The food taste very authentic. Uyghur cuisine will warm your heart and body. I recommend the Nan…read moreQordaq 馕包肉 and the Samsa 烤包子。 Try to select the lamb for your dishes. You will love the rich flavor from the grilled lamb with spices. The meat is very tender and aromatic! my mouth got so watery after the first bite, juicy tender and flavorful from the spices, the cumin, pepper and rosemary. And the vegetables are so delicious in the dish because they soaked in the juice from the meet, the onions, carrots, papers became sweets and they are the best to eat with rice or noodles.

Very laid back atmosphere. Not a fancy place. Located across the street from the botanical garden…read more Food here is tasty and totally hits right. Ordered the big plate chicken that comes with homemade noodles. The chicken is flavorful and the noodles are the perfect accompaniment. Love the texture of the noodles. Nice and chewy. We loved the lamb skewers. Generous portion for $4.99. Tasted like quality meat with the perfect combo of lean and fat. The baked buns are actually meat pies baked with phyllo dough. I love phyllo dough and the filling was very tasty but would have preferred more filling as it washer dough heavy. I love milk tea so I had to order the Nurlan milk tea. Huge portion. Literally came in a bowl. Found it tasteless. Service here is friendly and fast.

Found a heavy hitter in Elmhurst. ​Eim Khao Mun Kai is…read moredoing one thing, and they're doing it better than anyone else. If you're looking for a massive menu, keep walking. This spot is a 3-table operation focused entirely on perfecting Thai chicken rice--and they nailed it. ​The move here: ​The Chicken: Poached to absolute perfection. Tender, juicy, no fluff. ​The MVP: The chicken heart. It was so good I had to double down and order a second round. If you know, you know. ​The Rice: Fragrant ginger rice that actually has flavor, paired with a radish broth that hits the spot. ​The Sauce Science: They let you mix your own. I went with the soybean paste + ginger-scallion combo. It's addictive. Do not skip the ginger-scallion. ​Washed it all down with a solid Thai tea to balance the heat. It's a tiny shop with efficient service and zero ego. A total hidden gem. I'll be back. ​ 81-32 Broadway, Elmhurst ​#ElmhurstEats #QueensFood #KhaoMunKai

Eim Khao Mun Kai was one of the first shops, if not the first, in New York City that focused on…read moreselling Hainanese Chicken Rice exclusively, and it's kind of cool to see imitators spring up all across New York City. Unlike restaurant versions which are often poached and include bones, the Hainanese Chicken Rice sold in these shops exclude the bones, and adds sides of rice and chicken soup. Eim only sells one version of its Chicken Rice -- poached dark meat, while some competitors offer different cuts and fried versions. Ticket times are generally quick as a result. We often just pick up a Set A for 1 (currently for $12.99; $14.14 with tax and by cash), and complement that with dishes from other nearby restaurants -- there are a wealth of excellent options, some even on the same block. The spicy ginger sauce -- the "secret sauce" that distinguishes Eim from its competitors, might be an acquired taste, but it is quite an addicting kick. The spicy ginger sauce also helps mask some overcooking issues. Fans take note that Eim recently began to offer its spicy ginger sauce for sale separately, for $10.89 plus tax for a 12-ounce bottle. Eim keeps to a street food motif with a preparation area that looks like a street cart, and by wrapping take-out orders in butcher's paper. This small shop has seating for about 13 people -- two tables of three, two tables of two, and three counter-height seats. There are no customer accessible restrooms.

I've been to this place a long time ago and the food was disappointing and bland. But a friend…read morewanted to try this place because she heard good things about it after they changed management. Since the place was very small we opted for take out. We ordered around 5 and the food didn't come till 6:30. When it arrived we had a feast. Unfortunately, since I didn't order I couldn't tell you what the names of the dishes were. I knew we had a curry chicken which was quite tender and flavorful. There was a flat noodle with seafood which was spicy. The was a preserved tea leaves salad that was very tasty. The pork neckl was interesting, a little sweet served with sticky rice. All the flavors were unique with some being spicy while others were mild. This restaurant has changed for the better.

