The flavors are faithfully Sichuan, if not assaultive, which made one former Queens resident wonder whether the scale doesn’t indicate more of an “Upper West Side ten.” To any locals who care to keep Han Dynasty around: show up in platoon strength and demand an eleven. Don’t be fooled: salt-and-pepper-style shrimp (1)-essentially pre-seasoned crustacean popcorn-is not bland but bold, and the most frightening part of dry-pot-style fish (10) was the flame beneath the mini wok it arrived in. The sweet cold sesame noodles could have been skipped, given that dan-dan noodles are also available, and appetizers of Sichuan pickled vegetables and spicy, crispy cucumbers left much to be desired.Įntrées are listed by style (double cooked, Kung Pao) and protein type (chicken, pork, beef, fish), in descending order of spiciness, from ten to zero. Dumplings in chili oil were good if not life changing, and scallion pancakes were excellently flaky, like savory puff pastry. A group of two was seated next, and wasted no time ordering starters-it’s necessary to eat in stages, as plates multiply fast. When a bespectacled Apatovian Everyman at the host station called out, “Mort, party of three?” he could have been delivering the line at an improv class. On a Friday night around eight, there was no wait for a table, but names were still taken. Second, it’s not clear that the Italian chain restaurant which previously occupied the space failed because of bad food-the vast dining room is genuinely hard to fill. First, its Web address, can be a special problem for anyone trying to order delivery online (it has run into trouble with some porn filters). But will they come? It’s hard to tell, because there are two barriers to Han Dynasty’s success uptown. A row of banquettes borders large round tables with lazy Susans, set for parties of seven. On West Eighty-fifth Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam, a cavernous dining room with heavily filigreed molding and a theatrically high ceiling awaits its discerning patrons. Finally, a contender for “real” Chinese-spicy Sichuanese, rather than the blandly sweet Chinese-American takeout fare of places like Shun Lee and Ollie’s Noodle Shop. When word arrived that Han Dynasty, a popular Sichuan restaurant chain in Philadelphia, which opened a branch in the East Village in 2013, was coming to the neighborhood, hopes were high. Han Dynasty +Pickled Vegetable w/ Fish Soup 15.75 +Pickled Vegetable w/ Pork Soup 14.25 +Wonton In Chicken Broth 12.05 +Mixed Vegetable Tofu Soup 12.05. When it comes to Chinese food, Upper West Siders have always been better off venturing uptown, toward Columbia, or downtown, toward everything else, at which point they might as well make the trip to Flushing.
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