China 46

[Rachel Perlow]

We happen to be going with some friends. My note was just a general reminder, but some people complained when we talked about going after the fact a couple weeks ago (Curlz! )

[Curlz]

...some people complained when we talked about going after the fact a couple weeks ago (Curlz! )

That I did!! And sadly, I'm only now on line for the first time today; it was one of those non-stop Sundays with too many plans!! Maybe next weekend. Who went? What did you have? Do tell!!

[Qing]

The China46’s opening hours:

Monday-Thursday: 11:30am-10:00pm

Friday & Saturday: 11:30am-11:00pm

Lunch Special 11:30am-3:00pm, and Early Dinner Special 3:00pm-6: 30pm.

Sunday: 11:00am sharply-10:00pm, brunch served 11:00am through 3:00pm.

For food lovers, the A-la-Carte dishes will be served all day long.

I started working in China46 on January 01 this year. Cecil purchases fish, seafood and vegetables all by himself everyday. He has to make sure they are fresh and in best quality, so sometimes we cannot leave Flushing on time.

If you arrived there at 11:30 and we haven’t open, please be patient. I bet you it is worth to wait for us bring you our best food.

Edited August 10, 2004 by Qing (log)

[Qing]

Cecil and Connie work harder than any of their employees, for they work over 14 hours every day and 7 days a week. They are nice boss and pretty successful entrepreneur.

Shanghai is a city, which has less than two hundred years. The migrants from all over China flooded into the newborn city in late 19th century, and they brought their foods and cultures. Cecil’s parents are from Sichuan, and Connie is Cantonese. You can find the spicy Sichuan dishes like Ox Tongue and Tripe, and at the same time we are also serving Cantonese style Steamed Dungeness Crab over ChowFun. The chefs are all professional, and they share their ideas with all of us together.

The boss couple is from Shanghai, and Shanghainese always have highest expectation for Chinese food. By following the trend of “Fusion,” China46 gathers all four major cuisine dishes. It is authentic and creative, and it saves your time to enjoy a food trip around China.

[sammy]

So what is up with China 46? I went for the first time Friday night at 7:00 PM and there were only 3 tables occupied.

The food was terrific.

[pete ganz]

It was like that the 3 times I've been there as well (all Saturdays). The food was great each time. That zhou yow pork shoulder is awesome.

[pbrodsky]

Maybe it's time for another egullet dinner there to pick things up?

[jhlurie]

So what is up with China 46? I went for the first time Friday night at 7:00 PM and there were only 3 tables occupied.

The food was terrific.

This is one of the great mysteries of China 46. The food, in a word, kicks ass. It has publicity galore, great reviews, wonderful prices, and a location that while a bit scary looking is easy to get to (at least for Bergen, Hudson, Passaic, Essex and Rockland counties, as well as Manhattan, The Bronx and Queens).

Some of this can be blamed on the dragging effects from the SARS paranoia of previous years, but not all of it.

The only thing I can think of is that people aren't willing to travel as far for Chinese food as for other kinds. Local neighborhoods in both New York and New Jersey are flooded with outright disgusting, or barely adaquate, Chinese food, and simple numbers and a lack of perception that it CAN be better is enough of a factor to cause this.

Another issue is that China 46 isn't "upscale". Of course, if Cecil closed this location and opened another restaurant with twice the prices and twice the rent to cover, he'd be banking on drawing people who he has no sureity would travel, and he'd lose a loyal local clientele in the process.

Really, simply, more people need to tell more friends about it, and reassure them that it's worth the trip to this scary looking diner-like building in front of this scary looking trucker motel (still scary even after a recent rennovation). Also, in combination with a shopping trip to a place like Han Ah Reum, in either nearby Hackensack or Ridgefield, it's a slam dunk.

[Curlz]

Maybe it's time for another egullet dinner there to pick things up?

Absolutely! But I think we should go for dim sum...!

[Jason Perlow]

Maybe it's time for another egullet dinner there to pick things up?

Absolutely! But I think we should go for dim sum...!

Actually, on Sundays, C46 does a brisk business, but we could easily get seating for 30 people or so if we arranged for it in advance. And we could probably get them to make some extra-special stuff.

[Adam P.]

So what is up with China 46? I went for the first time Friday night at 7:00 PM and there were only 3 tables occupied.

The food was terrific.

It really is sad to see such a fantastic restaurant have so few customers. The food is absolutely phenomenal and the service is great. This place is a food lover's paradise. With the voluminous amount of dishes they serve and the quality of those dishes, you could literally spend an entire year just trying different items.

A personal thanks to everyone at this forum who recommended this place. A google search for authentic Chinese food in NJ led me to here, which inexorably led me to this restaurant. It seems word of mouth paid off for me and I hope it will for others. I just need to think of new and clever ways to get my friends and coworkers to go to this restaurant.

[Marlene]

I'd think about making a special trip to NY just for this

[Rachel Perlow]

Welcome to eGullet, Adam. Glad you joined to post about your experiences at C46.

Marlene - we'd love it if you did.

[Marlene]

Welcome to eGullet, Adam. Glad you joined to post about your experiences at C46.

Marlene - we'd love it if you did.

Sept 23rd, 24th or 25th are looking pretty good in my calendar right now

[Curlz]

Actually, on Sundays, C46 does a brisk business, but we could easily get seating for 30 people or so if we arranged for it in advance. And we could probably get them to make some extra-special stuff.

