Review: Shu Jiao Fu Zhou Cuisine
Location: Chinatown, New York
Rating: 4/5 stars
On the corner of Eldridge Street and Broome Street, in the heart of Chinatown, is a small little restaurant called Shu Jiao that sells authentic Fu Zhou cuisine. From traditional fishballs, “bian rou,” pork and chive dumplings, peanut butter noodles, to beef noodle soup, Shu Jiao serves a variety of Fu Zhou foods at low costs. With just three dollar, you can get 11 juicy dumplings, 11 fishballs with meat filling or a big bowl of beef noodle soup. With two dollars, you can buy a container of peanut butter noodles or 7 dumplings. Once you enter the small restaurant, you’ll see workers wrapping dumplings and preparing fishballs at the back tables. Others behind the counter are boiling noodles, cooking dumplings and preparing the soup as costumers enter. This family owned business has a homey feel to the restaurant- the big round tables, simple furniture and the aroma of boiling dumplings creates an atmosphere similar to that of a kitchen in a Chinese home. After you order your food at the counter, a couple minutes later, a friendly waitress will bring your food over, and you’re ready to eat. Or if you want it to go, they’ll pack up the food in plastic takeout containers for your convenience. These light, tasty dishes are always a great treat.
Out of the whole menu, the dumplings are the most popular among my friends and me. Compared the many dumpling houses in Chinatown, the dumplings from Shu Jiao are unique, more flavorful and juicer. The two other dumpling houses nearby-Vanessa’s Dumpling House and Prosperity Dumplings are no match for Shu Jiao. The dumplings from Shu Jiao are hand wrapped and the meat inside is always so juicy and bursting with flavor. The dumpling skin is thin and chewy. The blend of ground pork and chives is a classic combination, sure to be enjoyed by anyone. With a bit of their special semi sweet chili soy sauce, the taste of the dumpling is made complete. This addition of a sweet and sour taste is very common in Fu Zhou cuisine. Fu Zhou cuisine is famous for their soups, fishballs and “bian rou.” In contrast to normal fishballs, within the handcrafted ball of fish paste, is a flavored pork filling. Plain fishballs being so tasty already, the addition of the pork within causes a flavor explosion in your mouth. “Bian rou,” literally meaning “flat meat,” is a small piece of meat covered by a think wonton wrapper. “Bian rou” and meat filled fishballs are foods that originated in Fu Zhou cuisine. Fu Zhou cuisine, a special type of Chinese cuisine, thanks to Shu Jiao, the authentic taste can be enjoyed.
At first glance, you may not want to enter this restaurant because it isn’t very well decorated. The plain sign, graffiti on the wall, the dirty glass and the smelly streets don’t make Shu Jiao very inviting. At times, it may feel cramp in the restaurant and seem a bit dirty as well. Although Shu Jiao is a bit run down, it has been able to serve some of the best “bang for your buck” dumplings in Chinatown. The tradeoff of a nicer, well-furnished restaurant could possibly be a great increase in the price of the food. The low price and fast service makes it so convenient for a quick meal. The fact that that it is so convenient is definitely a big factor that causes me to go back so often.
The food at Shu Jiao being quite traditional, may not appeal to those who enjoy stronger flavors in their food. Authentic Fu Zhou cuisine is quite simple and somewhat plain. Their dishes consist mostly of boiled foods. There are no fried dumplings or pan-fried noodles sold at Shu Jiao, however, the foods served at Shu Jiao are still so enticing. So many people, Asians and Americans alike are ordering and dining at Shu Jiao. Though the cashier and workers don’t know much English, it’s very easy to order by telling the cashier the number of the order from their menu on the wall. The owners figured out a way around this language barrier to serve non-Chinese speaking customers. Foods at Shu Jiao may be different and simple, however, they are still tasty and attractive to customers. In addition, Shu Jiao owners have made it possible for non-Chinese speaking people to dine there.
The owners of Shu Jiao most likely immigrated to the States and started up this food business to make a living. It’s very typical for a Chinese family to move to Chinatown and start up a business that is familiar to them. Because the owners are immigrants, they are able to make and serve authentic foods. They probably moved to Chinatown because Chinatown is an area where this Chinese immigrants can comfortable thrive because it is somewhat similar to their hometown and has cultural goods that they need. The type of rundown restaurant fits in with the all the other restaurants in the neighborhood. Shu Jiao wouldn’t make it in a richer neighborhood like the upper west. Shu Jiao is doing well, not only serving foods to Chinese, but also the owners have been able reach out to non-Chinese customers and their authentic dumplings have become a favorite snack to many.
