Recently, I've been checking out the Freeport Blvd area for authentic Chinese food, and Da Fei Ge is high on my list of new favorite places to dine at.
My husband and I just visited last weekend. It is a small establishment, with only 7 tables. We were seated immediately and handed the menu--one to browse, and one to mark our orders on.
I had already scoured the various reviews for Da Fei Ge, so we knew what we wanted. We immediately put in our order for a clay pot rice, since it would take about 20 min to cook. We went with the special preserved meat clay pot rice, since we were going to order skewers, and for $9.99 that price was hard to beat.
Each skewer order comes with 2 pieces of whatever protein you order, and is so reasonably priced. We were especially excited for the abalone, which came with a mouth-watering garlic chili sauce. We ordered a small variety of skewers, from quail eggs to pork belly to squid.
All the skewers were so flavorful and there was extra chili powder if you wanted to add some more. You have the option to mark down if you want it spicy or non-spicy on the ordering sheet. We of course went with the spicy option. The meats were tender and the sauce on the squid was delightful.
Da Fei Ge is quiet and cozy, and the majority of patrons are Chinese. The staff speaks Mandarin as well.
I also love that you get free cold herbal tea. It's self-serve so you can drink as much as you'd like. It was very refreshing and paired perfectly with our meal.
The clay pot rice was delicious! The crispy rice on the bottom was sooo crunchy and there was a good amount of meat. It came with a side of sauce that you pour on right after it's served to your table. You can let it sit or mix right away. We waited for about 15 seconds and then mixed ours. The meat was thinly-sliced, but the ratio of meat to rice was just fine. Honestly, it was the perfect amount of rice to share while having skewers on the side. I noticed a few other tables had ordered the larger size and that would have been too much to finish in one go. Quite honestly, I feel that clay pot rice should be enjoyed at the restaurant and not taken to go.
As we enjoyed our meal, I also noticed the staff in the back chopping up various cuts of meat. Presumably this was for the clay pot rice and skewers. I really loved how everything was fresh and made to order here. Nothing beats an authentic experience like this, especially when it's hard to find good clay pot rice and skewers these days.
I am super happy I was able to find such a hole-in-the-wall and can't wait to return and try their other offerings soon! read more