Recommendations- Gin Thoke, Grilled Pork Neck, Latphat/Lahpet Thoke. Otherwise, A Kyaw Sone, if you…read moredon't mind a bit of oiliness, and the Pa Zun Chin, if you like shrimp paste cakes. I was at this Burmese place, which also sells some Thai food and other things, with a group relatively recently, where we shared a bunch of their thotes/athoke, or salads, as well as two other dishes. I think I remember going here one other time and getting either the Shan Khauk Swal Thoke or Nan Gyi Thoke, but I'm not positive, as it was a good while ago. The menu has gone through some changes over the years, but it's still reasonably priced. The service was friendly, and the vibes are casual, with the food being good overall, even if I prefer some other spots for Burmese food. To drink, I noticed a tea being ordered at another table and got an iced one, which I think was a very reasonable $3.50 or similar. It was refreshing and tasty with a mild sweetness from condensed milk and a strong tea flavor, and I would recommend it if you're a fan of similar drinks from the surrounding countries/South East Asia. Our only smaller dish that wasn't a salad was the A Kyaw Sone, a mix of fried vegetables with a tamarind chili sauce. As with most other dishes, there are small and large sizes, and we got the large, which was $14.99. The portion was quite large, with four different types of fritters and a very tasty dipping sauce, which had some sweetness and spiciness. In terms of the fritters, I was happy that the batter was light, but I did find them to be just a bit oily, with this especially being the case for the fried clump of greens. My favorite was probably the onion one, as I liked the light sweetness, and it felt a tad less oily. The larger ones, which each had a different filling, were also more unique with a soft inside. My favorite of the thoke/salads we tried was the Gin Thoke for the same price, with "gin" referring to pickled ginger, with there also being dried shrimp, crushed peanuts, garlic, and sesame seeds. The ginger added a sharp little bite, and there was otherwise a good mix of crunch. This was also the least dressed, which I liked a lot. While I prefer Little Myanmar for this athoke, it was still tasty and cheaper for the large portion size. Also for the same price was the Latphat, or Lahpet Thoke, with fermented tea leaves, tomato, cabbage, fried shrimp, crushed peanuts, fried garlic, sesame seeds, and a 100 minuscule distinct shift in crunch, was also tasty. This is the signature dish of Myanmar, along with mohinga (more on that later.) The portion was large, but this was the wettest version of this dish, which I wasn't the biggest fan of. Otherwise, there was a light fermented flavor and plenty of crunchy textures. Our last thoke was the Pa Zun Chin Thoke, with sour shrimp, green chili, cilantro, oil, and onion, which only has one size for $12.99. The person who ordered this expected it to be pieces of shrimp, but instead, I would describe it as fish cakes made from shrimp. The fish cakes reminded me of a fermented dish from Laos, which makes sense in hindsight, and I liked the texture. Otherwise, the dish had some kick and some saltiness. I know a few others disliked this, but I enjoyed it as well. The last dish we ordered as a group was the Grilled Pork Neck and Shoulder, served with papaya salad and sticky rice. This was the largest portion of any dish, which makes sense with the $20.99 price tag. The pork was very tender, and the papaya salad had a slight kick to it. I liked that there were two types of sticky rice, and the green sauce on the side, while not spicy, added some nice extra herbal and sour flavor when wanted. This was also tasty. To go, I decided to order a Mohinga, or Burmese Fish Noodle Soup, for $11.99. This consisted of thin rice noodles in a fish soup with ginger, lemongrass, onion, garlic, and fried rice powder served with hard-boiled egg, crispy split chickpea, cilantro, lemon, and crushed red chili. The dish was packaged nicely with the crunchy toppings and noodles separate from the soup. Compared to other places, I found it a little bit spicier, which I enjoyed, though it lacked a little bit of depth of flavor compared to Sophie's. It was also missing the crunch from the banana blossom flower. Otherwise, there was plenty of crunch, and the portion was quite large for the price. In terms of spots, I put it above Little Myanmar, below Sophie's/Burmese Bites, and way below the now-closed Yun Cafe. The food here was tasty, with a couple of issues. I found in general that the dishes were overdressed, and this was especially the case with the salads/athoke. While not my favorite Burmese place, the portions were large for the price, and the flavors were good.