From what I've read here, Sundays aren't an issue in terms of filling the place, but my guess is that if we get a big group there for dim sum, people will start going back during the following days/week! Maybe that would help Cecil and Company with their weekly counts!

[jo-mel]

Another issue is that China 46 isn't "upscale".  Of course, if Cecil closed this location and opened another restaurant with twice the prices and twice the rent to cover, he'd be banking on drawing people who he has no sureity would travel, and he'd lose a loyal local clientele in the process.

Really, simply, more people need to tell more friends about it, and reassure them that it's worth the trip to this scary looking diner-like building in front of this scary looking trucker motel (still scary even after a recent rennovation).  Also, in combination with a shopping trip to a place like Han Ah Reum, in either nearby Hackensack or Ridgefield, it's a slam dunk.

The area may not be upscale outside, but I love the inside. All the artifacts that Cecil has on the far wall and over the partition are fascinating. There is a warmth inside that belies outside.

But I agree -- another outing would be great! Both forus and for China 46!

[chefdavidrusso]

Maybe it's time for another egullet dinner there to pick things up?

Absolutely! But I think we should go for dim sum...!

I would be ALL OVER going for dim sum!!!

[Qing]

Last Friday, many people were afraid the "Charles," so it was not very busy.

As always, China46 will serve pur creative and authentic food in its warm and casaul stlye. Welcome you come here to enjoy.

[SobaAddict70]

Had brunch here today with a few eGulleteers. This place is definitely worth the trip and blows quite a few places away, even those in NYC.

Standouts:

1. Spicy bitter melon

2. Cold tofu with sesame oil

3. Xiao long bao

4. Shrimp dumplings

5. Steamed vegetable dumplings

6. Garlic and chile pepper relish

7. Shrimp and peas in lobster sauce

8. Deep fried tofu with ong choy

9. Mushroom flat noodles

and others I can't remember.

For the amount of food we had -- a party of nine -- the total bill came out to $118, including tax, but not tip.

Highly, highly recommended.

Soba

PS: Their shrimp toast is now *the* definitive version of shrimp toast, imo. Melts in your mouth shrimp toast. *sigh*

[Rachel Perlow]

...and he hasn't even had the amazing soupy shrimp balls.

Your number 7 - that was edamame, not peas. I never thought of it as a lobster sauce, it's much lighter, not so eggy.

I loved that sweet and sour fish & tofu dish with pine nuts.

There were many dishes there today that were either new to me or to the buffet.

[Fat Guy]

There's no way to say enough good things about the C46 Sunday brunch. The value is incredible: you pay $11.99 and they feed you exceptionally high-quality and varied Shanghai, Sichuan, and Cantonese cuisine as though the world is coming to an end. At C46 at dinnertime, assuming you're a hearty-eating eGulleter, you'd pay $25-30 per person for the same meal. At any Shanghai-type place in NYC, you'd pay more like $40 per person and it wouldn't be as good. The printed-menu dim sum selection alone -- unlimited amounts, made to order in the kitchen -- is worth double the entry price. The cold Shanghai appetizer buffet is a welcome relief from steam-table sameness. In the actual chafing dishes, quantities are kept small and dishes come out in rotation so the food stays vibrant. Soups and dumplings are made to order at a hot food station. Little treats emerge from the kitchen throughout the meal. It's amazing. With tax and tip, $15 per person.

[Laksa]

I would love to know if and when an outing at C46 will be organized again. Would subscribing to this topic be the way to get notified?

I would prefer to eat with a larger group than with just my wife as she doesn't necessarily eat all the dim sum items I like, beef tripe and chicken legs, for instance.

Dim sum baskets tend to have 3 to 4 items each, so my experience is that dining with a large group would mean that we can sample widely, and would allow us to have seconds (or thirds) of only the things we like.

P.S. I just don't know enough people in Poughkeepsie who are willing to travel that far for the sole purpose of eating.

Edited August 26, 2004 by Laksa (log)

[Fat Guy]

There are no dim sum baskets as such, and also no carts, at China 46. It's a totally scalable meal because if you're 10 people they'll bring you 10 pieces of each thing and if you're 1 person they'll bring you a couple of pieces at a time.

Also, you won't likely find most standard dim sum items -- I don't recall seeing beef tripe or chicken legs or feet, though they do have plenty of stuff that's exotic to Westerners.

There hasn't yet been an organized outing to the Sunday brunch, has there? We've just had a bunch of informal groups going and reporting back. I'd be up for a larger-scale event, maybe in mid-September -- can you say eGullet Society fundraiser?

[Laksa]

There are no dim sum baskets as such, and also no carts, at China 46. It's a totally scalable meal because if you're 10 people they'll bring you 10 pieces of each thing and if you're 1 person they'll bring you a couple of pieces at a time.

That suits us perfectly. Thanks for the info! We'll still be in for an eG get-together though.

[Rachel Perlow]

I'm sure we'll have another dinner there on Chinese New Year. I don't think mid-Sept will work for a formal brunch get together, because the only Sunday that isn't a holiday is the 12th, when the Second Annual eGullet NJ Pig-BBQ & Potluck is scheduled.

Also, Laksa, although subscribing to this topic is a great idea, it wouldn't necessarily let you know when the next event is, because we generally plan those on a separate discussion thread.

Like Steven said, because this is not a traditional Hong Kong style dim sum, but a buffet with extras, you could even go there by yourself and sample a wide variety of items. Enjoy!