Golden Garden

If you were to take a random person off the street in the U.S. and ask him what Chinese food was, you'd be lucky if he knew the difference between Cantonese and Sichuan food. I would be even more impressed if he knew what Taiwanese food was, or Hunan food.

And then, what if you asked him about Dongbei food?

Dong what???

Donbei literally means "East North" in Chinese, and refers to the area of China that was once Manchuria. A region surrounded by Mongolia to the west, Russia to the north, and Korea to the east, Donbei is far from famous when it comes to food. In fact, many Chinese southerners actually look down upon Dongbei cuisine, regarding it as more simplistic - less refined, if you will.

Defining characteristics of this cuisine would include dumplings, steamed buns of all sorts, potatoes (often stir-fried with vinegar), and lamb. They eat all parts of an animal, and it's not rare to see various types of offal on the menu. Cumin is heavily featured. Surprisingly, rice is rare, a luxury only enjoyed during the holidays. This is partly due to the poverty in the region - most rice is exported to richer areas of China. Instead, the staple is typically a combination of steamed bread (mantou), noodles, and potatoes.

I was thrilled to stumble upon an authentic Dongbei restaurant in Belmont (less than a mile from Cambridge) this past weekend. This place is the real deal. The owners ran a restaurant in China for 10 years before moving to the U.S. The food is decidedly authentic, and very tasty. Here's what we got.

Roast Beef Tendon and Tripe with Chili Sauce ($7.50)
Admittedly, this is actually a Sichuan dish, but they do it really well. The spicy mala sauce has tons of flavor, and overall the dish was really enjoyable.

Cucumber with Fresh Garlic ($5.95)
This dish was cool, refreshing, and tasted fine. I probably wouldn't order it again, though, since I can just make it myself pretty easily. If I am going to eat out I might as well order stuff I can't make, right?

Green Bean Noodle with Sesame Sauce ($4.95)
Mung bean noodle would be a more appropriate name for this dish, which is not made with American green beans (it's confusing because mung beans are called "green-colored" beans in Chinese). These delicate, soft blocks are made from mung bean flour and tossed with a savory sesame sauce. I found this cold dish to be refreshingly light yet nutty and fragrant at the same time. I really liked it!

Sauteed Shredded Potato with Sour Sauce ($7.95)
I had never had anything like this before! After one bite, I was pleasantly surprised. This dish is very classic Dongbei cuisine. Potatoes are thinly shredded and stir fried with vinegar. The potato still maintains a slight "bite" to it - it's not mushy at all. In fact, it tastes more like you are eating a vegetable than a tuber. The acidity of the vinegar adds a nice brightness that I really enjoyed.

Lamb with Dry Chili Sauce ($12.95)
This dish had solid flavors, and wasn't too spicy. The texture of the meat was not the most tender in the world, but the super thin slices made up for that and the dish was overall pretty enjoyable.

Pork with Chinese Cabbage / Pork with Leek (12 pieces for $6.95)
The handmade dumplings are decent - similar to those you would find at Qingdao, though I think I like Qingdao's dumplings slightly better. Some compare their dumplings to the dumplings at Wang's, though I've never been to Wang's so I can't really do a direct comparison.

General Thoughts
I was really pleasantly surprised with this restaurant. Seriously, you would NEVER have guessed it from looking at the front of the restaurant. That tacky red and yellow sign does not scream "authentic Dongbei cuisine!" by any stretch of the imagination.

I have to say though - it's in a tough spot. It's in sort of a dead area in Belmont. At least it's close to Cambridge - about a mile from Fresh Pond towards Belmont. And I think Cambridge sort of has a dearth of decent Chinese restaurants, so this is really a breath of fresh air.

Overall, the food is solid and authentic. I've only been there once, but I was reasonably pleased with my dining experience. The service is good, the owners are really friendly, and the food was refreshingly unique yet enjoyable at the same time. The menu has some really unique items, such as Sauteed Snails with Cilantro, Pork Intestines with Spicy Sauce, Pork Kidney with Spicy Chili Sauce, and Steamed Beef Tripe. Of course, at the other extreme, they also have all your classic Americanized Chinese dishes such as Crab Rangoons, Chicken Wings, General Gau's chicken (although they call it General Tso's - a nod to Mandarin Chinese), and Kung Pao Chicken.

So, if you're in the neighborhood, or even if you're not, head out to Golden Garden in Belmont to get a unique taste of Northeastern Chinese food. Golden Garden has only been open for a month, so not that many people know about them yet. Definitely check them out and support them if you like their food. Let's try to keep some good Chinese restaurants close to Cambridge. :)

Shangri La

In the Chinese community, word of mouth is potent, and if a new delicious and authentic Chinese restaurant enters the scene, EVERYBODY knows about it immediately.  Good Chinese restaurants never need to advertise because word travels like wildfire.  Lines are predictably long, yet people are willing to wait.