Delicious fast-casual affair. Came here on a Saturday for lunch and had an amazing no frills meal…read more Cash only with a hot bar that's replenished frequently due to the constant flow of customers. My boyfriend and I got the triple entree combo to try a bunch of different ones. We tried the 3 curries including jungle curry, sour pork, basil pork, and garlic pork. The garlic pork was by far my favorite. We also got the mung bean dessert to take home which was decadent. Highly recommend this spot and exploring the dessert case with its many options!

Massive amount of food for a entree and 3 sides. Easily can split with two people…read more The spice is no joke.

Came on a Saturday at 5 pm right before the rush. Our server was super sweet and friendly and gave…read morea couple of recommendations. She also started us off with some complimentary popcorn. Surf & turf skewers: My least favorite dish of the night. I found most of the skewers a bit dry. Larb beef & tripe: the Larb was super flavorful and delicious. We got a side of sticky rice as well and it paired really nicely together. Crab fried rice: Generous amount of crab and nice wok hay. The rice also had a nice chew to it that I enjoyed. Salt encrusted tilapia: I wish there was a bigger vermicelli noodle portion on the side but I really liked the tilapia. It was perfectly cooked and fell off the bone and the sauce complemented it perfectly. Don't forget to remove the salt crust!

I genuinely don't understand the hype around Zaab Zaab Elmhurst. We ordered the fried rice, drunken…read morenoodles, pad kra pao, and the ribeye steak. The steak was the only dish that showed any sign of life. Everything else tasted as if it had been rinsed with water before being served--completely stripped of seasoning, aroma, and any trace of authentic Thai flavor. It's astonishing that a restaurant with such a strong reputation could produce food that's less flavorful than the faux Thai takeout spots tucked inside Chinese restaurants off the Ohio Turnpike. That's not an exaggeration. What's even more baffling is the location. In the heart of Queens, surrounded by Thai restaurants serving bold, vibrant, unapologetically flavorful food, Zaab Zaab somehow manages to be a culinary desert. The fried rice was bland, the drunken noodles were lifeless, and the pad kra pao lacked the punch, basil, heat, and savoriness that define the dish. It honestly felt as though the menu had been engineered for diners who think black pepper is adventurous. Instead of authentic Thai flavors, everything seemed toned down to the point of being unrecognizable. For a restaurant with this reputation, the meal was a massive letdown. There are countless nearby Thai restaurants that deliver the bold, aromatic flavors Thailand is known for. Save your money and your appetite for one of them.

Stumbled upon this neighborhood gem and I'm so going back the next time I'm in the area!!! Not only…read moredid Pulau Pinang serve up some fire Malaysian and Taiwanese dishes, it also had the laid back, no thrills, cha ca teng vibes that I needed after a busy week. The cereal fish filet 麦片鱼 was by far my favorite dish of the night! I've had cereal shrimp so I had some expectations but their version exceeded it. Their cereal part was very crispy, flavorful, buttery, and featured stringy egg. I loved the subtle sweetness and basil spices. The fish pieces were also very tender and sliced thinly. With the light tapioca batter it was perfectly crunchy on the outside, but not too overshadow the cereal part. You know I had to try their belachan ong choy 马来风光 which was well seasoned and had good wok hei which was amplified by the sizzling clay pot. Their belachan is more pork and garlic forward (rather than shrimp focused) and more on the dry/less sauce side. Yum! I'm not a huge oyster fan but my partner enjoyed the pancake and its comforting chewiness. The bitter melon with salted egg was very tasty. The ratio of egg to melon was perfect for salted egg lovers like me. The black bean clams was alright since the sauce was a little too gingery. The ice kacang brought me back to my childhood eating the same thing in Singapore and Malaysia. I enjoyed the ratio of coconut sugar syrup and condensed milk. Enjoyed the ratio of grass jelly, other jellies, and red bean. The ice, milk, raw peanuts, and other toppings create perfect textural contrast with each other! Personally I wish there was more sea coconut pieces nevertheless!! Service was as expected for a neighborhood spot. Food came out quick and pipping hot. Still thinking about the fish and can't wait to come back next time!!

