Wu Liang Ye

[Artichoke]

Work was a bit slow today so I went to lunch near my office at Wu Liang Ye (36 West 48th, bet. 5th & 6th). I have not been there in a year, the last time I was able to get out of work for lunch.

I was with a fairly conservative eater and so had to forgo the duck tongue and the tripe dishes I was eyeing, but I could not pass up on the sliced beef tendons. One of my favorites. Very thinly sliced beef tendons (shaved realy) served cold in a roasted chili vinnagrette. Spicy, with a slightly crunchy texture, delicious.

Next were Dan Dan noodles. Consistantly good at Wu Liang Ye, served in a spicy chili vinagrette, and topped with finely minced pork. In addition we had the Sichuan pork dumplings with roasted chili vinaigrette (Wu Liang Ye throws the word vinagrette around alot, but it is more like a chili oil, than what one would commonly associate with the word vinagrette) , also spicy, but with a sweet undertone.

For the entree my conservative eating friend chose the prawns and vegetables with toasted rice in sizzling platter wah bah. I have no idea what wah bah is, altough it is kind of fun to say. This was not a bad dish, just not something I would order again. Huge prawns that had been lightly fried, mixed in a brown sauce with bamboo shoots, straw and wood ear mushrooms and peppers. The toasted rice were squares of what amounted to stale rice cakes and added nothing to the dish.

As a vegetable we had sauteed stringbeans with Yibin City spice. I have always liked these. The stringbeans are topped with a mixture of finely miced preserved vegetables and a bit of pork. This is a realy tasty dish that I would highly reccomend.

There are not many spots around Rockefeller Center worth eating at, Wu Liang Ye remains one of them.

One thing to note is that the restaurant is jammed during the lunch hour, so I would definitely reccomend making reservations if you planned on eating there during a weekday.

[Bux]

Glad to see this place mentioned from time to time. I don't eat there much, but it's been one of the few Chinese restaurants I've enjoyed uptown and I agree that it's been one of the best places in it's price range in the area.

[Pan]

I had the lunch special ($8.88 + tax and tip) at the branch of Wu Liang Ye on Lexington between 41st and 40th Sts. today. On the strength of a discussion of their tangerine-peel-flavored dishes in this linked thread, I got their Tangerine Chicken (for a first course, I had a soothing Chicken/Egg Drop Soup which I think was described on the menu as "Corn Egg Drop Soup"). The chicken was moist and lightly breaded, and the dark sauce was a bit smoky (an interesting twist, I thought) and had a nice hot-pepper bite. But where was the tangerine peel? I almost flagged down a waiter to ask whether they had brought the right dish, when I finally happened upon one of the few bits of peel among all the raw onion slices, scallion pieces, and bell pepper pieces (uneaten because of my allergy to them), with mayonnaise-slathered lettuce on the side (also uneaten). Pity, it would be a good rendition if only they used at least 5 times the amount of tangerine peel.

Is the problem that they have a better branch at the 36 W. 48 location?

[Daniel]

I am a big fan of this place also.. However, i have found a big difference between the two locations and will only go to the on 48th.. I really like the spicy crab dish there.. They give you a huge amount of whole crabs to pick at.. This is one dish I get delivered, for lack of being able to eat it in a "civil" manner

[SobaAddict70]

Work was a bit slow today so I went to lunch near my office at Wu Liang Ye (36 West 48th, bet. 5th & 6th).  I have not been there in a year, the last time I was able to get out of work for lunch.

I was with a fairly conservative eater and so had to forgo the duck tongue and the tripe dishes I was eyeing, but I could not pass up on the sliced beef tendons.  One of my favorites. Very thinly sliced beef tendons (shaved realy) served cold in a roasted chili vinnagrette.  Spicy, with a slightly crunchy texture, delicious.

Next were Dan Dan noodles. Consistantly good at Wu Liang Ye, served in a spicy chili vinagrette, and topped with finely minced pork.  In addition we had the Sichuan pork dumplings with roasted chili vinaigrette (Wu Liang Ye throws the word vinagrette around alot, but it is more like a chili oil, than what one would commonly associate with the word vinagrette) , also spicy, but with a sweet undertone.