Shangri La in Belmont is definitely one of those restaurants.  Unlike most of the restaurants in Chinatown (which are more Cantonese-style), Shangri La specializes in Sichuan and Taiwanese cuisine.  Their special weekend Taiwanese brunch is especially good.

Come any Saturday around lunchtime, and be prepared to wait at least 20 minutes for a table, if not more.  The place is teeming with  Asians.  The food is excellent here, and everybody knows it.

We went on a Saturday around 12:30 and had to wait about 25 minutes before being seated.  The restaurant is super crowded, and it's hard to wait inside the restaurant.  There just is not enough room to accommodate all the people waiting.  We eventually walked to the Middle Eastern store next door and bought some snacks to kill time (and the hunger pangs!).

It was worth the wait.  The weekend brunch menu is fabulous.  Almost all of the dishes are generally excellent, with several outstanding dishes and just a few mediocre ones.  Here's what we got and our thoughts . . . .

Salty Soy bean milk (咸豆浆) unsweetened soy bean milk is "curdled" with the addition of vinegar, giving this soup the consistency of really soft tofu.  Chopped up fried crullers and pickled vegetables are then added to the mix, making this taste like a salty soybean soup.  It was OK here, but definitely not as good as the one at Mary Chung in Cambridge.

Fried Cruller (油條) A Taiwanese breakfast classic, this was good.  Typically you dip this into the sweet soy bean milk (甜豆花), which we also ordered.

Scallion Pancake 蔥油餅 ($4.25): These were fried to a nice, crispy consistency, and we not too greasy, which was nice. Solid, definitely solid.

Beef Noodle Soup (牛肉麪) This was AMAZING!!!  One of the best beef noodle soups I've ever had in Boston.  The soup had a rich, beef flavor that was just spicy enough to have a slight kick. The beef was soft and tender, as if it had been stewed for a long time. Bryan said he preferred the one at Mary Chung (which is excellent!) because it is spicier.  Although I love the one at Mary Chung, I liked how the spice in this dish did not overpower it, but instead added a subtle kick that was just perfect.  If only they had fresh handmade noodles. Everyone agreed at the table that this dish was one of the best out of the ones we ordered.  If you come here, definitely try this!

Taiwanese Stir Fried Vermicelli 炒米粉 ($6.95): This dish was fine, though nothing extraordinary.  The best fried vermicelli I've had in Boston is from Chung Shin Yuan in Newton.

Cattle Tendon ($6.95): I LOVE LOVE LOVE this dish and can never stop eating it whenever I order this dish.  I swear there's some salty addictive agent in it (heh heh, maybe MSG) that just keeps making me come back for more.  The tendon has the perfect chewy texture and a great spicy aroma that comes from the tendon being tossed in a mixture of sesame-oil and chile oil.  Another one of my favorites here.

Beef wrapped with Sesame Pancake (牛肉夾餅) This was excellent (sorry you can't see the beef in the picture).  The sesame pancake was flaky and crispy; the beef inside had great flavor.  The scallions gave a nice, sharp contrast to the heavier, meaty flavors.

Pork Belly and Pickled Mustard Greens Bun (刮包)
This is another MUST GET dish. I bet David Chang's signature Momofuku Pork Belly buns are inspired from this traditional Taiwanese dish.  Pork belly and pickled mustard greens are topped with sweet ground peanuts and cilantro in a steamed bun.  The resultant flavor combination of the rich pork belly, the salty pickled mustard greens, the sweet crunchy peanuts, and the crisp cilantro and incredible.  Really delicious.  Definitely a must-try.

Pan fried Rice Cakes 炒年糕 ($6.95.  This was the only dish that I found to be VERY mediocre and not worth ordering again.  The rice cakes were doused in this generic brown sauce, and this dish was more reminiscent of Americanized Chinese food than an authentic pan-fried rice cake dish, which, frankly, needs more oil and less goopy sauce.

Nevertheless, despite this one pitfall, the rest of our dishes were either very solid or absolutely delicious.  This is definitely one of the best restaurants for Taiwanese dim sum in Boston, and it's easy to see why people are willing to line up.

In conclusion, if you go, you should definitely try the beef noodle soup, the beef wrapped with sesame pancake, and the pork belly buns.  If you are willing to try tendon, then you should really get the cattle tendon as well.  If you've never had dim sum, the sweet soy milk and the fried cruller are worth getting, just because they are such a classic part of the Taiwanese breakfast experience.  Oh, so are scallion pancakes!

Note: several of the menu items described above are only available on weekends during their special weekend brunch.  Their normal dinner menus is still excellent, but you will not be able to order all of the Taiwanese dim sum dishes.

Shangri La
(617) 489-1488
149 Belmont St
Belmont, MA 02478

Shangri La

In the Chinese community, word of mouth is potent, and if a new delicious and authentic Chinese restaurant enters the scene, EVERYBODY knows about it immediately.  Good Chinese restaurants never need to advertise because word travels like wildfire.  Lines are predictably long, yet people are willing to wait.

