Green Garden Buffet

CHAD 🇹🇩

[COVID-19 UPDATE: Born into the world during a pandemic, Green Garden Buffet knows no other way of business. They have recently added a small covered eating area to the parking space in front, allowing customers to sit down with their meals and eat immediately.]

For the first time in 20 years of scanning new businesses in and around the five boroughs, the flag of Chad is waving in the wind under a small awning in the East Village. The representation is from the chef and owner of the small restaurant, who hails from the large, land-locked nation in north-central Africa.

As the name suggests, most business here is done via the buffet-style steam table and sold at $9.99/pound. There is a menu, that also describes the kitchen as "French style," but it is easier just to come inside and ask to see everything on offer on any given day. The proprietor will be happy to explain it all and show her dishes off.

On multiple visits, there always seemed to be a delicious-looking whole tilapia ready to go, but since foods had to travel and do a bit of sitting before they could be consumed, an array of smaller bites from the steam table were combined for just over a pound's worth of lunch.

The focus was on the stewed spinach and beef dish (above), which was a creamy and rich exciting find. If another lunch is put together and this is available, the portion will have to be doubled at least. Sitting on a bed of tasty yellow rice, her vegetables are all more complex than they might appear. The sauteed cabbage is full of onions and garlic, while both the zucchini and okra make perfect complements.

If it is not automatically offered, ask for the homemade hot sauce to give everything the final kick.

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EAST VILLAGE Manhattan
332 East 9th Street

I COULD USE YOUR HELP

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Sanpoutei Gyoza & Ramen

JAPAN 🇯🇵

With its polished new place on 2nd Avenue, it would be hard to imagine the 50 years plus history that Sanpoutei has under its belt. Hailing from the Niigata prefecture, the restaurant group includes almost 50 locations. Most of these are ramen, but they also have Italian, Chinese, and Shanghainese places, the influences of which you will see shine through on the menu here as well.

This is the first location in the United States and the second in North America following Vancouver. The shop presents itself as a thin restaurant with bar counter seating in the front, but the back opens up into the neighboring space and offers a decent amount of tables.

A wide range of sake from Niigata is available.

This visit was during their fourth night of business, and while the staff was understandably not 100% certain on every little detail, things were running pretty smoothly. Many groups of Japanese people were the main clientele, as the restaurant must have been making quite an impact in local Japanese press.

Niigata city is almost due north of Tokyo but sits on the west coast of Honshu. The prefecture it lives in of the same name is thin and hugs the coast, the sea is very important here.

Having enough people that one plate of gyoza would have been insufficient, two of the three options were ordered, including the Sanpoutei gyoza ($10, above). These are pan-fried pork gyoza, served with a very simple but somehow wonderful vinegar soy dipping sauce. The tastes are familiar, but for a place half-known for gyoza these do not disappoint. The next visit might have to include an entire plate of these for the greediest amongst the group as they are a delight.

The prawn & edamame crispy gyoza ($13, below) were also a hit. These are deep fried as might be guessed by the crispy part of the name, and the use of black tiger prawns is the first hint of the importance of seafood to Niigata.

They are served with an excellent cold and crisp oroshi ponzu that is full of citrus and thickened with daikon. The server almost lost a finger when he tried to remove the dipping sauce from the table after the gyoza were finished.

If there was one disappointment of the meal, it would be the Sanpoutei fried chicken ($16 for six pieces, below), which are rubbed with a curry powder and soy sauce before frying. The chicken was fine enough, but two of the pieces were tiny, and the rub creation just did not do anything. A simple karaage would have been appreciated much more.

The raspberries provide a cool freshness.

Based on the five types of ramen ordered this evening, sticking to the top of the menu and their house special shoyu (soy sauce based) is the way to go. There are at least eight components to the Sanpoutei niboshi shoyu ramen ($16, below), but the bowl is light and simple, the vegetable and meat ingredients ample enough but not distracting from the soup and noodles.

Niboshi refers to the dried sardines that go into the ramen stock, a funkiness that is light and so pleasant. This bowl also includes both cha-shu and roasted pork, both of which are some of the best cooked in town. An extra order of cha-shu for $3 will probably not make a bad decision. Onions, green beans, and bamboo shoot round out the bowl with a bit of crispness.