For the entree my conservative eating friend chose the prawns and vegetables with toasted rice in sizzling platter wah bah.  I have no idea what wah bah is, altough it is kind of fun to say.  This was not a bad dish, just not something I would order again.  Huge prawns that had been lightly fried, mixed in a brown sauce with bamboo shoots, straw and wood ear mushrooms and peppers.  The toasted rice were squares of what amounted to stale rice cakes and added nothing to the dish.

As a vegetable we had sauteed stringbeans with Yibin City spice.  I have always liked these.  The stringbeans are topped with a mixture of finely miced preserved vegetables and a bit of pork.  This is a realy tasty dish that I would highly reccomend.

There are not many spots around Rockefeller Center worth eating at, Wu Liang Ye remains one of them.

One thing to note is that the restaurant is jammed during the lunch hour, so I would definitely reccomend making reservations if you planned on eating there during a weekday.

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Guess what, my office is within two blocks.

Guess where I'll be having lunch tomorrow or in the next few days. Thanks for bumping this up.

Soba

[tommy]

Guess what, my office is within two blocks. 

Guess where I'll be having lunch tomorrow or in the next few days.  Thanks for bumping this up.

Soba

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you're at rock center now? there are several good choices in the area. lots of variety at the very least.

i agree that wu liang ye is a madhouse during lunch. gotta get there early.

[mjs]

I agree that, on the whole, the Rock Ctr branch is better. However, the Lex branch has much to recommend it. Thing is, I don't think you'll generally do well with the lunch specials. You need to order a la carte, from the "Szechuan appetizers" or "Chef's Szechuan Specialities" (I may not have the wording exactly correct but, you get the idea.

Also, the Lex branch has something neither of the other two do. A special Chinese hot pot menu. They don't advertise this and you have to ask. But, they will serve real northern Chinese style hot pot with a wide variety of meats, seafood, organ meats, etc. Best to call in advance to ask for this.

[SobaAddict70]

I haven't been able to go here yet, but we're doing takeout from them today. (Yes, I have to be here at work today, which is both a good thing and a bad thing.)

I'm making it my mission to stop in here for lunch one day later next week. Stay tuned.

Incidentally, I'm getting the ma po tofu. We'll see if it compares favorably to the version at Grand Sichuan (midtown location).

Soba

[SobaAddict70]

Well, they were out of the ma po tofu.

Hm, must be a really popular dish there. It's not even past 1:30 pm yet.

I ordered the ox tongue and tripe (lots of Sichuan peppercorns here), and the tangerine chicken. I think the tripe freaked out a couple of lawyers. They went for moo shu pork, wonton soup and fried dumplings.

Oh well, can't win everything.

Apparently there is an UES side branch as well? On 86th St? I can't remember. One of the lawyers I was working with mentioned something about that.

Soba

[Qing]

I am working for the Wuliangye at 86th Street betwen 2nd and 3rd Avenue now. Like all of other Wuliangyes, the red color means its spicy, and the name tellls you the best liquor go with Sichuan food.

Honestly, 86th Street Wuliangye is not famous as its sister restaurant at 48th Street which is close to the Rockfeller Center, but here the food is same good as the 48th Street's. Our advantage is the dinning room would not be always crowded like in 48th Street, and according the Zagat's rate:

Food 22

Decor 12

Service 16

Average coat $27

But I believe my service is good, so add couples of points in service rating if you want. Ha..Ha.

I wish all of you guys can drop by sometime, and we can talk about food and have fun, right?

Edited August 7, 2005 by Fat Guy (log)

[Fat Guy]

I live on the Upper East Side, so Wu Liang Ye on 86th (215 E 86th St, 212.534.8899) is my local place for Sichuan. I've been there many, many times. I think overall it's the second-best Sichuan place in New York, after Grand Sichuan International Midtown, but that's not an across-the-board determination. Grand Sichuan has a greater assortment of good dishes, but there are some things that Wu Liang Ye does better. So if you know how to order, you can do very well at Wu Liang Ye.

And imagine our surprise, at lunch the other day, when we walked in and saw Qing, formerly a server at China 46 in New Jersey, working at Wu Liang Ye. His sister turns out to be the manager, and he turns out to be starting school in the city this fall, so he'll be at Wu Liang Ye for the foreseeable future. Qing is one of the great Chinese waiters -- 60+ eG Forums posts are only the beginning -- so if you go to Wu Liang Ye be sure to introduce yourself.

My favorite items at Wu Liang Ye are as follows. These are the dishes that I think Wu Liang Ye does better than Grand Sichuan, or that Wu Liang Ye does well and Grand Sichuan doesn't do at all:

Cold apps:

Poached Razor Clams with Sichuan Pepper Corn-scallion Vinaigrette

Shredded Chicken & Mung bean Noodles with Spicy Garlic Soy Vinaigrette

Spicy Mung bean Noodles Salad

Sichuan Pickles

Hot apps:

Chengdu Wonton with Sichuan Peppercorn Vinaigrette

Dan Dan Noodles with Minced Pork Chili Vinaigrette

Main dishes:

Stir Fried Prawns with Yibin Spiced Chili Cucumber

Cellophane Noodles with Minced Pork (some places call this "ants climb on tree")

Braised Pan Seared Tofu w/ Sichuan Chili-minced Pork

Crispy Tangerine Prawns

Smoky Hot Shredded Beef with Spicy Capsicum

Baby Eggplant W/spicy Garlic Sauce

Sauteed Spinach with Garlic

Sauteed String beans “with Yibin City Spiced”

That's what I've been able to learn from trial and error over the past couple of years. Now with our Qing connection, though, I expect to get some additional insight.

And Qing is right: the 86th Street Wu Liang Ye is rarely busy, so you can always get in, get a lot of space and get a lot of attention.

[Qing]

I should explain a most wanted question for you.

Why this restaurant was named as Wuliangye?

Wuliangye was introduced to American by the Washington Post in 1915. About ten years ago, Wuliangye Corporation has opened the three restaurants in New York and gave them the authority to use the same name and logo. Actually, you can buy it from most of Chinese owned liquor stores long time ago.

Wuliangye is Chinese liquors from Yibin City, Sichuan Province, and it means “The Liquor Made from Five Kinds of Grains.”

Sorghum 36%

Wheat 16%

Corn 8%

Glutinous Rice 18%

Rice 22%

The Alc is 52%, or 104 proofs. Its strong bouquet and spicy taste are the best matches to Sichuan food, for they came from same place. We also have the “Light Version” of original Wuliangye at Alc 39%, or 78 proofs. I think they just diluted the 52% with more water, and they not only lighted on Alcohol, but also the taste. So you can buy the bottle of 52% Wuliangye, and take home if you can’t finish.

(Note: the NYC new Liquor law allows people take home their wine left over with a perfect corking or sealing.)

The way to drink is just pour and drink, so there are no chill or heat processes needed.

If you don’t need to drive, why don’t you try a shot?

[Eric_Malson]

Until I discovered Grand Sichuan (thanks to Fat Guy's old site!), the 48th St. location of Wu Liang Ye was my favorite Chinese restaurant in the New York. I've tried a lot of things here, but my two favorites that I always come back to (both missing from Fat Guy's list, but I know from personal experience they're not as good at the uptown location) are:

Hand-shredded chicken with spicy sesame vinaigrette (cold appetizer)

Double-cooked fresh bacon with spicy capsicum

Both are pretty sensational...even better than the equivalent dishes at Grand Sichuan.

(and do not be fooled by the "double cooked pork" item on the lunch specials menu--it's a better execution of the same dreck that any other Chinese restaurant has. I made that mistake once, and sent it back)

[rocketman]

Until I discovered Grand Sichuan (thanks to Fat Guy's old site!), the 48th St. location of Wu Liang Ye was my favorite Chinese restaurant in the New York.  I've tried a lot of things here, but my two favorites that I always come back to (both missing from Fat Guy's list, but I know from personal experience they're not as good at the uptown location) are:

Hand-shredded chicken with spicy sesame vinaigrette (cold appetizer)

Double-cooked fresh bacon with spicy capsicum

Both are pretty sensational...even better than the equivalent dishes at Grand Sichuan.

(and do not be fooled by the "double cooked pork" item on the lunch specials menu--it's a better execution of the same dreck that any other Chinese restaurant has.  I made that mistake once, and sent it back)

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They tried to talk me out of the double cooked fresh bacom with spicy capsicum the first few times i ordered telling me that I would not like it.....well its become by far my favorite dish and im there at least 1 a month eating it....which is about all the body can handle. You literally sweat chili oil after eating it on a hot summer day.

[sara]

Went the other night to the UES location...Merely ok this time. The dan dan noodles weren't very hot, and were a bit greasy. The sesame chicken my little cousins ordered was terrible--chewy/gummy. Tangerine prawns were fine. The string beans with yibin spice and the eggplant were both quite good. The general tso's tofu was surprisingly wonderful! Service was extremely haphazard--they kept forgetting dishes and bringing wrong ones, and never properly cleared the table.

[hitmanoo]

I went for lunch on Friday--solo style, and was pleasantly surprised. I went to the 48th St. b/w 5th and 6th location.

I got to the restaurant at about 12:45, and it was packed. I waited about 5-10 minutes for a table which wasn't too bad at all. I guess the only problem is that they didn't have much space for waiting inside--this has to be a bit of a problem in the winter. I digress...

I went with a hot and sour soup as an Ap, and I'd have to say that it was as good a version as any I've ever had, with the only exception being the rendition served by the R&G lounge in San Francisco which was next level.

For the main, I had Stir Fried Prawns with a Yibin Spiced Chili and Asparagus. Just the pefect amount of spiciness, and both the prawns and asaragus were cooked perfectly.

I guess the only disappointing aspect of the lunch was that I didn't get to try a variety of dishes. I'll be sure to return with a group and give more of the menu a try. Hopefully, I'll go with some adventurous eaters, as the menu had several interesting choices I'd love the opportunity to sample.

[Megan Blocker]

Just did a holiday lunch with a few work buddies at the Wu Liang Ye on 48th Street...it was very good. It wasn't a hugely adventurous group, so we didn't do anything too out of the ordinary, but even the ordinary was delicious.

We started with the vegetable dumplings, which I really enjoyed - you could taste all of the different veggies, and nothing tasted like cardboard, as vegetable dumplings are so apt to do. Next up were the chicken/lettuce wraps - not fantastic, but good - comforting.

For our mains, we had vegetable chow fun (great - the veggies stayed crisp and flavorful), eggplant in garlic sauce (delicious - buttery and redolent of garlic), prawns with chili asparagus (spicy and rich - my favorite dish), beef filets flavored with tea (good, not amazing, but solid), and mixed sauteed veggies (eh). All in all, a good meal - that food fed six with leftovers, and with six Tsing Tao's and two glasses of wine, the whole meal came to under $30 a head.

I can't wait to go back and try more of the traditional Sichuan dishes.

[SobaAddict70]

You're having lunch with a friend who's never been to Wu Liang Ye this weekend, although he's been to Grand Sichuan (midtown) previously. This is the Rockefeller Center location.

What would you get?

[Jason Perlow]

You're having lunch with a friend who's never been to Wu Liang Ye this weekend, although he's been to Grand Sichuan (midtown) previously.  This is the Rockefeller Center location.

What would you get?

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I'd put myself in Qing's hands and let him order for you.

Definitely Dan Dan noodles, Definitely Ma Po Dofu.

[SobaAddict70]

Except that Qing works at the uptown location, if memory serves.

[Jason Perlow]

Well, then go uptown!

[SobaAddict70]

Not possible, Jason.

[Qing]

Happy new year! Everyone.

I am working at Wuliangye part-time, but for both 39th street and 86th street. For sure I will be 39th street every Saturday and Sunday.

[AzianBrewer]

Just did a holiday lunch with a few work buddies at the Wu Liang Ye on 48th Street...it was very good.  It wasn't a hugely adventurous group, so we didn't do anything too out of the ordinary, but even the ordinary was delicious.

We started with the vegetable dumplings, which I really enjoyed - you could taste all of the different veggies, and nothing tasted like cardboard, as vegetable dumplings are so apt to do.  Next up were the chicken/lettuce wraps - not fantastic, but good - comforting.

For our mains, we had vegetable chow fun (great - the veggies stayed crisp and flavorful), eggplant in garlic sauce (delicious - buttery and redolent of garlic), prawns with chili asparagus (spicy and rich - my favorite dish), beef filets flavored with tea (good, not amazing, but solid), and mixed sauteed veggies (eh).  All in all, a good meal - that food fed six with leftovers, and with six Tsing Tao's and two glasses of wine, the whole meal came to under $30 a head.

I can't wait to go back and try more of the traditional Sichuan dishes.

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You guys had chow fun at a Szechuan restaurant?? Go for the the wontons with red oil and dan dan noodle. Skip the wine and pass the bai-jou (Chinese moonshine) around. It will bring out the "Ma-La" (tongue numbing and spicy) experience.

[lauderdale75]

I was in NYC this weekend and stayed around the corner at the W-Court hotel. I passed by Wu Liang Ye walking back to the hotel and was dissappointed that the concierge recommended "ming's chinese" - a commonplace neighborhood chinese place instead of Wu Liang Ye. Having read the rave recommendations, I walked down to Wu Liang Ye (on Lexington/39th). The dining room was empty on Saturday night ~ 9:30 pm. Most of the staff were sharing "hot pot" type dishes in the back of the restaurant. I secretely desired to share what they were eating. My dining partner and I were overwhelmed by the menu -- it was nearly 10 pages offering well over 200 dishes. I retrieved my trusted Blackberry and navigated to the Egullet page to search for recommendations.

We ordered a few beers each and then ordered:

(1) Dan Dan Noodles

(2) Poached Razor Clams

(3) Sliced Beef Tendons

(4) Tea Smoked Duck

This was the first time I had tried Dan Dan Noodles. They were tossed tableside and when the hot/warm noodles were mixed in with the "vinaigrette" it released it salty/sweet/earthy aroma. We knew we were in for a treat. The noodles offered so many flavors dancing around in your mouth. To those who'd never had it before, I'd liken it to a "chinese bolognese" but even that phrase doesnt do the dish any justice. If I lived in NYC, this would certainly be a weekly treat for me. My only recommendation -- and Im sure this is a bastardization of the meal -- would be to add some extra spinach and perhaps some chopped green onion.

The Poached Razor clams "special" was prominently displayed over the bar. I read about the recommendation on this site and ordered it. The dish was served cold accompanied by a scallion sauce. Again, the dish was infused with an abundance of flavor; my only regret was that I wish this dish was served before the noodles as I wouldve benefitted from a "cleaner" palatte to really enjoy the clams.

Sliced Beef Tendons may have been the highlight of the evening. This dish was served cold and offered a salty/chewy/crunchy texture. It was served in a red sichuan oil "sauce" and this dish really challenged and highlighted what traditional "carry-out" chinese places cannot offer to the public at large. It really made me wish I lived in NYC (just for a moment so I could experience foods like this on a regular basis.

The tea smoked duck arrived along with the Tendons. It was half a duck (at this point my dining partner and I were so full) and chopped into bite sized pieces. The first bite revealed a smoky/earthy and salty quality. The duck was not gamey and offered a crackly skin. It was perfect. We contemplated how they prepared the dish so quickly and agreed that it was likely prepared in advanced and kept in some type of oven that didnt dry out the meat while still maintaining a crisp skin. We finished the best pieces of the duck leaving behind some bones and large pieces of fat.

I look forward to my next visit to NYC to try out Wu Liang Ye again. I only hope the next time I can go with a larger group (of egullet-eers?) so I can try a larger variety of dishes.

PS - Sorry no pictures --