Shangri La in Belmont is definitely one of those restaurants.  Unlike most of the restaurants in Chinatown (which are more Cantonese-style), Shangri La specializes in Sichuan and Taiwanese cuisine.  Their special weekend Taiwanese brunch is especially good.

Come any Saturday around lunchtime, and be prepared to wait at least 20 minutes for a table, if not more.  The place is teeming with  Asians.  The food is excellent here, and everybody knows it.

We went on a Saturday around 12:30 and had to wait about 25 minutes before being seated.  The restaurant is super crowded, and it's hard to wait inside the restaurant.  There just is not enough room to accommodate all the people waiting.  We eventually walked to the Middle Eastern store next door and bought some snacks to kill time (and the hunger pangs!).

It was worth the wait.  The weekend brunch menu is fabulous.  Almost all of the dishes are generally excellent, with several outstanding dishes and just a few mediocre ones.  Here's what we got and our thoughts . . . .

Salty Soy bean milk (咸豆浆) unsweetened soy bean milk is "curdled" with the addition of vinegar, giving this soup the consistency of really soft tofu.  Chopped up fried crullers and pickled vegetables are then added to the mix, making this taste like a salty soybean soup.  It was OK here, but definitely not as good as the one at Mary Chung in Cambridge.

Fried Cruller (油條) A Taiwanese breakfast classic, this was good.  Typically you dip this into the sweet soy bean milk (甜豆花), which we also ordered.

Scallion Pancake 蔥油餅 ($4.25): These were fried to a nice, crispy consistency, and we not too greasy, which was nice. Solid, definitely solid.

Beef Noodle Soup (牛肉麪) This was AMAZING!!!  One of the best beef noodle soups I've ever had in Boston.  The soup had a rich, beef flavor that was just spicy enough to have a slight kick. The beef was soft and tender, as if it had been stewed for a long time. Bryan said he preferred the one at Mary Chung (which is excellent!) because it is spicier.  Although I love the one at Mary Chung, I liked how the spice in this dish did not overpower it, but instead added a subtle kick that was just perfect.  If only they had fresh handmade noodles. Everyone agreed at the table that this dish was one of the best out of the ones we ordered.  If you come here, definitely try this!

Taiwanese Stir Fried Vermicelli 炒米粉 ($6.95): This dish was fine, though nothing extraordinary.  The best fried vermicelli I've had in Boston is from Chung Shin Yuan in Newton.

Cattle Tendon ($6.95): I LOVE LOVE LOVE this dish and can never stop eating it whenever I order this dish.  I swear there's some salty addictive agent in it (heh heh, maybe MSG) that just keeps making me come back for more.  The tendon has the perfect chewy texture and a great spicy aroma that comes from the tendon being tossed in a mixture of sesame-oil and chile oil.  Another one of my favorites here.

Beef wrapped with Sesame Pancake (牛肉夾餅) This was excellent (sorry you can't see the beef in the picture).  The sesame pancake was flaky and crispy; the beef inside had great flavor.  The scallions gave a nice, sharp contrast to the heavier, meaty flavors.

Pork Belly and Pickled Mustard Greens Bun (刮包)
This is another MUST GET dish. I bet David Chang's signature Momofuku Pork Belly buns are inspired from this traditional Taiwanese dish.  Pork belly and pickled mustard greens are topped with sweet ground peanuts and cilantro in a steamed bun.  The resultant flavor combination of the rich pork belly, the salty pickled mustard greens, the sweet crunchy peanuts, and the crisp cilantro and incredible.  Really delicious.  Definitely a must-try.

Pan fried Rice Cakes 炒年糕 ($6.95.  This was the only dish that I found to be VERY mediocre and not worth ordering again.  The rice cakes were doused in this generic brown sauce, and this dish was more reminiscent of Americanized Chinese food than an authentic pan-fried rice cake dish, which, frankly, needs more oil and less goopy sauce.

Nevertheless, despite this one pitfall, the rest of our dishes were either very solid or absolutely delicious.  This is definitely one of the best restaurants for Taiwanese dim sum in Boston, and it's easy to see why people are willing to line up.

In conclusion, if you go, you should definitely try the beef noodle soup, the beef wrapped with sesame pancake, and the pork belly buns.  If you are willing to try tendon, then you should really get the cattle tendon as well.  If you've never had dim sum, the sweet soy milk and the fried cruller are worth getting, just because they are such a classic part of the Taiwanese breakfast experience.  Oh, so are scallion pancakes!

Note: several of the menu items described above are only available on weekends during their special weekend brunch.  Their normal dinner menus is still excellent, but you will not be able to order all of the Taiwanese dim sum dishes.

Shangri La
(617) 489-1488
149 Belmont St
Belmont, MA 02478