Overall: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars
Ziyan Foods 紫燕百味雞 (literally, Purple Swallow Hundred Flavor Chicken), is a chain from Shanghai (northeast China) that offers a variety of refrigerated Sichuan (from Southwest China) foods across some 6,000 locations, mostly in China. Ziyan recently opened two locations in New York City -- on Mott Street in Manhattan's Chinatown, and this location on Roosevelt Avenue in Downtown Flushing, which took over its space from Dim Sum Garden Express. Ziyan Foods sells its food here for take-out, only.
We visited Ziyan Foods and ordered their namesake Baiwei Chicken 百味雞 ($9.99; $10.88 with tax) weekly, for three weeks in a row. This poached chicken dish was delicious the first time we ordered it. However, the flavors seemed progressively muted each time we re-ordered the dish. Re-heating the chicken in a convection oven did help reactivate some flavor, but the flavors of our subsequent orders never seemed to match our first order.
The Sour and Spicy Shredded Kelp 酸辣海带丝 ($7.99; $8.70 with tax) was also better the first time we ordered it. A subsequent order was less crisp.
The Ratten Pepper Chicken 藤椒雞 ($13.99; $15.24 with tax) is available in Spicy, or Extra Spicy. We chose the Spicy version. One should be able to handle heat to appreciate this dish. The chicken is soft and tender. I wish there was more meat, though.
The order-taking and fulfillment process is primarily in Mandarin; English proficiency depends on the staff member(s) on duty at the moment. read more