Monday, August 23, 2010

Xiao Ye, Xiao Ye !

Xiao Ye is Eddie Huang’s long-awaited new restaurant specializing in classic Taiwanese night snacks. Thanan and I have been impatiently awaiting its opening after both being madly in love with his other Taiwanese shop of pork belly bun delights, Baohaus. We finally made our way over there as a pre-meal before our Underground Rebel Bingo Club adventure.

We ordered a few items: crispy tofu, sticky rice and egg wrapped in lotus leaf and their most popular dish: Trade Your Daughter for Fried Chicken. The best out of the bunch was the chicken, a heaping plate of white meat, battered and double fried to perfect crispness and sprinkled with healthy amount of red spices.


It was greaseless, crunchy and perfectly moist.

The second best was the Brick Sit on a Wall Tofu, also perfectly crispy, but in my opinion a bit plain and normal despite being fried, dusted in peanut powder and chili sauce.


The Triple Lindy Rice, lotus leaf wrapped sticky rice made me feel the exact way. It tasted exactly like something you would get at dimsum – some sticky rice with pieces of Taiwanese sausage.


It was the most disappointing of the bunch. We could only think about the inventive and terrific flavors of the buns at Baohaus and could not understand how these dishes could be so…normal. Perhaps the other dishes show more spark, but I don’t think I am rushing any minute to go back. Everything seemed a bit overpriced for the generically flavored food. And $10 for Taiwanese shaved ice? C’mon. Let’s be real.

You can try your luck at the place.  Hopefully Eddie takes some of the Yelp reviews to heart and makes some tweaks to this shop.  I know it can be better!

On the other hand, I do recommend Underground Rebel Bingo Club at least once.  The people watching, the prizes and just playing bingo is a fantastic time for all!  Originating from London, the club meets in secret locations and promises a rowdy and raucous time for all while playing wholesome bingo.

"Underground bingo" run under the guise of a health and safety meeting in a Brooklyn warehouse

 Safety meeting

Bingo cards.  Don't think about it.  Just do it!  Good luck! : )

198 Orchard St
New York, NY
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2 comments:

  1. DianaAugust 24, 2010 at 4:03 PM

    man, xiao ye seemed like it had such promise!! oh well, tonight i will dream about eating at baohaus and playing underground rebel bingo...

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  2. for us onlyAugust 26, 2010 at 9:43 AM

    hello, I haven't even been to either, yet, but have just read a few blogs, etc...having been twice to TW, and having been in the F'n B business for 25 years+, I congratulate both restaurants for even opening. Chinese restaurant are hard to come by, though we really only go to a few stops..
    try to find something fun decent and adventurous in Manhattan, and you'll find yourself downstairs on Main St. dreading the #7 Local coming back home..but you're there nonetheless. Just for a feeling of TW. If you know the flavors of TW, then you'll know of the efforts it takes, day after day, to bring out the true simplicity of TW food, which is home, not the actual meal.
    Point is, for the price tag that L.E.S has, Xiao Ye will stand on its laurels and do what its concept was to meant to do..

    and that is be as unique as you can..
    ju ni hao yun

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