Chinatown: Hua Ji's Pork Chop
My first excursion into Chinatown with the Chinatown Chowdown app took me to a scaffolded building at the end of Allen Street. I walked past a crowd of people sitting on the sidewalk waiting for one of those cheap fare buses and knew that I'd never have thought to stop here without a proper guide.
Inside, the space is pretty tight, with a couple seats along the wall and window and an counter to order from. The menu is pretty basic, with only a few options on display, but it's all besides the point because the star here is the Taiwanese pork chop.
The pork chop here is of the same style that Bian Dang (fka NY Cravings) serves up in Midtown. It's covered in sauce that coats the chop without being too sticky or cloying. The runoff adds a perfect flavoring to the white rice underneath.The chop is a good size and for $5, the meal was already a good value.
Then one of the folks came out from the kitchen to offer one more thing: a small container of broth with shredded bits of chicken (I think) and chunks of sweet potato. It was a nice touch.
So, Chinatown excursion number one was a success. I think I'll look for some something Vietnamese for my next time down there.
Hua Ji, 7 Allen Street, NYC.