Dim Sum and Lunch at Asian Flame Restaurant on Avenue U
Asian Flame Restaurant
1321 Avenue U
Corner of E. 13th St
Brooklyn, NY
Asian Flame Restaurant
Like many up and coming Chinese Restaurants popping up on Avenue U, Asian Flame by far is the better choice between the few on this Avenue. Chinese Restaurants generally start from E 18th Street and it pretty much ends right about E 12th/E.13th Street. This restaurant has been around for almost a year now, and from the looks of it from the outside, there’s a similar resemblance to the other Chinese Restaurants. The reason for this similarity is that roasted chicken, duck, and pork are hanging by the front of the restaurant available for the public to see, and as well as Chinese signs plastered outside of the window. Most Chinese patronage usually buy these meats to take it back home for dinner. The way you order them is as follows:
1. Chicken (gai) & Roasted Duck (four-gnap) – Quarters (Ha Jorn), Half Chicken, or Whole.
2. BBQ Pork – By the pound or half a pound.
3. Spare Ribs or Roasted Baby Pig – By the number of “bones.”
*By the way, chicken comes in these flavors: soy sauce (see-yow-gai), salted (yeem-gok-gai), and pan-fried with crispy skin (jah-zhi-gai).
Now generally when you step into a Chinese restaurant in this neighborhood, towards the entrance you’ll see a butcher and a cashier who is ready to take your order on whichever meats you want. In this restaurant you have that, and there’s also a dim sum window where you can go and order dim sum to go! I love it. Usually the bakeries have this, but why not order from a restaurant?
Anyways, Finechinaguy and I came to this establishment for lunch since we went four days without Chinese food and was absolutely craving for it. We had no intentions of having dim sum for lunch, but since we went there during the hours where it was served (10:30am – 3:00pm), we figured why not just have a little?
The best time to go for dim sum is of course early in the morning where the food is most fresh. We got there at about 2:30pm and the waitresses come by with a big tray loaded with varieties of dim sums! Even if you don’t know what the food is called, you can always point and still get it. When you come into the restaurant, the waitress will ask what kind of tea you would like. Your choices would be oolong, chrysanthemum (gook-fah or gook-bo), or bo-lei, which is a strong tea. My favorite is chrysanthemum because it has a hint of sweetness which I love.
When you order dim sum, the waitress will give you this “dim sum card” that will keep track of all your purchases so that it will be easily calculated when you’re ready to pay. If you order dishes like rice or noodles, that also gets logged onto this card.
Dim Sum Card
I ordered the taro dumpling when the dim sum lady came. The outer texture is glutinous and sticky, but it works well with the taro and pork inside since it’s nice and warm. Be careful when you pick this up with your chopstick since it can easily “pop” out all the contents inside. I couldn’t complain about this, so I would recommend any one to give this a shot.
Taro Dumpling
Gnow-Jap, or Steamed Beef Stomach in bean sauce. Now it sounds very disgusting, but definitely give it a shot. Of all the chinese restaurants that I tried having this, this restaurant does this well. The beef is very moist and the sauce is incredibly flavorful. There are traces of ginger and turnips in here, and the sauce just makes it even tastier! I couldn’t stop eating this that’s for sure because the sauce is dangerously addictive. Give it a try if you’re opened minded. It’s definitely something worth trying.
Steamed Beef Stomach in Black Bean Sauce
Gnow-yuk chow mein, or Pan Fried Noodles w/Beef and Chinese Greens. Let me say that this is the best pan friend noodles that I have ever had in this neighborhood! The sauce probably has MSG or their special 5 seasons because there is just no way that it can taste this good! The pan fried noodles needs to be mixed in with the sauce because it’s dried on the very bottom. Luckily for us there was plenty of sauce! The contrast between hard and soft textures makes it very fun to eat!
Pan Fried Noodles w/ Beef and Choy Sum
Overall I would definitely recommend this restaurant if you’re in the neighborhood! Now the problem is they have “failed” the health inspection but that was in May. A lot of Chinese restaurants have this problem, but it doesn’t mean they’re dangerously unsanitary. Anyways, as a concerned citizen, I find that it is my duty to show you the inspection report from the NYC Gov website!
| ASIAN FLAME RESTAURANT 1321 AVENUE U, BROOKLYN 11229 718-336-4950 Violation points: 49 |
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| Inspection Date: 05/13/2008
Violations were cited in the following area(s) and those requiring immediate action were addressed.
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I’m never in the neighborhood but the pics look so good, I’m tempted to head down there.