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A few weeks ago, the Chinese Quest was back on the road. Finding a recently opened Chinese restaurant, Dun Huang, located at 8 Cold Spring Road, Syosset, NY 11791, we eagerly set out GPS on the destination. When we walked in we were a little taken aback. The restaurant seemed to be primarily a take-out Chinese restaurant. Perhaps it was COVID, or not, it’s not a sit-down type of establishment. There were few chairs. All the dishes were served on take-out plates. The flatware was plastic. The food, however, was excellent!
Hungering for some authentic Chinese food, Dun Huang bills itself as “The most authentic northwestern Chinese cuisine in the NYC“. Alas, we were in Nassau County. However, as I have since discovered, Dun Huang has opened restaurants all over New York City, and more! You will notice that all those other restaurants are proper sit-down Chinese restaurants, and all look modern and use tasteful service platters and real utensils.
But, that’s not what we are here to discuss. Let’s refocus. We are in Syosset, NY, and we came to eat!! Show us what you got, Don Huang!
The starting lineup:
Marinated Cucumbers – This is one of my all-time favorite dishes. I love its refreshing taste. This will cool your mouth, and put a smile on your face.
Soup Dumplings – I must say that these were average on our list. The soup was hot, but the wrappers were a little too thick. Though that does prevent them from falling apart when making the elusive transfer from the steaming pot to the Chinese soup spoon. Please note that the picture below is a stock picture, and does not depict the actual soup dumplings we received. I promise it’s the last time we ever do this.
If you look closely, you will notice that the cucumbers seem to resemble a Mobius strip. They are one continuous cut. How the heck? I can’t imagine how long it would take to prepare the cucumber. Want to know the secret? From Dun Huang’s website, check out how to cut cucumbers like a Boss! (Kids, please don’t try this at home).
What incredible precision! Did you blink and miss the whole thing? Play it again and watch carefully.
Let’s move on to some of the other dishes we had that fateful evening.
Sweet and Sour Short Ribs – This is a dish that we have come to expect at some of the Chinese restaurants featuring food from the north. Bone-in. Be careful. My best advice is to pick it up with your fingers and eat it. It’s the only way to get it all.
Ma La Noodles (Regular) – This dish packed some potent spices. I could not get past the spice to really enjoy this dish. I’m not sure if “Regular” means it was mild. The other version must be wild. I’m glad we got the regular, or I don’t know if I could have continued. The lamb was delicious. Aside from me, everyone else loved this dish and couldn’t get enough of it. It was my pleasure to let them enjoy it!
Lamb Skewer – Street food in China. At home in my belly. Loved this. Give me more! I’ll trade someone my portion of the Ma La Noodles. Anyone? Bueller?
Original Lanzhou Beef Noodles (Regular) – The dish wasn’t very memorable to me. The beef lacked flavor and was a bit chewy.
Normally, this would have been the end of our meal. As you can see, it’s not an optical illusion, the serving size was on the small side, so we still had room for more.
But, let’s take a brief break in our review and ponder the question, just how do they make handmade noodles. Well, I’m glad you asked, for, on their website, they posted this very useful video:
How does he do that? It’s pure magic. That is the only explanation.
Fair Warning: These noodles are IMPOSSIBLE to cut using plastic forks and knives. They brought us a pair of scissors, REALLY!, so we could cut them. They were washed first. I hope.
Ready for more? Let’s do it:
Monstrous Plate Chicken – It’s not bad grammar. That’s what it is called on their menu. This one we should have left there. The chicken was dry and monstrous would not have been the way to describe the served size. But, that is probably just as well.
Spicy Cumin Lamb Chinese Burger – That’s quite a mouthful, and that’s exactly what it was. Very delicious. Served on a bun something akin to an English Muffin in texture. The meat, some opted for the Chinese Burger – Stewed Pork, was nice and delicious. I would have preferred it served on a softer roll. But, hey, it’s not my recipe.
At this point, we were all full. Could we digest the bill? Yeah! Excluding tip, the total was $114.60 for the five of us, which included four cans of soda. Only one dish was more than $11.00. Well, it WAS monstrous!!
Time to tally, before heading off to Carvel. Our review:
We hope that you enjoy reading this review as much as we enjoyed eating the Chinese food for you and writing this review. If so, please consider sharing it. The Social Share buttons are at the top of the article and down below too.
Humbly submitted for your consumption,
—Mee Magnum (“Chop! Chop!”)
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Review Overview
Five Stars
Average
Summary : Highly recommended despite the overall rating. If you like your food spicy and from a rarely eaten cuisine in the United States, give it a try.