Yes, they have tables. That place has been around for a long time. I’ve walked by it many times. Need to stop in.
See pics: https://sideways.nyc/discover/5PRBzcGLykogsjXE8WM2dG/bb-restaurant
Top left is rice with spinach or some other spinach-like leafy green, with a little bit of sauce that was probably made from the same leafy green. This was my favorite thing. Bottom left is a very fine grain, not sure what, could actually be cous cous, topped with a VERY spicy gravy.
Nothing is labeled. But probably if you ask one of the guys hanging around, they’ll tell you what things are. Everyone’s very nice, except for the cashier, who grunted at me when I came up to pay.
And yes, there are a good number of seats. Also some signs telling you to move on after an hour, which no one paid much mind to. People seem to park there all day.
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Most likely that’s fonio, a grain that’s widely grown in Guinea and often served at Guinean restaurants like B&B. You’re also likely to find it at B&D, another Guinean restaurant owned by members of the same extended family, at 263 West 30th.
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Thanks! Someone else just mentioned that sister restaurant to me.
NAN XIANG XLB / W 33 St
I went to the original Nan Xiang in flushing many years ago, and remember it being delicious. Delicate wrappers, flavorful filling, ladies making the xlb while you watched.
The “new” Nan Xiang seems like a completely different restaurant with only the name in common.
Our meal was generally fine, parts of it good, just not what I was expecting, I guess.
The soup dumplings were larger than bite size with a thicker wrapper than I recalled, but the wrapper and the filling were both tender. We also ordered vegetable dumplings, which were huge, and filled with bright greens, but not particularly flavorful.
You might have guessed we had a vegetarian eater… so we also ordered pan-fried vegetable noodles, which were very tasty. I also suggested the black fungus starter, which was new to my vegetarian friend, but very well received. The dressing was lighter on vinegar than I’ve had, but it was a good entry point.
We rounded out with an order of lions head meatballs — these were the deep-fried-and-coated-with-a-bit-of-sauce version, not braised. Very tasty, if a bit skewed to sweet.
The space is large and bright, the staff was very nice, and there was plenty of room so they did not mind that we lingered long after we finished eating, which we very much appreciated (we kept looking up to see if they needed the table back or wanted us to go, and they were happy to just leave us be, refilling water and tea both while we sat).
So if I had not been expecting something different, I’d have said this is a pleasant spot for a bite in the Penn station area that isn’t Korean.
Dim Sum Palace has an outpost right across the street, and there were two Korean places on the block that I want to try now — Hutaoli and Rib No 7 — anyone been to either?
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MOON KEE UWS
Another solid dim sum provider on the UWS (the other is Jing Fong in case you forgot about it 
— I’m not including Shun Lee bec @12/plate I don’t want to think about it).
Cart-style, which was fun after ages. Nice staff: friendly, efficient, and didn’t rush us at the end. They also have shared large tables like in Chinatown, so you don’t have to wait for a smaller table if you don’t mind that.
Good to excellent renditions of all the favorites: cheung fun, shiu mai, spare ribs, chiu chow, stuffed eggplant and long peppers, turnip cakes, baked pork buns, and egg tarts. Lots more to try next time, including roasted meats.
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wow, looks good! do you know if they dim sum every day?
I believe they do, but the carts are rolling only on weekends.
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thanks, I’ve passed by several times, the roasted meat in the window looks good, I have to get my better half to give up a flor/szechuan garden visit so we can give it a try. I mentioned I’d like to get to chinatown for dim sum and noted the involuntary shudder, maybe I can sell mk as an alternative.
I’d like to get back for dinner to try the rest of the menu to compare to Chinatown options, maybe we can reconvene the group there sometime.
Roast meats looked good as we saw them going by. And they have the takeout counter for them up front like in ctown — I was too full to even think about bringing something home, but regretted that foolishness as soon as I was thinking more clearly.
