Northern Tiger at Hudson Eats: Dumplings To Die For & Excellent Northern Chinese Noodles
When the spectacular food court Hudson Eats opened last summer in Brookfield Place (nee World Financial Center), on the second floor above the soaring Winter Garden, it was kind of food-dream come true for Battery Park City residents, area workers (of which there a LOT these days and, as One World Trade Center fills up, more coming all the time), and people like me, who appreciate the lack of crowds and well-maintained stadium seating at the BPC Regal multiplex just a few blocks away. And while the status of most of the complex's sit-down restaurants remains "coming soon" (including Parm, and the tapas spot from Jose Garces, Amanda), the final stand at Hudson Eats is now finally up, running, and serving first-rate noodle dishes and dumplings, Northern Tiger.
Northern Tiger Restaurant In Hudson Eats
Northern Tiger is the project of Erika Chou and Doron Wong, whose contemporary, "locavore" Chinese restaurant Yunnan Kitchen continues to excite eaters on the Lower East Side more than two years after earning a starred review from Pete Wells at the New York Times. The menu at Northern Tiger is, appropriately, much more focused than at Yunnan, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty of care, skill and fresh ingredients going into the preparation of these bowls of noodles and trays of dumplings. I went to Northern Tiger last week and was able to sample a dish from just about every section of the menu. The quick review: everything's good, the noodles are great, and this might even supplant Mighty Quinn's as my Hudson Eats go-to.
Farm-To-Table Handmade Northern Chinese Food
The Northern Tiger menu has three types of dumplings, which you can get either boiled (why?) or fried (yay!). They all sound good, but I went for the most unusual, Long Island Duck and Leek, and was rewarded with a satisfying six pack, the gamey taste of duck coming through even dipped in the stand's red chili or vinegar-based sauce. Even more unusual was the Shao Bing, which is a sandwich-like creation that the counter-person described as a "stuffed scallion pancake without the scallion" which isn't exactly what I would say–the crust is super-thin, and even flaky–but pretty close. The fillings here are "Aromatic Beef" with Anaheim peppers, Vidalia onions, and cilantro, and the whole thing felt more snack than meal, which isn't a bad thing, just good to know if you're getting dinner.
Noodles At Northern Tiger
The highlight here at Northern Tiger, however, is definitely the noodles. There are four varieties on the menu, but I went with Beijing Zha Jiang Mian, which features tender pork belly, soybeans, and whole bunch of fresh, bright, and crisp vegetables on top. There's a wonderfully sticky sauce on the noodles under all those veggies, and the noodles themselves are nice and chewy, and there's enough meat to make the dish qualify as hearty. Great stuff. For dessert, every week Northern Tiger will be offering a different kind of soft serve ice cream, and if the Ovaltine flavor I had is any indication, this is the preferred way to end your meal here.
For Menu & More Information on Northern Tiger
Northern Tiger is located in the Hudson Eats food court within Brookfield Plaza, is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., except for Sunday when it closes at 7:00. More information and check out the Northern Tiger menu and follow them on Twitter and Instagram.
Posted in Downtown, manhattan living, NYC Dining | Tagged Battery Park • Brookfield Place • hudson eats • June • Northern Tiger