It appeared that each different ramen was using the same thick housemade noodles here, wavy and containing a great chew. (Apologies for the lack of noodle photo). Another good offer is that each bowl is available in a small size for $4 less, a choice that those usually having a hard time finishing will appreciate.

It is rare to find a place excelling at both typical soup ramen and tsukemen dipping ramen, but this was not the case with their very strong spicy cha-shu tsukemen ($18, below, shown with extra seasoned egg and cha-shu orders).

Tsukemen involves chilled noodles and a very hot bowl of dipping broth, here made with plenty of richness and bite. Midway through someone should come around and refill the bowl with more hot broth, which did not happen, but it must be assumed they will iron out this kink as well.

For more spice, the spicy miso ramen ($14 small version, below) can be ordered. This is available in a non-spicy bowl as well, but both were found to be a bit too thick, almost like the tsukemen. Served with kale and bell peppers, it almost has the feel of an afterthought and trying to beef up the menu rather than focus on their strengths. For now, shoyu tops miso for sure.

The most outstanding appetizer, pulled to the bottom here so that a bit more space could be devoted to it, is the Niigata sake drunken chicken ($13, below two photos). This is a modern riff on the drunken chicken popularized from Zhejiang province in China, just south of Shanghai.

Instead of Shaoxing rice wine, they of course substitute Niigata sake here to cook the chicken with. Surrounded by crisp cucumbers and topped with sesame, the chicken rests in a shallow pool of ginjo sake sauce and has the nice zip of Korean chilli powder in every bite. Despite the winter weather, the dining room was quite warm and this provided such a pleasant refreshment.

Niigate sake drunken chicken with cucumber.

Two rice bowls are available for those not in the mood for noodles, one of which was used as another way to split an appetizer. Shown here is the roasted pork cha-shu don ($11, below), more slices of their great pork over a ball of white rice.

Topped with a wasabi soy sauce, be sure to mix this and the small egg yolk thoroughly before digging in.

Two flans make up the dessert menu for now. The mango flan ($6, below left) is workable and fine, topped with smooth and fresh whipped cream, but the better order is definitely the Kurogoma flan ($6, below, right). This is made with black sesame and topped with kuromitsu, a sugar syrup that translates to "black honey."

For now it seems that New York City will remain a destination for Japanese-based restaurants looking to expand their market, as places like Sanpoutei seem to be opening quite often. This one definitely stands near the top of the pack though, and is worth visiting.

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EAST VILLAGE Manhattan

92 2nd Avenue

I COULD USE YOUR HELP

Eat the World NYC is and always has been free. No advertisements block the content or pop over what you read. If this website has helped you explore your city and its wonderful cultures a little better and you have the means to contribute, please consider doing so. Eat the World NYC is a labor of love, but also takes a lot of money and time everyday to keep running.

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Smør

DENMARK 🇩🇰

Smørrebrød, a distinctly Danish-style open-faced sandwich, used to be available about once a year at the annual Danish Christmas fairs that took place around the start of December. At those events, large boxes of them would be delivered to the churches and purchases had the risk of being many hours old. Nowadays, a new place pops up almost monthly and offers to make them fresh. The newest, in the East Village is simply called Smør, and has six on the menu.

While a full meal will certainly require at least two of the choices, I stopped in the other day for just one with plans to move on and eat more from another location right after.

At the top of the menu is the smoked salmon ($8, above and below), resting on a small but firm piece of rye as the rules dictate. This fine specimen of fish is joined by streams of dill cream and dollops of lemon curd all under thin slices of cucumber, radish, and dill sprigs.

In a pinch, feel free to pick the whole thing up and eat it with your hands, but tellingly a fork and knife arrive at the table. Either way, this place makes a good one, even if you have to pick the parts that fall on your shirt up and eat them on a second try.

