I did not realize that I would be in Brooklyn's Chinatown when my health insurance picked a pediatrician for me. I was a little stunned because I barely recognized most of the food in the area nor could I understand the signage, I felt as if English was totally minimized in this area.
So it's cold outside, I'm feeling a little lost in translation and needed to find a warm spot to grab a bite while waiting for Uber. I came in here and thought okay, well I KNEW it was a bakery, the food still did not feel familiar at all. I saw some things that looked like plain angel cake. I couldn't understand the menu, and just felt lost like I do in Chinatown in Manhattan, except I was caught offguard this time.
I settled on these hot dogs wrapped in a croissant bun like a pig in a blanket (except a little larger), but yet it is certainly not a croissant. The bread had a soft and buttery texture and I had never had anything quite like it before (no surprise there). The hot dog on the inside was kinda cheap and processed but it's in line with how it was priced. I asked how much and it was $1 each so I got two for my daughter since they didn't take card (of course) and only cash and that was all the cash in my pocket at the moment.
They didn't seem to really care about marketing or branding here because there was no logo and obvious signage. I didn't even know the name of the place until I found a small business card taped near the cash register with their name and address. But there was no phone number or website on the card. I finally saw they indeed did have a large sign outside on the building hanging right above the entrance with their business name and phone number, so I added them to Yelp.
I'm assuming they cater to the foot traffic in the area because the streets were pretty packed and they had a few other customers besides myself.
Maybe this might be the favorite or regular place to someone more familiar with the Asian culture, language and cuisine than I, but I just found this place to be good for what it was for that moment for my daughter and I.
To be completely honest, I didn't feel really welcomed or like they cared about my business as a customer. I had to go back to find napkins for the little one sort of giving it a get your ish and go fast food vibe. No smiles type of thing, making it to go with the assumption that I won't dine in.
Maybe there is something to that because I saw on the news how blacks are boycotting businesses this holiday season that are not black owned because of this type of unspoken sentiment I felt. In particular, I have seen protesters on the news deterring blacks from spending money in Asian businesses. Some of my closest friends are of diverse ethnicities and even my Uber driver was Asian who I thought was really awesome, and friendly with perfect customer service. I said all that to say is it would be great if they made their customers feel more welcome. I hate to lump it in one category but I try to be authentic in each review so there you have it. read more