Have you tried White Bear in Flushing Queens?
After reading rave reviews about White Bear (白熊), I could not resist but visited the store to try their famous dumplings and noodles. Just five minutes away from the Flushing Subway Station, you will notice a small restaurant with only four tables along Roosevelt Ave. At times, you will also notice long queues at the restaurant.
So, is it that delicious? We will share with you in a minute.
I brought a friend to join me on my food tasting expedition. When we entered the restaurant, it was already past lunch time (3pm). We expected the crowd would come near dinner time. To our surprise, there was a constant flow of customers ordering food takeaways, be it students, professionals and homemakers.
We ordered a serving of wontons in hot chilli sauce (红油馄饨), white cabbage and pork dumplings (白菜鲜肉水饺) and lastly, Spicy Dan Dan noodles (担担 [辣]).
When you are dining at White Bear, do not expect any service. It is self-service and that saves you service tips.
Priced at USD4, the wontons in hot chilli sauce (红油馄饨) (photo above) was a disappointment. Although the 8 pieces of wontons were freshly prepared, they were not spicy at all. Unlike the ones from Nanxiang Dumpling House, I assumed that it would be spicy and sour at the same time. I was wrong. Instead, it was merely hot (in terms of heat). Most reviews from one of the popular food portals highlighted the fact that the wontons were spicy. (Food rating: 2.5/5)
How about the white cabbage and pork dumplings (白菜鲜肉水饺), you may ask? The ingredients were freshly prepared and the dumplings were cooked perfectly. The skin was thin with generous serving of filling. Dipped into their special sauce, these dumplings were heavenly. The sauce brought out the sweetness of the dumplings. We finished the dumplings faster than the wontons. For this, I agree with the reviews from a popular food portal about these dumplings. It was definitely worth eating. I do not mind returning for more dumplings. (Food rating: 3/5)
Yes, yes yes... after the sides, how about trying the mains? We ordered a plate of Spicy Dan Dan noodles (担担 [辣]). The noodles seemed to be handmade and the texture was perfect. The cooked noodles remained chewy. However, the spicy noodles weren't spicy at all. We believed that the owners have adjusted their recipe to suit the locals' taste. The locals do not take much spiciness. I was expecting the noodles to be spicy that would perk the sleepy me. I was wrong again. (Food rating: 2.5/5)
Address: 135-02 Roosevelt Ave, NY11354
Price: USD$
Rating: 2.5/5
Stuffness Level (how full you are): 4/5
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