456 New Shanghai
69 Mott Street
New York
I was looking for a bathroom in Chinatown. Walked into Canal Street Market. Wanting to make sure they’ve a bathroom before I buy anything. So I asked. A man at the deep end of the hall said, “If you buy something, I’ll let you in.”
“What do you sell?”
“Anything here.”
I walked away: don’t like to be blackmailed, and also think, could he actual do that?
That’s when I decided to go to this restaurant. The staff speaks Cantonese, so, made me thinking they serve cantonese cuisine, my most favored. I know the name say Shanghai … but when do I ever read?
Half the patrons is Chinese and mostly converse in Cantonese. The other half non Chinese maybe tourists (?) I heard one diner ordering food with deliberate slow pace, as if talking to a kid, which makes me feeling the Chinaman era just returned.
Good service. Food is so so with big portion. I ordered the lunch set $6.95: sour and spicy soup 酸辣汤 is way too sour and the fish-flavored shredded pork 鱼香肉丝 is way too sweet. I added chili oil from the jar on the table but it isn’t spicy at all.
By the time I left at around 1pm, the restaurant is pretty full. But the noise level is low, comfortable.
Btw, the bathroom in the basement, although small, is clean. Mission accomplished.
