Side note- Listed as 圓仔炳富城酒家 or YUANZAIBING (one word) on other sites, as well as King Kong on the…read moredoor.
I went to this unique new Chinese place with two other locations in BK's Chinatown serving Taishanese/Toison food, a subtype of Cantonese cuisine originally from Taishan (as the name suggests) in Guangdong, a few months ago. They were pretty crowded, primarily with older Chinese folks, and it took us a while to get a seat. The food was generally pretty good, though they were out of some of their siu mei/roasted meats, which is unfortunate, as I wanted to try their duck to compare it to some of the other places. As per this, we ordered a large version of the Clay Pot Rice (more on that later) and got the remaining siu mei available, consisting of half an order of Soy Sauce Chicken and a quarter of their house specialty, Five Spice Goose.
The first thing to arrive was the goose, which cost around $40 for the quarter, as it's $28 a pound. Compared to roasted duck, I found the goose meat a bit tougher and meatier, and slightly more gamey. The skin was also less crispy, so the dish had a bit of a chew overall. My personal favorite parts were the neck and wings, as the little bones were easy to munch on, and it was primarily meat, which is a bit different from roasted duck, where I tend to prefer the pieces with more of the crispy fatty skin. The five-spice powder flavor was lighter than expected, but I didn't mind, as I find that the star anise and cloves, among the other spices, can occasionally be a bit overpowering. A handful of people in the group had tried roast goose in China before and said this version was alright.
The half a chicken for $15 (or $29 for a full one) was fine. The meat was pretty tender, but I found the chicken a bit less flavorful than at some other places in the area, such as Uncle Lou's. The ginger scallion dipping sauce was standard.
We soon got some of the main dishes, and our preference was the two casseroles. Of the two, the cheaper option was the Salted Fish With Eggplant and Diced Chicken, for $25. The version here was a bit saltier than usual, with plenty of fish in particular. The eggplant was cooked down nicely otherwise, and there was a good amount of chicken as well. This was a good version and plenty big enough to justify the price point.
The other casserole was the Lamb With Bean Curd Stick, priced at $33. The lamb had a slight chew, though a bit too much in a few pieces, and this is coming from someone who loves tendon. The bean curd skin had a pleasant, slightly chewy texture, while the brown sauce was slightly rich. This was good as well, though we preferred the former dish.
We also got the other dish they're known for, the Claypot Rice With Taishan Yellow Eel, available in small ($38) or large ($58,) and the waiter said the dish would take about 30 minutes. We got the large size, and it was absolutely massive, with some of us taking leftovers home. There was a ton of rice, and thanks to the cooking vessel, some of it turned into socarrat/crispy rice on the bottom. In terms of the flavor, I wish there were more scallion, as the rice itself needed a bit more flavor. The bit of eel in there was nice, but it wasn't too present. I would recommend this if you're with a large party as an alternative to another carb dish.
The Lotus Root Stir Fry for $24 was standard. It was mildly flavored with plenty of mixed vegetables outside of the lotus, such as wood ear, green beans, Chinese cauliflower, and snow peas. If you're looking for a side dish, it works.
I was not a fan of their Peking Pork Chops, which were $21. I usually love this dish, but the breading texture was off, leaving it a bit too soggy. I also found it to be a bit bony compared to some other places. I would instead recommend other Cantonese spots, such as Uncle Lou's or Seng's, for this dish.
The meal here was a bit of a mixed bag. It was unique to find a Toison spot and a place serving roasted goose, but the overall quality wasn't the best. Low 3.
