I cannot believe that it has been over six months since the last time we were in Chinatown! We’ve just been really busy these last few months and Josh has been traveling so much for work that most of our weekends have either been spent holed up in our apartment due to exhaustion or spent with our families out in NJ. So finally we made time during the weekend after Thanksgiving and headed downtown in search of our beloved hand pulled noodles and dumplings.
Prosperity Dumpling
When we lived in Battery Park City, we used to walk to Chinatown and shop at the fresh produce stalls along East Broadway on our way to Lan Zhou for hand pulled noodles. Now that we live uptown, we took the BD to Grand St., which leaves us approaching Lan Zhou from the opposite direction. We ended up passing Prosperity Dumpling on the way and decided to stop in for a quick dumpling appetizer.
Prosperity Dumpling used to be our go-to dumpling joint, as we preferred its more ample filling and crispier pan-frying job than our previous favorite, Fried Dumpling on Mosco St. After we discovered the pan-fried dumplings at Lan Zhou, however, we passed on making the extra stop to Prosperity as it was out of our way.
I was eager to see if Prosperity’s dumplings were still the same, as it has been probably a year since we last visited. The dumplings amazingly are still 5/$1, which is hard to beat. We ordered directly from the cook and staked out some counter space in the tiny store. Because they always keep a large batch of dumplings cooking in a huge pan to deal with high traffic and for quick turnaround, we received our dumplings almost immediately.
The order/pick-up window in the tiny shop
They were hot and crispy like always, though the bottoms were a bit more well done than I prefer. This was probably due to the time these dumplings spent hanging out in the pan waiting to be ordered. But if you like dumplings with super crunchy bottoms, these were perfect.
Hot, crispy pan-fried dumplings fresh out of the pan
We doused them with soy sauce and a bit of sriracha and dug in right away. They were exactly as I remembered – slightly thicker skin, meaty filling heavy on chives, juicy, and crunchy.
Pork and chive dumpling innards
We also got a sesame pancake with beef to share. The pancake is more like a focaccia bread – puffy and a bit oily. It’s split down the middle sideways and filled with thin, chewy slices of beef, shredded carrots, and cilantro. There’s also some sort of sweet sauce doused on top of the filling. It tastes similar to a banh mi sandwich, and at $1.50 for a decently sized wedge, it’s a bargain. Though the beef is a bit tough, the flavors all work really well together.
Sesame pancake with beef
Lan Zhou Hand Pulled Noodles
With our appetites whetted and our bellies warm with hot dumplings, we continued along our way to Lan Zhou. We wanted to try a different noodle soup this time so we went over the menu posted on the wall and settled on the noodle soup with duck ($4.50). And because we’re crazy, we also ordered a batch of pan-fried dumplings, just for research comparison purposes of course.
While we waited, we watched the noodle man work his magic. It was a different guy from the last time we were there but the process is still the same, and no less magical.
Noodle man working his magic
Our noodle soup arrived shortly and we quickly started slurping away.
Duck noodle soup
The noodles were as wonderful as always, slightly thick, chewy, and springy. The broth, however, was not what we were expecting. We’ve tried the duck noodle soup at both Super Taste and Sheng Weng, and it’s always light, slightly oily, and fragrant with duck flavor. This soup had no distinguishing poultry flavors and tasted heavily of Xiaoshing wine. Whatever pieces of meat there was in the soup was so boiled that it was gray and unrecognizable. It could have duck, or chicken, or pork. We couldn’t tell. There were also some slices of I think cuttlefish in the soup, as well as some bok choy. I loved the noodles but I was disappointed by the broth, which is half the experience.
Yummy springy and toothsome noodles
We didn’t specify when we ordered the dumplings so we ended up with the larger order of 12 pieces ($3), which was fine because they were absolutely fantastic. The skins are thin and were perfectly fried on the outside.
Thin-skinned pan-fried dumplings
Even though I already had dumplings at Prosperity, I scarfed up the majority of this platter. Dipped in soy sauce and sriracha, these dumplings are the perfect combination of sweet, salty, and spicy. We picked up another bag of frozen dumplings (50/$8) to keep on hand in our freezer.
More porky and chivey dumpling innards
Overall I was happy that the dumplings at Prosperity Dumpling have not changed over the last year and the prices are still the same. While I prefer the thinner skinned dumplings at Lan Zhou, I still have a craving for the thicker and chewier ones from Prosperity. They’re actually pretty different in flavor as well, but both are very satisfying. I really liked the sesame pancake with beef, and it could have been better if the pancake was fresher and warmer. That depends on the luck of timing when you go.
However, I was disappointed by the duck soup at Lan Zhou. While the noodles are still fantastic, the soup really didn’t taste like duck at all and Xiaoshing wine is kind of an acquired taste. I’m familiar with it because that’s how my mom makes drunken chicken, but in soup form it doesn’t provide the depth of flavor that I’m looking for. Next time I’ll stick with the tried and true beef noodle soup. Hopefully it won’t be another six months before we make another food-filled journey to Chinatown.
Prosperity Dumpling
46 Eldridge St. between Canal and Hester St.
New York, NY
Lan Zhou
144 East Broadway between Pike and Rutgers St.
New York, NY
