My first encounter with this Chinatown gem was a lunch excursion with old coworkers almost 2 years ago that left me full and satisfied and singing the praises of these cheap and delicious lunch dishes.
Who knows why it’s taken me until now to get back there, maybe it’s my inability to keep up, or my capricious relationship with chinese food, or simply the fact that my future wife, and defacto dining partner, still can’t seem to grasp the concept that Pineapple Fried Rice is not quintessential Chinese fare.
Whatever the reason, a couple weeks back, after watching the rather innane New York, I Love You, I get up off the couch and in a very Obama-esque manner (minus the professoral condescension) proclaimed, “This Friday we’re going to Big Wong.” I received no objection from my lady which makes me wonder if assertiveness may actually work.
Regardless, Das Ubereater has spoken.
5 days later, there we stood on a balmy Friday night, beneath Big Wong’s iconic, carnival-like yellow and red sign, half-way down Mott Street just south of Canal St, on what is arguably one of the filthiest, grimiest patches of urbana in all of the 5 boroughs. And we were in awe. At least I was, Meghan had already gone inside.
Big Wong’s interior is as breathtakingly mundane as its exquisitely Chinatown-ish exterior, profusely oozing nostalgia from every crack and crevass in its form, a condition that clearly stems from a blatant disregard for any sort of renovation or cosmetic upkeep. The aesthetics are only enhanced by the duo of wild men with cleavers chopping and dicing various meats at lose-a-finger speed behind an eye-level curtain of burnt-orange ducks that are thankfully protected by a glass window. This is all to your left as you enter the room. Dinner – as they say – is served.
As soon as you’re in Big Wong, you’re sitting. This restaurant is nothing short of a well-oiled machine that in its 30 year-history, has perfected the art of getting patrons in and out the door, give or a take a few unintelligible utterances in Mandarin or Cantonese. Two rows of tables line each side of the wood-paneled dining room that harks back to the olden days of Chinese food when Shrimp Toast ruled and Pu Pu Platters were the talk of the town. Down the middle of the narrow room runs the the open aisle that is the main thoroughfare used by a visibly disgruntled clan of servers in order to scurry between the front and back of the house, filling orders and delivering food all while barking at one another in various Chinese tongues. Whether they’re plotting to devalue the US Dollar through a mass debt dump, or asking for more water pitchers, either way it’s frightening – and exciting at the same time.
The atmosphere is pretty hectic, even when it’s not busy, as within seconds of stepping through the door, you’re (barely) greeted, promptly seated, and presented with all pertinent menus necessary for ordering – a process after which your server anxiously stands over you as you plan your meal. There’s an inherent expectation that you know what you want before you come to Big Wong, which might be unsettling for some, yet seems to make sense in some ways. When you think about it, why shouldn’t you?
We stuck to the program and ordered what I had come for – Pork over Rice (bottom left), and Duck over Rice (bottom right). Both the Pork and Duck preparations are served room temperature and as you would expect - over rice. Nothing wild here - the pork consists of boneless glazed encrusted slivers of tender pork atop a lukewarm pile of white rice. Again, not extravagant, but satisfying and filling through straightforward simplicity. The duck, though less plentiful and a bit more difficult to eat because of bones, is definitely more succulent and rich. Fans of traditional peking duck will probably prefer the pork at Big Wong, but for less than $6 bucks each, either plate is a win-win situation on my end.
Mixing things up a bit, the Shrimp and Pork Dumplings (Bottom left) were perfectly cooked, and slapped with a sweet oyster sauce that was incredible. My only complaint here is that there wasn't enough of it. But the vegetables (Bottom right), oh the vegetables, are really what turned me on to Big Wong. For a few bucks, you can order a side of "vegetables", though they say it could be anything, I've only ever gotten crunchy, crispy leafy greens doused in more of that sweet oyster sauce that would make a construction boot taste good. I'm ashamed to say I'm not sure exactly what type of greens they are, but next time I'll ask, I know they'll be dying to explain it to me.
Seeing that all of this food wasn't enough, I was feeling good and figured why not toss in a nice big burly bowl of Pork Dumpling Congee. This classic Chinese savory porridge is something I've come to really enjoy, and Big Wong's hits the spot. Large globes of boiled balls of ground pork wade stealthily in a vast pond of thin, soupy, opaque porridge. I was full by the time I got to the congee, but I made sure I left no "pork ball" unturned.
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