Eating In Translation

Northern Wangmandoo Dumpling

The name "mandoo" (or "mandu") might bring to mind the image of thin-skinned Korean dumplings that are boiled, steamed, or pan-fried. A "wang" ("king"-sized) mandoo, by contrast, generally resembles a bun; here the English language signage calls it just that. Shown: kimchi with pork.

For the evocation of eating "inside a small dumpling factory to get an intimate look at the process while you wait," H/T Wander Sauce, whose very name suggests napkins at the ready.

Northern Wangmandoo Dumpling (aka Northern King Dumpling — Wang Mandu)
14944 Northern Blvd. (149th Pl.-150th St.), Murray Hill, Queens
718-461-8878

Yummy Tummy Asian Bistro

In the Hokkien dialects of southeastern China that are also widely spoken in Singapore, cai tow kueh (chai tau kway) can be translated to English as "carrot cake." As you might guess from the color, however, this Singaporean carrot cake contains no carrot. The menu describes the featured ingredient simply as "radish," but the more precise name is "daikon." The mild-flavored root is shredded, mixed with rice flour, steamed, and sliced into chunks, then stir-fried with egg and, in this instance, a mildly spicy sauce. Yummy Tummy prepares a version with sweet soya sauce, too; next time, I'd kick up the heat and ask for a bespoke stir-fry that's both sweet and spicy.

Yummy Tummy Asian Bistro
161-16 Northern Blvd. (near 162nd St.), Murray Hill, Queens
718-888-0220
www.Facebook.com/YummyTummy-Asian-Bistro-539131056529830

Flushing's World Fair

(No longer extant.) Korean BBQ, medicinal herbs, fresh-squeezed juices, and mysterious soups are all well-represented in the neighborhood. You'll have to look farther afield, however, for scorpion on a stick. This mural vanished sometime in 2018, perhaps in anticipation of commercial development.

Flushing's World Fair (aka Welcome to Flushing)
Lady Pink (Sandra Fabara, 2013), in collaboration with 30-some members of the community
40th Rd. entrance to the Long Island Rail Road platforms, Flushing, Queens

Flushing Ice Cream Factory

Like a Korean malted in a sugar cone: misugaru and cookies, from the Queens sibling to Chinatown Ice Cream Factory.

Flushing Ice Cream Factory
135-15 40 Rd. (Main-Prince Sts., stall 3), Flushing, Queens
718-886-2575
www.Facebook.com /FlushingIceCreamFactory

Sodam

Not quite a soufflé, but not a Korean gut bomb, either.

Lanzhou Noodle (aka Lanzhou Ramen)

The first and most famous location of this mini-chain is on the lower level of the nearby Golden Mall, opposite Tianjin Dumpling House. If a long-rumored mall-wide renovation of the Golden Mall ever does disrupt business, it's good to have backup. Shown: stir-fried noodles with cumin lamb.

Lanzhou Noodle (aka Lanzhou Ramen)
Super HK food court, stall 25
3711 Main St. (37th-38th Aves., beneath Super HK supermarket), Flushing, Queens
917-688-2219
Golden Mall location: 41-28 Main St. (at 41st Rd., lower level)
917-660-9588
New York Food Court location: 133-35 Roosevelt Ave. (Prince St.-College Point Blvd., stall 22)
917-607-9188

Mom's Kitchen

After an hour-plus of grazing, a final food-court nibble: red-bean-paste-filled sesame balls, two for a buck-fifty.

Mom's Kitchen
Super HK food court, stall 18
3711 Main St. (37th-38th Aves., beneath the Super HK supermarket), Flushing, Queens

Shaanxi Tasty Food

It's not just one long bespattered noodle, but I did lift my first nearly a foot before I cleared the lip of the bowl. At this new food court some two dozen stalls serve food from Jiangnan, Shaxian, Wenzhou, Lanzhou, Shanghai, Sichuan, and Taiwan as well as Shaanxi; these ribbonlike, chewy "oil spill" noodles were an early standout.

H/T @garsleat, who supplied word of the food court's long-awaited opening

Shaanxi Tasty Food
Super HK food court, stall 27
3711 Main St. (37th-38th Aves., beneath the Super HK supermarket), Flushing, Queens

Szechuan House

Lessons from a Sichuan lunch: Cumin, beguiling as a complement to lamb with chile pepper, was even more enticing when liberally applied to crisp-skinned, tender cubes of fried tofu. We scarfed up the leavings with torn shreds of lettuce.

Szechuan House
133-47 Roosevelt Ave. (College Point Blvd.-Prince St.), Flushing, Queens
718-762-2664

Yu Garden Dumpling House

Oft-told tale: Once upon a time, the shaggy "manes" of these oversized, Shanghai-style pork meatballs suggested the name "lion's head." Also shown (from my photo archives): a stylized fellow lion and his feline guardian.

Yu Garden Dumpling House
46-20 Kissena Blvd. (Juniper-Kalmia Aves.), Flushing, Queens
718-886-2676