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EAST VILLAGE Manhattan
441 East 12th Street

Map of Eat the World NYC:

KC Gourmet Empanadas

PANAMÁ 🇵🇦

While New York City certainly has no shortage of Panamanian folks, the cuisine of the country has always been a bit sparse, with the best chance of scoring a bunch of food coming at the annual Panamanian independence festival, a parade and party in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Vendors would line the park at the end of the route and music and good food would be available for the afternoon. When longtime favorite Kelso Dining closed a couple years back, the mantle to carry the Panamanian flag belonged solely to Michelle's Cocktail Lounge.

Now a chef has decided to open up a small restaurant in the far reaches of Alphabet City, a surprising place outside of the Brooklyn parts that normally cater to Panamanians. Possibly to compensate for this, they do offer standard NY deli favorites like egg sandwiches for breakfast. Beyond this, the tiny place has a very large menu, proving it is not the size of the kitchen but how you use it.

It is unclear whether the operation is a family affair, but it certainly has the feel of one. The chef and proprietor of the place has what could be her granddaughters run the register and interact with customers, sending orders and instruction back to her in Spanish. She has a presence back there that makes you feel like the food will be good before it comes out.

If you are eating in, grab one of three chairs at a front counter and flip through a travel brochure about Panamá while you wait for the food to be served. If you are friends, the counter might fit three without winter coats, but more realistically only two people will fit here and most take their treasures to go.

Homemade chicheme ($5.95, above and below) is one of many drinks and desserts that are on display in the refrigerated case. This is classified as a drink and wildly popular in Panamá, but often requires a spoon because of its thickness. Besides corn it is made sweet by vanilla, condensed and evaporated milk, and is spiced by nutmeg and cinnamon.

This was actually enjoyed on a second visit because after the first day I felt too good to write about only one trip. As mentioned, the menu is large and offers a great window into the cuisine.

Served every weekday from noon, an "entrees" section of the menu lists dishes named for places in Panamá and covers some of the main plates you might end up ordering down there in more modern restaurants, from fried whole fish to stuffed chicken in a house mushroom sauce.

Since empanadas are in the name of this spot, I was eager to try a few. While these are available in various forms throughout Latin America, Panamá does not have a focus on them like some others do, so you might see different styles. The traditional options here are deep fried half moons, of which we tried both the cheese and chicken ($2.95 each, below).

There are also a bunch of offbeat selections, which we cannot vouch for yet, but I did overhear someone order a chicken pesto bacon empanada while waiting one day. All types of meat, seafood, and vegetable options should please most cravings.

The yellow sauce served with these and other dishes is a housemade hot sauce that combines three peppers, spices, and vinegar. It is very good (and spicy!) and available to purchase in small bottles. In general the food in Panamá never comes out spicy but is often accompanied by some kind of sauce to heat things up if desired.

One of my favorite dishes from the aforementioned festival was always bofe con hojaldra, a stew of cow lung served with fluffy fried bread. The version here ($11.95, below) is served in a cooking pot and very tasty, the rich brown stew is salty but complemented almost too well with simultaneous bites of the hojaldra.

Lung, at least the way Panamanians cook it, is smooth and not intense, a good introduction to offal if you are fearful but curious. This is a dish that should not be passed up.

The most prepared items at the festival were always tamales, cooked by several vendors and always delicious. In Panamá these are large, almost a full meal, the meats cooked inside of them still on the bone.

The tamal de pollo ($6.50, above and below) had a full drumstick inside, cooked long enough that the meat slid right off the bone. This is another good opportunity to use their homemade yellow sauce, which was when I asked about it and eventually led to a conversation about the October parade. Apparently she has been cooking there for many years, so it was possible I had eaten her tamales before. It is good to see talented chefs continue to expand and fulfill their dreams in the industry.

And why not end a meal with a small cup of arroz con leche ($5.50, below), which hits just the right sweet spot after a filling lunch. KC is a great addition to the city, check it out.

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EAST VILLAGE Manhattan
38 Avenue B

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Hunan Bistro

CHINA 🇨🇳

The late Jonathan Gold, a personal hero and lost treasure of Los Angeles, once stated "When you tell somebody about a Hunan restaurant, always begin with the steamed fish head." Despite this advice, I am going to hold off and save this for last as that is how it was served to us, as our stomachs were already pushing back after the selection of dishes that did not seem to stop.

