New Korean Place on Restaurant Row

 KUKU Korean, which opened recently on 70th Road (Restaurant Row), looks amazing. They have other locations in Williamsburg and Long Island City. I have yet to try it, but really looking forward to it. If you have, share what you think in the comments below...

RenWen Noodle Factory Mini-Review

I recently tried out the new RenWen Noodle Factory restaurant on Queens Blvd. near 71st/Continental Ave. and really enjoyed it. I think this new restaurant has figured out a good formula where it has built its menu around a variety of homemade noodles that are put to work in dishes that are innovative, but not intimidating. The menu, in other words, is not too exotic that it won't appeal to fans of traditional Chinese food dishes.

I tried a couple of their different Wonton soups and my main course was a noodle entree with chicken, all of which were excellent.

I also liked how RenWen designed its space. It is a big, inviting space with both tables and booths, all built around a glass-enclosed kitchen at the center.

All in all, I'd give RenWen a grade of an A. It is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. everyday and is located at 107-50 Queens Blvd. in Forest Hills. RenWen does not deliver yet, but I was told they may have delivery soon.

Renwen Opening August 22nd

This new restaurant is located on Queens Blvd. near the corner of 71st Continental Ave. next to Vitamin Shoppe. 

Jade Restaurant Plans to Reopen Soon

Jade Eatery and Lounge in Station Square is planning to reopen in a few weeks, once the construction in Station Square is finished. I saw this news online and was also contacted by one of the blog's readers, Shawn Ball, who said he spoke with Jade's owner today and confirmed it.
The news about Jade is interesting because I've heard both that they were planning on closing for good, and also that they were planning to reopen.
In any case, if they do indeed reopen in a few weeks it's good news. Jade is one of the better pan-Asian restaurants in Forest Hills and is in one of the nicest settings in the neighborhood as well.

Coverage of Forest Hills' Growing Chinese Restaurant Scene in The Times

A New Destination for Chinese Food: Not Flushing, but Forest Hills

A corner of Queens better known for delis and pizza parlors has added a critical mass of new (and creative) Chinese restaurants.

Tamashii Red Getting Ready to Open

Many Forest Hillers have been eagerly awaiting the opening of the specialty ramen restaurant Tamshii Red on Austin St. This will be its third Queens restaurant, with others in Long Island City and Astoria. Here's a peek inside, thanks to one of my Twitter followers.

Spy C Chinese Restaurant Opens on Austin

The hostess says this new place, down near Ascan, is Asian Fusion cuisine. It opened on Tuesday. They do not have takeout menus yet. I took a glance at their menu and they had some traditional favorites, like Kung Pao, for example. Here's a look at the interior. I was surprised at how much table space there was inside. Anyway, I haven't tried any of the food yet. Soon. Add comments below if you have already.

Two Excellent Asian Takeout Options on Austin

I just wanted to call everyone's attention to these neighbors over on the eastern portion of Austin St., near Ascan and across from the church: Violet's Vietnamese Shoppe and Xin Taste Lan Zhou Hand Pull Noodle. The two shops, which are right next to each other (photo below was taken from inside La Boulangerie), are both excellent additions to the growing number of quality restaurants that have been opening in the past few years in Forest Hills.

Violet's specializes in Vietnamese cuisine. When it first opened it served mostly pastries. But, its owners rightly summed up the situation here in Forest Hills (way too many pastry and dessert places!! Way too few places for excellent takeout food!!) and righted that wrong pretty quickly. Today, Violet's offers a spectacular variety of Banh Mi sandwiches, from pork to chicken to flounder and vegetarian, along with noodle soups, and noodle bowls and rice bowls. It also offers a variety of specialty drinks and bubble teas.

Right next door is the new Xin Taste, which just opened in December. Given how cold it's been, I immediately dived into their noodle soups, but that is just a small part of their menu. They offer a variety of hand-pulled and hand-peeled noodle dishes (see the link for what I believe is an explanation of the difference. Though, if I am wrong about that, please let me know in the comment section below. I have yet to talk with the owners about the difference and get the low-down firsthand.)

In any case, I'm happy to report that the soups I've had at Xin Taste have been just great. When it comes to soups like these - big, filling bowls of noodles, broth and meat  - the standard against which I always judged has been Ollie's in Manhattan. Well, the roast pork noodle soup I've had a few times from Xin Taste comes damn close to that! The pork is tender, sweet and delicious, the broth tasty, the noodles really good, and the portion size just right.

By the way, Xin Taste offers a decent amount of tables so you can also eat in. Violet's also does, but if I recall, not as many tables.

I'm looking forward to delving further into the menus of both of these excellent additions to the Forest Hills food scene.

Xin Taste's menu

Work Progressing on Tamashii Red

It looks like there's finally some significant progress being made on the much-awaited Tamashii Red ramen restaurant on Austin St. 

Pink Forest Opens

Austin Street got its second coffee place Friday with the opening of Pink Forest. I dropped in today and found it to be a great addition to the neighborhood. It's a charming new coffee spot, with an Asian flair, representing the increasing influence of this demographic group on our neighborhood. I figured what better time to have my very first JianBing, the Chinese breakfast sandwich I have been hearing so much about? And I was not disappointed. It was downright excellent and I can't wait to have my next one at our new coffee and tea spot. And eatery, by the way. The place also serves bagels, which looked mighty fine as well.

As for the coffee, I also had an iced coffee and thought it was really good.

What's really interesting about Pink Forest is their choice of location. Those of you who have been loyal readers of this blog over the years might remember those early years when I begged for someone to open a nice indie coffee shop, like they had in basically every other NYC neighborhood. Well, first came Red Pipe, and now, pretty much right across the street comes Pink Forest. I hope both flourish. Red Pipe gets mighty crowded at times, and now we have an interesting new complement to it right nearby.

New Ramen Sign is Up

Spicing Things Up At Jade

I just saw this news over at DNAInfo: Spicy Sushi Sandwiches, Mango Drinks Ring in Summer at Forest Hills Eatery about Jade hiring a new chef who's worked at Spice Market, Buddakan and 11 Madison Park.

I recently ordered in some food from Jade and not sure if it has anything to do with it, but was really amazed at the flavors of their simple chicken with broccoli dish. I cannot remember being so impressed with it from there before. Now I'm wondering if this is this new chef's doing. Whichever the case, the dish was incredibly flavored with a blend of savory and sweet spices. Absolutely loved it and highly recommend it. I had been kind of put off by Jade for a while because I was finding that the quality of their dishes didn't justify their prices. This one dish has changed my mind completely. I rank it up there with one of the best versions of this simple Chinese dish I have ever eaten (and that's a life-long New Yorker/Long Islander talking, which makes me an honorary expert on Chinese food).