Here are some of the things I’ve eaten at NYFC, stall by stall. Where I could, I’ve noted the English names of the stalls.
Stall #2: Mr Duck Vermicelli Soup
Razor clams and vermicelli in foil ($15): Excellent, with beautifully tender clams (delicate shells, and short for razors). I worry a bit, though, about how they can offer such a large portion at that price.
Oxtail stew with dried bonito (on the display menu), but oxtail soup with tomato on the check ($8.50): Also very good. The oxtail was cut into slices about 1/3" thick, with tender meat. A nice touch was the inclusion of a couple of dates.
This is a place I’d like to try more things from.
Stall# 3:
I’ve only had their interesting version of panfried dumplings – interesting because the bottoms were crisped to the point of being really crunchy. Not at all unpleasant, just unexpected. The filling (pork and chive) was juicy, but not bursting with flavor.
Stall #6: Fat Cat Flatbread
I’ve written about them previously. I’ve had pretty much all their savory offerings and none of their sweet. They are all very good, but if I had to pick one I’d go for the spicy pork. You need to eat these hot, though.
Stall #10: Liangpiwang
I’ve had their da pan ji twice, once with noodles, once with rice ($14 recently). The chicken, potatoes, etc., are nicely cooked (and there are no bone shards, for better or worse), but their version is only faintly aromatic. Stall #3 also offers the dish, and I’ll try that next.
Stall #13: Cousin Snail Noodle
I had to have their snail noodle soup ($15.50). It was everything I’d hoped for: sour, funky, spicy. As @DaveCook has said the funk comes from fermented bamboo shoots, but the noodles are cooked in a snail+ broth. An option on the menu was “extra snail” ($2.00ish). I couldn’t resist. Despite the investment, there was no discernible snail in my soup (“Waiter, there’s no …”) but possibly more funky bamboo. In any case, here’s the soup from above before I stirred everything around:
There were also these on a tray:
I asked what they were, and was told “egg”, and from what else I could glean they had to be pressed into the hot soup. If there’s anyone here who has not sinned as I then did, then cast at me your first kidney stone, but I got one ($2.50ish). Here’s the crosssection:
And, detail
How do you get an egg to end up this way? A thin stream into a mold sitting in very hot oil?
Whatever the technique it was a terrific addition to an already superb soup.
Stall #15:
I’ve had the spicy fish head here ($33), a superb dish. They offered mild or medium, and I said “extra” (with trepidation – my penchant for extra everything has occasionally cause extra trouble). For me, though, extra was the right choice here, counterpointing the mildness of the carp. There’s a $28 version listed, but when I asked for that there was a firm shake of the head and a firm point to $33. Possibly they looked at my rotundity and pegged me for a $33 man. Possibly they were out of smaller fish heads. I looked at the small fish tank they have at the bottom right, with fish crammed into cramped and rather unsanitary quarters, but couldn’t gauge head size.
Stall #24: 8090
This is a huge stall with lots of stuff, but I have one goal there (rather as Tom Hagen had one client): Fried tofu ($9.75). Doesn’t sound exciting, unless you know it’s stinky tofu, and its a decently shitty version of it.
Stall #25: Wuhan Foodie
On the recommendation of @DaveCook I’ve gotten a dry fried noodle dish here “Chili oil stir noodle with braised beef”. It was very good and I want to try their other dry noodles. There are soups aplenty elsewhere in the court.
Stall #26: Authentic Chinese Seafood
This is the crab roe place. I’ve written about it here (point #6) and bottom of here.
