XIAO DONG BEI: WARM FOOD, WARMER SERVICE

A Shenyang friend introduced me to the above spicy little yet-discovered gem.*, ** Since then, I’ve usually been the one asking for a return visit! At Xiao Dong Bei, two cognizant wait staff provide commendable service. The good-humored pair almost seem to enjoy working here. Complimentary with your meal are appetizer plates and slices of orange for dessert. If staff notices you taking pictures, do not be surprised if they help position your dishes for better camera lighting. When the tail of my oversized winter coat slumped over the floor heater at one point, our waitress quickly popped over and offered to place it over a nearby chair.

See if you can spot my coat:

Even better than the food were our five dishes. My favorite was the sour cabbage with pork and pork blood ($13.99). On this below-zero evening, I was surprised to learn that the most satisfying dish was a sour soup! Other than the stray piece of pork blood (I still don’t like the taste of copper), the soup was out of this world.

For appetizers, we opted for the fiery beef tripe and tongue with hot pepper sauce ($8.99), and black fungus with hot and sour sauce ($6.99). The taste of the black fungus concoction begins as deceptively sweet—only to deliver an even heftier after-kick than the tripe dish. Color me surprised.

One of us likes eggplant, so we opted for eggplant and fresh pepper with soy bean sauce ($8.99). According to the Shenyang friend, the sweet sauce is almost exactly like how she remembers it was back home.

Finally, and against our better judgment, we ordered the obligatory dish of fried lamb with scallion (14.99)*** Compared to the Fu Run’s deep-fried rendition, Xiao Dong Bei’s lamb dish was sweeter, lighter on cumin, and with even more tender cuts of lamb.

May Flushing Food suggest: sitting towards the back, at the table right by the kitchen entrance. Vantage point in terms of service—wait staff keep an eye out by the cabinet area there


-----
* Since (I suspect) locals want to keep it a secret, there are only six Yelp® reviews up as of January 15, 2015.
** http://www.yelp.com/biz/xiao-dong-bei-chinese-cuisine-inc-queens
*** There are two on the menu with the same English name, but different Chinese names. We ordered 孜然羊肉, the “extra hot and spicy” variation.

Media credits: Helen Y.
Gadget: Nikon® Coolpix™ AW110