Cayenne does build on you. After a dozen or so skewers of Taiwanese fried chicken — for this serving, white-meat "Legend pops" — medium spicy seems plenty spicy.
Legend Chicken
135-15 40 Rd. (Main-Prince Sts., stall 2), Flushing, Queens
516-388-6888
www.LegendChicken88.com
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This casserole of eggplant and vermicelli might never look lovely, but it shimmers with the appeal of spicy, seafood-charged XO sauce. As for the use, on a Taiwanese restaurant menu, of the Italian word "vermicelli" when reaching out to English speakers, nowadays this is de rigueur.
Other tempting dishes: string beans and bean curd; salt-and-pepper chicken; smoked duck.
OK Canaan
4318 Main St. (Cherry-Dahlia Aves.), Flushing, Queens
718-886-8844
www.Facebook.com/OKCanaanTW
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On a recent visit, for cheong fun with shrimp and egg and with roast pork, we marveled anew at the silkiness of the scratchmade noodles. Even a plain (that is, unfilled) rice roll could be a good first course in a Flushing food crawl.
H/T (from some time ago) Joe DiStefano, Chopsticks and Marrow
Joe's Steam Rice Roll
136-21 Roosevelt Ave. (Main-Union Sts., inside a mini-mall), Flushing, Queens
646-203-7380
Also inside the Canal Street Market, 265 Canal St. (Broadway-Lafayette St.), Manhattan
347-379-6961
www.Facebook.com/JoeSteamRiceRoll
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The fetchingly named tián shāo bái (甜烧白), "sweet burnt white," was also dispassionately described on the tabletop specials menu as "steamed pork with glutinous rice and red bean paste." Judging by online recipes, the platform of rice was probably prepared with brown sugar; the bean paste was sandwiched between thin slices of pork belly. The crown of granulated sugar is an option that seems to be as often omitted as observed — but for diners unfamiliar with this traditional Sichuan dish (like me), it certainly sent a signal. Pork belly for dessert, anyone?
Previous 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
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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
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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
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(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
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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
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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
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Thank you!