Note: Prices are sans rice, which is $2 per bowl. See below for preferences…read more Good- 3 Cup Chicken/Sanbeiji, Fly's Head, Belacan Special OK- Shredded Beef with Chili Peppers, Baby Oyster Omelet/Oyster Pancake, Bitter Melon with Salted Egg Yolk, Mango Sticky Rice Bad- Mee Goreng, Rendang I went to this unique spot serving both Malaysian and Taiwanese a while back with a large group. The service was pretty friendly and was quick in bringing out dishes and refilling water. As said in the note, I heavily preferred the Taiwanese dishes. First to arrive was the Baby Oyster Omelet/Oyster Pancake/蚵仔煎 for $11.95. It was mildly sweet from the sauce, and otherwise, there was a good amount of greens and a pretty good amount of oysters inside. Compared to Taiwanese Gourmet, I liked that the sauce wasn't overly sweet, though I found the omelet itself to have a better texture at the latter place, as there were more oysters. Favorite of the Taiwanese dishes was the $18.95 3 Cup Chicken/三杯鸡/Sanbeiji. The version here was much more flavorful, with a balanced amount of sweetness, saltiness, and slight herbal flavors. The chicken was also a lot more tender, so overall, this was outstanding and an easy highlight. The other best dish was their take on Fly Head/Fly's Head/蒼蠅頭 for $17.95. There were plenty of garlic chives to add freshness, and it wasn't too salty from the black bean. Otherwise, it was spicy and balanced. This was also tasty. For the same price, there was also the Shredded Beef with Chili Peppers. This was spicier by comparison, and the beef was pretty tender. I enjoyed it along with the rest of the table. There was also the Shredded Beef with Chili Peppers for the same price. The beef was decently tender and had plenty of peppers to add a good kick. I liked the additional aromatic vegetables added on top, which added extra flavors and textures. Best of the Malaysian dishes was the $18.95 Belacan Special, which included okra/lady fingers, eggplant, and green beans, cooked in a sauce made from fermented shrimp paste. The vegetables were cooked down perfectly as they still retained a lot of texture, with the eggplant being a highlight. Otherwise, there was a lot of belacan, but not too much that the dish was too funky or salty. This was easily the best of the Malaysian dishes. The $12.95 Mee Goreng, listed as Indian style stir-fried noodles with authentic mild dried squid sauce with tofu, potato, shrimp, egg, bean sprouts, and onion, was alright. The price was reasonable, but I found it way too sweet. The remaining toppings were nice, and while there weren't many shrimp, I wouldn't expect that many at that price point. On a side note, I have a cephalopod allergy, so I'm surprised I didn't have a reaction to this dish. My least favorite main dish by a country mile was their take on Lamb/Kambing Rendang for $21.95, listed as lamb, coconut milk, chilis, and spices cooked over low heat. Outside of it being by far the most expensive dish, the lamb wasn't tender, being actually a bit chewy. The worst part was that compared to some of the other dishes, it lacked heat and flavor, with there being only hits of coconut milk or chili. This is one of my favorite Malaysian dishes, and I usually scarf it down, but I didn't like this at all. Last of the dishes, and unfinished, was the $17.95 Bitter Melon with Salted Egg Yolk. Due to the bitterness, I was one of the few who enjoyed it, while some of the other groups didn't touch much of it. I personally liked it, as I don't mind bitter flavors, and there wasn't too much salted egg that it was pasty. I wouldn't order this alone, but it would make a nice vegetable side along with a sweet or savory main dish. Last was the $9.95 Mango Sticky Rice. The mango was pretty fresh, but the rice could have used a bit more sweetness and a bit more coconut milk. It was perfectly decent. It feels a bit odd rating this place. A couple of dishes were outstanding, some were good to mixed, and I hated two others. Low/mid 3.

