Chinatown Brasserie, a finer Chinese food experience

When not in NYC there are certain things from here that I miss dearly. The subway, the holiday window displays, Times Square, and the Chinese food.

The large selection of Chinese food eateries found in this city is unlike any I have ever seen in any other American states and I have to say, I have rarely had Chinese food anywhere in the states as good as often found in this city.

I can’t explain it. I have spoken and tweeted with people from all over about this phenomenon. And it is proven that even the most random hole-in-the-wall, whether it be in Chinatown or in the Bronx, will offer the best Chinese food delights.

If you want to take your experience outside of the hole-in-the-wall and experience Chinese food with a more sophisticated flare than we recommend you try Chinatown Brasserie. The locale, decorated in grand Chinese style, feels like a large ballroom with tables giving it a roomy, airy feeling. The dark lighting and candle lit tables gave this Tribeca eatery a soft, warm glow at dinner time, while French jazz music playing in the background helps to get you settled in as you make your drink order. Of course, the music itself is known to change. On our evening there it was French jazz, but don’t be surprised to hear 80′s rock or even Pink Floyd coming through the speakers on any given night.

Chinatown Brasserie is best known for its varied selection of mouth-watering dim sum, created by Chef Joe Ng who trained in Hong Hong for years, and has prepared dim sum in many American restaurants from San Diego to Brooklyn before bringing his creations to Chinatown Brasserie.

We had a nice size table for two, and though the place was quite busy, our service was impeccable from the moment we sat down till we finished our meal. So much so, my husband is still raving about it weeks later.

In looking at the menu, it is the Chinese food we Americans have grown to love, but with just a bit something extra to make it interesting and slightly different.

As noted earlier, if you have nothing else here, you must have the Dim Sum. We ordered the Crispy Mango and Shrimp Eggroll, the Shanghai Soup Dumplings, the Shrimp Dumplings.

The “crispy” in the eggroll was unlike any crispy I have ever experienced. It melted in your mouth it was so, so good. My other absolute favorite and something I highly recommend you order are the soup dumplings. It literally is a soup, inside a dumpling, and it is insanely delicious.

As entrees we ordered the Spicy Sautéed Jumbo Shrimp with Bacon & Crispy Tofu, a decorative serving of flavorful and spicy jumbo shrimps with fried tofu served with your choice of brown or white rice.

The Sautéed Jumbo Shrimp with Coconut Curry Sauce was wonderful in that it wasn’t too overpowered by the curry. I thought the coconut in this dish was really what did it for me, just the right amount over brown rice -yum!

The only dish I tried that I did not love was the Fresh Corn & Egg Soup w/ Lobster soup. I thought it lacked flavor, and was a tad boring in comparison to the other flavorful dishes we tried that night.

It’s a pricey dining experience, but for a night out for us it was worth it. There is no comparison to its less expensive Chinese food counterparts, because the quality is just not at the same level. The food overall was very well done and a couple of times delivered a bit of that “wow” affect. Wonderful for families with older children, date nights, and events.

Reservations are highly recommended.

Chinatown Brasserie * 380 Lafayette St (between 4th St & Great Jones St) * (212) 533-7000

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Tags: Date Night, food, nyc
Posted in Good Eats | 7 Comments »