame noodles were one of my favorite dishes in Flushing. Has the lady who managed Yi Pin moved to another location?

[Dave Cook]

Thanks for the word, John, bad news though it is. (Now I especially regret not following Polecat's lead and circling back for the thistle dumplings.) I don't know where the former owner might have moved, but I posted a query on Chowhound, and perhaps a reader there (or here) can tell us more.