One of Forest Hills' Best Noodle Places is Planning to Close

 I heard today than XinTaste, located at 72-38 Austin Street, is planning to close in three months. I don't usually do this, but this place is so excellent and its closing will be such a loss to our neighborhood, that I am requesting everyone to do anything possible to convince them not to close. 

I think their closing is of the magnitude of Banter's closing, that is how bad it will be for the neighborhood. I know that there are a lot more important things to be worried about in the world right now, but an awesome bowl of noodles makes life that much better, right?

Anyway, please pay them a visit or give them a call at (718)520-5199 and charm them into staying open :)

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.

Forest Hills' Best Chinese Food

I've tried every Chinese restaurant that has opened in Forest Hills over the years. Most of the time, I've been disappointed. It's not surprising, really. We live in an age where traditional Chinese food in the U.S.-- the kind familiar to say, anyone who grew up in the 70's or 80's -- has fallen out of favor. It's exceedingly rare to find a traditional Chinese restaurant in New York City these days, aside, of course from, say, Chinatown and Flushing.

Luckily, however, Forest Hills does have one superb Chinese restaurant. And it also happens to be physically one of the more interesting restaurants to visit in the neighborhood because of its location - tucked away behind a building that you can only get to via a narrow alley, which also serves as an outdoor seating area.  

I am talking about Memories of Shanghai. Now, MOS is not a traditional American Chinese restaurant per se. But, in terms of great Chinese food, it is unsurpassed by far in Forest Hills. And, most of its dishes will appeal to people looking for Chinese food that is not too far removed from standard Western Chinese food tastes.

Heavy on the dim sum type offerings, my favorite is their steamed chicken dumplings. Deliciously minced with onions, these are sweet and delightful. I also liked their Spring Rolls and Hot & Sour soup (though, as usual, it could be more soury). Their vegetable potstickers are great as well, as are their shrimp dumplings and pan fried pork bun.

The truth is, you can't really go wrong with anything you order from this kinda hidden Forest Hills culinary treasure.

Memories of Shanghai is located at 68-60 Austin Street in Forest Hills and is open 7 days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (718)880-2938. And, yes, thankfully, they deliver to Forest Hills and Rego Park.

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.

New Japanese Restaurant on Austin St.

Welcome (soon) Hinoki, in the former location of A&J Pizza, on Austin Street in Forest Hills. (Thanks to Joe for the close-up pic.)

New Japanese Restaurant Opening

A new Japanese restaurant named Bamboo Ya will be opening June 11th on Austin Street.  It will occupy the space of the recently closed The Old Siam Thai restaurant, located opposite Gerard Towers.  The owners allowed me inside for a sneak peek:

When It Rains It Pours - Noodle Edition

A Twitter follower told me that we are getting yet another noodle shop, this time in what I think was the former bank location near Fay Da Bakery on Queens Blvd., around the corner from 71st/Continental.  This follows the apparent 'Forest Hills Law of Threes '-  where we can never just get one or two of a certain place, we need at least three of them to open in quick succession: banks, medical centers, ice cream places.

But, not to take away from the soon-to-open Ren Wen Noodle Factory, as you can read for yourself in the link below. It actually sounds pretty unique and interesting, and quite enticing. I am hungry for it already, actually, just writing this...

Noodle Shop to Open on Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills

Ren Wen Noodle Factory, which opened its first location at 7 Great Neck Road in Flushing in March, will open a new noodle shop at 107-50 Queens Boulevard in late July or early August.

Read all about it here: https://foresthillspost.com/noodle-shop-to-open-on-queens-boulevard-in-forest-hills

Speaking of noodles, I've now tried the two most recent ones that have opened on Austin St.: Xin Taste and Tamashii Ramen. My fave at this point is Xin, but then again I've gone to it several times and Tamashii only once. Xin's hand-pulled noodle soup with chicken is just awesome - the ingredients are so fresh and tasty.

The recently-opened Tamashii Ramen on Austin Street.

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.