But first, it should be mentioned that Hunan Bistro is not even the most popular Chinese restaurant on the block. That title goes of course to Han Dynasty, the Philly Sichuan import that still requires a wait despite being around for a few years. Manhattanites will be Manhattanites I suppose. I have never been because it seems to be the opinion of well-regarded folks that it is not worth the wait.

Hunan Bistro does not require this charade. The small restaurant can usually do a good job accommodating everyone who wants to eat there at any given time. And as you sit in the warmth inside instead of waiting on the sidewalk, you can debate the merits of the two restaurants, or Hunan and Sichuan food in general, two provinces that have an ongoing battle about who cooks the spiciest food.

A nice-sized group will start getting its orders fast and frequent. The order of dishes here is as they arrived during our meal, starting with the pork dumpling with chili oil ($7.95, above), thinly-wrapped specimens swimming in a bright red sauce. This would be the first of many dishes on the menu that had one to three peppers next to their name denoting spice levels, but ultimately left us desiring more heat. Eventually we had a short conversation about heat levels just to make sure the kitchen was not toning it down, but were assured this is how they prepared foods. Probably a product of location, it is recommended to ask for a higher spice level if that is what you desire. And since we are at a Hunan restaurant, why wouldn't everyone desire that?

General Tso and Chairman Mao were both proud sons of Hunan. Visit the province and you will find a lasting pride in both. The general is Zuo Zongtang, known in the states primarily for the sticky sweet chicken ordered in takeout restaurants across the country, but in China as a Qing Dynasty military leader who suppressed the Dungan revolt in the mid-1800's. Both of these things are unfortunate, as it was discovered in Sheepshead Bay that Dungan cuisine was so delicious.

The dish named after Chairman Mao is a must order though and always tasty. Mao's red braised pork belly ($15.95, above) is served in a hot iron pot, the red referring to the style of stewing or slow-braising used in cooking this dish.

In Hunanese cuisine, cold sometimes pickled vegetables served milder are important to round out a meal and provide some relief from the spicier dishes. These four were all enjoyed:

Hunan pickled cabbage $6.95

Wood ear with vinegar sauce $7.95

Cold bean curd Hunan style $7.95

Shredded potato with vinegar sauce $12.95

The last two of those selections were especially enjoyed with sharp vinegar and spicing, savory but contrasting the rest of the meal in such a good way.

The surprise of the evening was a dish new to everyone: taro and vermicelli with chopped chili ($17.95, below).

Thick pieces of slightly sweet taro are smothered in preserved egg yolk and red chilies, creating three distinct tastes in each bite. This was all over a bed of slippery vermicelli noodles.

And finally that steamed fish head with chopped chilies ($29.95, below), at the prominent first position on the house specials page and almost always a must order at a Hunan restaurant. As if to celebrate Christmas, a sweater of red and green blanketed everything up to the face of the fish, that and the oily broth keeping him warm on this December night. But for this dish it is always the holiday season, the collection of dried, fresh, and fermented chilies is the gift given to the diners.

Always taken from a massive specimen, the head here is meaty and large, though sliced in half lengthwise so you do not get to flip it over for more meat. This is probably used for stews and/or other dishes.

Altogether very satisfying if not aww-inspiring.

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EAST VILLAGE Manhattan
96 3rd Avenue

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Shi Miaodao Yunnan Rice Noodle

YUNNAN CHINA 🇨🇳

Yunnanese cuisine is seeing its star shine brightly in New York City at the moment, and since it can be so delicious every new establishment must be tried. This new spot on Saint Marks Place focuses on Crossing the Bridge Noodles, the dish with the biggest back story of the region. This meal comes in many parts, all to be swiftly added to the bowl of boiling broth and combined before eating. In Yunnan, the noodles of choice is made from rice and makes a slick, slippery and thick base for all the other ingredients.

We still think that the new-ish joint in Sunset Park is going to remain our go to, but it is nice to see the expansion. The more the merrier.

Black fungus with vinegar $4

Spicy sirloin rice noodle $13

Cross the Bridge Noodle $10

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EAST VILLAGE Manhattan

33 Saint Marks Place

Map of Eat the World NYC: