THE BEST: Char Siu (Chinese Barbecued Pork)

[Jammin]

I am quite surprised that after running a search and perusing 24 pages of thread results, I was unable to find a discussion of the best char siu in the city. So here we go...

My current favorite is hole-in-the-wall Wing Wong on Lafayette St., which - strangely - was recommended to me by my uncle for their roast duck. I didn't think the duck was particularly outstanding, but their char siu is really something else and I've been eating char siu my whole life.

Your suggestions?

Edited March 29, 2005 by Jammin (log)

[Bux]

Wing Wong web site. Lafayette just south of Canal Street, and another branch on Mott.

[Jason Perlow]

For those of you in Queens, there's excellent char siu at the roast meats takeout store at the floor level of the East Buffet building on Flushing Main Street. I always buy some on the way out when we go to East.

[Pan]

In case some people don't know, char siu is Chinese barbecue.

I like the soy sauce chicken at Chou Zhou in Flushing (Main St. just across from the Flushing branch of the Queens Borough Public Library). In Manhattan's Chinatown, I like Great NY Noodletown aka NY Noodle Town Inc (28 1/2 Bowery, corner of Bayard St.).

The Lafayette St. branch of Wing Wong is a door down from Excellent Dumpling, isn't it? If so, I had a nice lunch of duck gizzards and green vegetables with oyster sauce on rice there a couple of years ago -- for $6.50 plus tip, I believe.

[Jason Perlow]

In case some people don't know, char siu is Chinese barbecue

More specifically, its roast pork, but yeah -- although its not really barbecue because its not wood smoked, they typically roast them in specialized electric contraptions or Peking Duck ovens. The roast meat stores carry other stuff as well, such as Peking Ducks and chickens and stuff.

[Bux]

. . . .

The Lafayette St. branch of Wing Wong is a door down from Excellent Dumpling, isn't it? If so, I had a nice lunch of duck gizzards and green vegetables with oyster sauce on rice there a couple of years ago -- for $6.50 plus tip, I believe.

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It's right next door to Excellent Dumpling. It's mostly a meat and rice, noodles, and soup as well as congee place. Chinese vegetable and oyster sauce may be the only vegetable dish on the very short menu.

Excellent Dumpling used to be a place I liked, but I've stopped going a long time ago.

[fauxtarga]

Do you guys buy yours and cut it for home use or eat it in the restaurant? I used to go to noodletown across from confucius plaza for a quick fix over rice, but I'm not really a roast pork connoisseur. Still, one of the best uses of three bucks and change in the city.

Is the preference for a juicy product? Lots of the black crust? My grandmother always would by the leanest she could find, but I like a fair amount of fat on mine.

[Transparent]

For those of you in Queens, there's excellent char siu at the roast meats takeout store at the floor level of the East Buffet building on Flushing Main Street. I always buy some on the way out when we go to East.

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Char Siu from East Buffet is pretty top notch - but the fat, squid-like creatures (as they classified as fish?) are just about the best. I don't like what they're called, but in Cantonese, (poor romanization ahead) it's Muk Yu. I haven't had any better than from East Buffet. They're found hanging alongside the other meats in window displays.

Edited April 21, 2005 by Transparent (log)

[markk]

For those of you in Queens, there's excellent char siu at the roast meats takeout store at the floor level of the East Buffet building on Flushing Main Street. I always buy some on the way out when we go to East.

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Char Siu from East Buffet is pretty top notch - but the fat, squid-like creatures (as they classified as fish?) are just about the best. I don't like what they're called, but in Cantonese, (poor romanization ahead) it's Muk Yu. I haven't had any better than from East Buffet. They're found hanging alongside the other meats in window displays.

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Are you talking about the "buffet" itself upstairs, or the takeout place downstairs? Actually, is there another restaurant downstairs besides the takeout? And is the upstairs just the "buffet"? I guess I'm confused as to how many establishments are there.

[Pan]

Char Siu from East Buffet is pretty top notch - but the fat, squid-like creatures (as they classified as fish?) are just about the best. I don't like what they're called, but in Cantonese, (poor romanization ahead) it's Muk Yu. I haven't had any better than from East Buffet. They're found hanging alongside the other meats in window displays.

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Cuttlefish, I presume? It can be hard to get a perfect one because the texture can be rubbery, so I think that a place that serves a really good one is a real find.

[Gastro888]

Yeah, the English word would be cuttlefish.

I prefer cha siu that's been honey glazed and it's kinda hard to find. There was this great joint on Mott that's now replaced by Signapore Cafe. ::sighs:: Perfect cha siu, that was. Now, I just check out what's hanging - if it looks plump and juicy I go for it. Sidebar: I hate it when you order an "on rice" dish and you get the crappy cha siu that looks like the train ran over it - all flat and deflated looking.

I normally get 1/2 fat and 1/2 lean. I can't get with those who like all lean and burnt cha siu. What's the point of eating it if there's no tasty fat, ya know?

[Jammin]

what a shame. according to every single one of my singaporean friends, singapore cafe is arguably the least authentic restaurant for that type of food. heck, they even used the wrong chinese characters in their sign out front!

[Pan]

[...]I hate it when you order an "on rice" dish and you get the crappy cha siu that looks like the train ran over it - all flat and deflated looking.[...]

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Jammin, we can discuss Singapore Cafe further in another thread if you like, but I can't resist asking what the Chinese characters on their sign say.

[Gastro888]

I think the characters say:

"Here lies the resting place for the last of the honey roasted cha siu joints...."

[Gastro888]

In case some people don't know, char siu is Chinese barbecue

More specifically, its roast pork...

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Cha siu is usually translated as Chinese BBQ pork, the cut being a boneless tenderloin. If you are looking for roast pork it's "sieu yook" (Cantonese) - the whole pig roasted with a crisp skin.

We Chinese loooove us some piggy pigs, I tell you what.

[Jammin]

Gastro - Wondering which place you frequent now that your favorite place is gone? Also, I know we call cha siu BBQ pork, but keep in mind that the eG'ers here use the term BBQ a little differently. In any case, I think we all agree on what is being referred to here.

Jammin, we can discuss Singapore Cafe further in another thread if you like, but I can't resist asking what the Chinese characters on their sign say.

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Didn't mean to derail my own thread there... in response to your question though...

"The word for Singapore is represented by three Chinese characters: xin1 jia1 bo1, the first word "xin1" being the same as the word for 'new'. In the Singapore Cafe sign, they've written the first character "xing1" as in 'star', which is a near-homophone, but unfortunately, no cigar. This goes unnoticed by most people except actual Singaporeans, who always snicker and/or make snide comments about it when they walk by."

(The above information, incidentally, has been supplied by my friend, eG user tinymich, who is still upset that her account will not let her post it herself.)

[Gastro888]

Where do I go? Geez, honestly I don't have a joint joint that I regularly hit for cha siu - I litterally go around and if I find something that looks good to me, I get some. So if you see someone peering into storefronts and scrutinzing the cha siu, it's a good chance that it's me! (hee hee)

Cha siu is not traditional American BBQ in terms of BBQ, that is true. But it's usually what's used to describe it when you translate it for non-Asians. I guess BBQ is used b/c people can relate to the sweet glaze on the cha siu as "BBQ". But I understand what you mean - there is no St. Louis style cha siu with a dry rub...LOL

Oh my god, no. They DO NOT have that on the sign out front. Oh lord. Aiiiii yaaaaa.