I was in the Elmburst area again for a quick dinner and stopped by Sumatera for some Indonesia…read morefood. I've gotten take out before but this was my first time dining in. Its a small mom and pop shop so I was excited for its authentic and variety of Indonesian dishes. Their menu was quite big so I appreciated the QR code to see pictures. Started off with the Sate Padang (A4) which were beef tongue skewers in a curry-like sauce. Interestingly the skewers had different textures from tender pieces to harder/chewier cuts. The sauce was spicy and less creamy than a traditional curry that went well with the rice cakes. The Nasi Ayam Goreng Urap (R15) featured fried chicken as well as mixed veggies with shredded coconut. Loved a sweet-savory part of the veggies and how the coconut gave it an extra chew. Rice, chicken, and sambal was the perfect combo for each bite. The Kari Bihun (N7) had the rice vermicelli that I was craving. Their curry soup was spicy and aromatic. Loved how the vermicelli was cooked just right and stayed intact/chewy throughout my meal. Enjoyed the mix of tofu skin, tofu puff, fish cakes, fish balls, egg, and beansprouts! I was getting too full to check out their desserts/drinks but definitely want to try their cendol next time! It was popping late on a weekend so service was alright. Took a while to place our orders but food came out at a reasonable time!

My Indonesian friend recommended this spot and it didn't disappoint!…read more Service was friendly and quick. Food Consensus: We ordered the sate ayam, sate padang, mie tek tek, nasi ayam goreng sambal ljo, and the lime squash drink. All of the food was solid. My favorites were the mie tek tek and the nasi ayam goreng sambal jlo. The noodles were in a rich, savory sauce that I loved. The chicken in the nasi ayam was perfectly crisped and the green sambal paired perfectly with the chicken. It was definitely a slow creep of heat. The skewers were solid too, I'd over them to share. The lime squash was refreshing and light, perfect for a summer day Overall, I recommend trying Sumatera!

So, I've known about this place forever, but haven't been able to go…read more Finally make it during lunch and I loved it. Service: it's nice. They definitely didn't tell me that lunch specials were available before I ordered my soup. Other than that, everyone is pleasant. Space: they have two sides, so plenty of space, but nights and weekends can get pretty packed, so keep that in mind. Food: I ordered Tom Yum soup and a lunch drunken noodle with a Thai iced tea. I only had the soup there and took the entire lunch special to go. Just based off of the soup, I will be going back. It was delicious and PACKED to the MAX! Writing this now, I can still imagine. Drunken Noodles were also really tasty. I like mine spicy and it could have been made spicier, but that's not even a real complaint. Also- the one next to me had this dish which reminded me of pad see ew but in a gravy. Looked delicious!! I will be back for whatever she had. Overall: the entire block is like a little Thai street. There are lots of Thai food options and I finally made it to Ayada. Super happy with my meal and excited to go back with some people and enjoy.

the wait was too long for saranrom thai AND hug esan :(…read more this place was rlly good though! the chive cakes were a sleeper hit: crispy on the outside and so chewy and soft on the inside almost mochi like probably best chive cakes i've had at a thai place. discovered i don't like raw crab would not recommend the salad very ocean flavored. crispy duck panang curry was yummy not the best duck i've had but very good and the curry sauce was delish. mango sticky rice a hit as always the rice was very warm and subtly sweet and the mango was decently fresh. i will say it's a bit expensive for the amount you get but otherwise yummy!