Location: 1221 2nd Avenue
Cuisine: Chinese and Japanese
Best Dish: The honey ribs are tender and juicy with a light sweet barbecue glaze but the must-try item is the whole crispy seabass.
Overall: China Fun is an easy casual Chinese restaurant with a good atmosphere and fast service. Some of the highlights of this eatery include its reasonable pricing, extensive menu options, and pleasant wait staff.
NYC is littered with Chinese restaurants. You can barely go three city blocks without passing at least one. With so many options it’s hard to know where to spend your hard earned money. We happened upon China Fun’s Eastside location a few weeks ago for dinner. The decor is simple and straightforward, wood accents with bright white tablecloths. The look is clean and casual, a good space for an easy date or a family dinner.
Once seated we looked over the extensive menu. There are so many items to choose from we hardly knew where to start. One thing we did know was we were in need of some cocktails. To start we ordered “A Perfect Storm” a sweet and Tropical rum-based cocktail with pineapple juice and mango puree. This is a great option for a light drinker. We also tried the “Saketome” a spirited mix of Vodka, Sake, and lime juice while poring over the menu. With so many options it was difficult to settle on just a few dishes so we plucked out a few new items to try as well as some standard items for a fun mix of old and new.
Dinner service began with a trio of appetizers. We went with the Shrimp Toast, Scallion Pancakes, and seafood dumplings. Though dumplings are a familiar treat the shrimp toast provided a new an interesting experience.
We’ve seen shrimp toast on plenty of takeout menus but never had the courage to order until we visited China Fun. In my head, I pictured it like a bruschetta with bits of shrimp on toasted pieces of bread. I was surprised by the toasted triangles that arrived at the table. I looked up a few recipes and as it turns out most of the time shrimp toast is made with simple slices of white bread and a paste of blended shrimp green onions, ginger and other spices. The bread is filled with the paste, battered and fried to perfection.
Savory scallion pancakes are one of my favorite starters. China Fun does them well, the pancakes were light and fluffy with a crisp and flaky outer layer.
The seafood dumplings are a light and tasty mouthful. You can order them steamed or pan fried. If seafood isn’t for you, China Fun also offers several other options including chicken and the minced pork.
Despite our plan to only try new things we had to sample the ribs and we were not disappointed. The mouth-watering ribs were coated in a light sweet glaze. The meat was succulent and juicy. Once we tasted the ribs we instantly regretted not ordering the assorted roast meats platter, but there’s always next time.
After the ribs, we were presented with the first entree, “Crispy Whole Seabass.” Ordinarily, the fish dishes we order come filleted sans head, but this time around we were looking at the whole fish, top to tail. When it arrived at the table we just stared at it. It smelled beautiful but we had no idea where to start. Thankfully our server anticipated our confusion and began to carve the fish for us. She sliced it neatly and easily expertly placing meaty chunks of fish onto our plates, then spooning some of the ginger and scallion sauce onto the fish. It was absolutely scrumptious. The sauce was a great compliment to the meaty bass.
For our last entree, we went with a basic stir fry or sizzling plate. The sound and aroma of sizzling meat is always a treat. At China Fun there are several options to satisfy your craving for a little sizzle at your table. We chose The Happy Family a savory marriage of chicken, beef, pork and shrimp with a colorful assortment of veggies.
Our experience with Chinese restaurants is always different. Though the dishes may be similar each establishment offers a unique atmosphere and a signature dish or two. China Fun offers an easy going casual atmosphere with a hospitable staff and delectable menu. NO matter what you are in the mood for, you can find it at China Fun, from roast meats to sushi it would be impossible not to find a dish for even the pickiest eater to enjoy. However, foodies should always bring several friends, with such an extensive menu the only way to try a little everything is to have a few extra stomachs to share the experience.