New Restaurant Review: The Bund

Forest Hills finally has a basic, go-to Chinese restaurant that's actually good. It's been a long time in coming. As I've posted earlier, we have a ton of other Asian places - Thai, Japanese, Asian fusion, sushi - but for some reason a simple Chinese restaurant that was actually really good had been beyond our reach. These other places are great, but sometimes—God damnit!—you just want a freakin' egg roll and pork freakin' fried rice and don't want to pay through the nose to get it!

We've ordered in from The Bund, the new Chinese restaurant that opened in the former Knish Nosh space along Queens Blvd., enroute to Rego Park, a few times and I find their food to remind me of the excellent Chinese food I grew up eating on Long Island: Reasonably-priced (actually dirt-cheap compared to the 'fancy' Asian places we're already brimming with), filling and delicious!

Now, Long Island Chinese food wasn't the more "authentic" Chinese you find in Chinatown here in the City or in Flushing, but for dishes that satisfy that American Chinese food craving - spare ribs, egg rolls, fried rice, Lo mein, Chicken and Broccoli, Kung Pao - you know what I'm talking about - the places on Long Island and other NYC suburbs, just couldn't be beat. Sure, they were devastating to the waist line, but sometimes you just gotta say what the hell!

Anyone looking for THAT kind of Chinese food, old-fashioned, authentic NY-style, should be pleased by the basics at The Bund. I found the choices mentioned above all excellent, and pretty much stuck to the flavors and style that I grew up with. The only difference I noticed was when it came to the egg rolls, which had an interesting slightly peppery flavor. I can't vouch for the more complicated offerings on their menu. But if you try them, let us all know.

The one drawback I found was in the Hot and Sour Soup. I find this issue with so many Chinese restaurants in the City today: these soups are always kinda hot (if not just plain salty) but there's barely any "sour," unless you go to a more pricey place. Why is that? The same thing at The Bund. Don't forget the sour in your Hot and Sour Soup!

Grade: A

The Bund is located at 100-30 Queens Blvd. in Forest Hills. They are open Sunday - Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Friday - Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. And, they deliver to central Forest Hills!! (718) 275-8000

The Bund's Kung Pao Chicken, pork fried rice and egg rolls - full calorie, indulgent and delish! ENJOY!

The Bund Chinese Restaurant Getting Ready to Open

Is it possible Forest Hills will finally have a decent Chinese restaurant to call its own? Since I've lived here for say 15 years or so I don't think there's been a single Chinese sit-down restaurant that I thought was really good, that made me want to go back to it. Sure, there are some decent take-outs, and there are excellent Asian fusion places like Jade. But the Chinese food places like I grew up eating in on Long Island—I'm talking effortlessly delicious Chinese food—have been sorely, sorely lacking here. Forest Hills is not alone. The lack of good Chinese restaurants has been a city-wide problem, except, of course for Chinatown and Flushing—and, my favorite, Ollie's.

I attribute it to the ridiculous high-fat scare we've all been terrified of for the past 20 years. Chinese restaurants have been a dying breed, replaced by Asian fusion serving up nice and healthy sushi and the like.

Well, Enough with the God-Damn Sushi Already! Make Chinese Food Great Again!

You get the picture.

I'm told the new restaurant The Bund will be opening in the former Knish Nosh space at 100-30 Queens Blvd. at the corner of 67th Road on October 25th. I have high hopes because they have a damn interesting authentic Chinese food story to tell that sounds unique and intriguing. Whether my hopes will be dashed, well, that's a different story. I guess we'll all find out together! (If they are good, I just pray to the Lord Above that they deliver to central FoHi where I reside, since they are kinda on the fringe out there enroute to RP.)

Thanks to Thomas for these photos of the storefront and the menu in the window!