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Yes, I picked up a menu on the way out, and there are maybe 10 things that are only available on the weekend, but there’s an extensive steamed and fried / baked dim sum selection available all the time.
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BAYON
A very pleasant Cambodian meal at the new incarnation of what used to be Angkor Cambodian Bistro.
We ate:
Shrimp and Crabmeat Spring Rolls
Nem Nuong (pork meatballs)
Prahok (lettuce wrap platter of 3 styles of ground pork and fermented fish)
Nyoam (saucy noodles with minced fish)
Baked Amok (seafood and fish mousse in a red curry sauce)
Loc Lac (beef cubes)
Coconut Rice
Sweet coconut milk with tapioca and taro (complimentary dessert)
Tasty food, gorgeous space, lovely staff.
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on the way out I noticed a review for their old restaurant with an apt title: “a gentle introduction to Southeast Asian food”. I found the food delicately spiced (compared to say fiery thai dishes), soft textures… something closer to comfort food. I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite dish but I’d definitely order the amok again.
I’m looking forward to having Elon’s chips implanted so I’ll never miss recording a scene like @DaveCook and @Saregama figuring out what to order, it was something to see 
best,
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Great description
Next time I want to try the other kind of amok, more noodles, and a curry plus whatever repeats
So mean!
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I would gladly order the other (nontraditional, grilled) amok as long as we also reorder the same (traditional, baked) amok – this was as good a version of the dish as I’ve had in New York.
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as predicted, running amok. seriously, I’d like to try everything on the menu.
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two passionate, knowledgeable people with strong opinions yet solicitous of each other’s views turned ordering into a 15-minute comedy of manners. Jane Austen would have been so proud!
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MOTI MAHAL (UES)
No pics, but excellent food. We even had goat biryani, which was more legit than most biryanis in nyc.
RAVAGH (UES)
I haven’t eaten at Ravagh in a few years, but it used to be a neighborhood favorite. We got takeout from there recently, and it was good, but not as good as I remembered.
We had chicken koobideh, beef kabab, and mast musir, plus arugula salad, green polo, and bread.
The beef kabab was probably the best of what we had. The chicken koobideh was fine, but a bit dry. The mast musir was just okay — generous portion, but having eaten Nasrin’s version not too long ago, it was a bit short on flavor. The bread was a narrow commercial naan, fine but not much more. The rices were both excellent (saffron and dill/broad bean).
I remember the stews being very good (especially the fesenjan), but we weren’t in the mood for any of them.
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Please enjoy these aggressively mediocre pix from my dinner last night at Mesiba, an Israeli restaurant in Williamsburg, recommended to me as having the best hummus outside of Israel. Challenge accepted! since I’m pretty sure I make the best hummus outside of Israel, despite having never been to Israel and thus having no idea how good the hummus is there.
The hummus is indeed very good, and prepared table-side, as if it were guacamole or a caesar salad. It is at least on par with mine. Other good things: the octopus, which was grilled beautifully; the mushroom shawarma; the basque cheesecake and (I’m copying from the menu) the Milky -dark chocolate cremeux, chantilly cream, valrhona cocoa powder and hazelnut.
Less successful: the kreplach. All five of my companions liked it, but they also pronounced it “krep-latch,” so what do they know. The whole fish, which was dramatically presented (and dramatically priced) and quite involved to eat - make a lettuce wrap, put a couple of sauces in it along with a piece of fish you rip off with tongs. Fun, but the fish was also on the dry side, and didn’t taste like much. And the bread, which had a lovely texture, was also grievously oversalted.
I could see going back to sit at the bar and have a couple of small plates and their excellent martini, which comes with a little ramekin of pickled vegetables. Now I’m gonna want that every time I order a martini.
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have you posted your hummus recipe?
In the 80s when we lived in the heights, Atlantic Avenue and Court st were chock full of Middle Eastern restaurants and we endeavored to discover who had the best hummus and baba. Haven’t found their equal and have pretty much given up so would love to try your recipe!
