Image via Complex Original
Patrick Judabong - photographer, DJ, and founder of the Fat Bastard Crew, known to the world as Buddhabong. He has traveled the world in search of stunning images, great beats, and the best eats. Currently, you can catch him getting fat in and around New York City.
Some say Chinatown boasts the worst smelling blocks in New York City. But don’t let that keep you from the cheap and delicious food the neighborhood offers. From hole-in-the-walls to standing room only, Chinatown spots let you score a whole meal and then some for less than 10 dollars. Maybe the service won't be spectacular, maybe you'll feel a little uncomfortable, but are you there for the servers? Nope. This is about the food, son! The MSG-packed deliciousness that stretches your stomach till your gut hangs over your pants, but doesn't stretch your wallet.
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H.K. Wonton Garden
Address: 79 Mulberry St.
Website: n/a
What do wontons and Hawaiian shirts have in common? Nothing, really, though you'll see both at this Chinatown gem.
The barbecue pork and wonton noodle soup is the signature dish here, served in an MSG-rich broth that's flavorful and warming. Given this recent cold snap, this is something you truly need. The pork (a sweet, barbecued red color) is plump, savory, and juicy. The wontons are stuffed to bursting with a pork and shrimp blend. At $6.50 a bowl, you'd be hard-pressed to get full without spending more dough.
If you're craving something other than soup, the pan-fried noodles with mushrooms and vegetables are boss. So are the steamed pork and chive dumplings.
The pan-fried noodles come drenched in heavy gravy that somehow doesn't hurt the crunchy texture of the noodles. A perfect dish for the vegetarians of the world. The steamed dumplings, chewy and covered with soy sauce, are packed with pork and chives. Both of these magic dishes come in at under $10.
Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles
Address: 1 Doyers St.
Website: n/a
Authentic, hand-made and fresh are the nicest words one can use when describing a noodle house. Thankfully, they're all necessary when speaking about Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles, a tucked away shop on Doyers.
I ordered the roasted duck hand-pulled noodles, as well as the noodle soup with pork-stuffed fish balls. In the roast duck bowl, I found essentially half of an entire duck, succulent and tasty. The floating greens included spinach and scallions in a light broth.
Each table provides certain condiments: soy sauce, chili sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, and extra cilantro. The crew at Hand-Pulled wants you to eat your dish the way you like it.
The noodle soup with pork-stuffed fish balls was my favorite. With each bite of the fish ball, you get a scrumptious pork ball, perfectly cooked (see the photo above). Bok choi and scallions float atop the mild broth, barely concealing the generous portion of al dente noodles lurking below the surface.
Each noodle dish is under $6, the perfect price.
Yummy Noodles
Address: 48 Bowery
Website: yummynoodlenyc.com
Open till 4 a.m. every damn day, Yummy Noodle is ideal for cases of late-night munchies or the after-club rendezvous.
I started with the Peking duck sandwich, which comes wrapped in a snow-white bao bun and is served with a side of sweet plum sauce. It's perfect finger food that preps you for the courses to come.
Like the wonton soup, all chewy noodles and robust pork in a seafood-flavored broth.
The bacon fried rice feeds 3-to-4 people easily. This egg, pea and green onion mix is perfect for preemptively fighting a hangover (or fighting a real one the next day). Cooked correctly, the peas still crunch, a necessary freshness that combats the fattiness of the bacon.
And all this comes in for under $20.
Excellent Pork Chop House
Address: 3 Doyers St.
Website: excellentporkchophouse.com
It gets no realer than a menu proudly announcing, "We use MSG." Props to the Excellent Pork Chop House for keeping it 100. The quick service, homey environment, and delicious comfort food don't hurt either.
I ordered the fried chicken over rice. The chicken (about the size of your palm) is fried but not battered, very juicy, and seasoned with all the MSG you need. Along with rice, the dish is topped with minced pork, pickled cabbage, and relish.
The pork chops and hand-pulled noodles are served over minced pork, pickled cabbage, and relish—a truly excellent dish. Pork can be difficult, but, as the name of the restaurant suggests, the meat comes correct here: tender, succulent, never dry. Add the wavy noodles and you've got one helluva meal.
Vanessa's Dumpling House
Address: 118 Eldridge St.
Website: n/a
Strapped for scratch, hungry, and craving dumplings? Look no further than Vanessa's, the best bang for the buck.
The fried pork chive dumplings are semi-greasy, hand-made, and potbelly-plump. The burnt edges provide a light crunch when you bite down, unleashing all that flavor. And get this: a single dollar gets you four dumplings. Pow.
Inside the boiled shrimp dumplings, you'll find five-to-six mini shrimps compacted together with ginger and scallions. Because they're boiled, the dumplings remain tender and delicate. $4 gets you eight.
To complete my trip, I ordered the pork sesame pancake sandwich and the duck pancake sandwich. The sesame pork sandwich is filling, packed with chopped pork pieces, carrots, and scallions.
The sesame duck sandwich contains hunks of soft boneless duck covered with hoasin sauce, carrots, and cucumber. The sesame bun is sweet and oily—think of a Vietnamese bánh mì shaped like a slice of pizza. The duck could've used more sauce, but at two bucks a sandwich, there's really no reason to complain.