The Roasted Meats Diaries: The Rise of the Meats
When last we spoke, I had sampled the meats from Yummy
Noodle and I thought they were fine.
This is a common issue with Chinese roasted meats. Rarely, if ever, are they terrible; almost
always the meats are reasonably fine.
It's the search for the elusive meat that rises above the rest that
keeps a man like myself going.
The day was a fine one, the sun bright in the sky, the rays
silently burning people's skin, the cries of the children still far away. My spirits soared, wondering if perhaps this
would be the day that I had a truly wonderful roasted Oriental meat. My target: OK 218 Restaurant on Grand Street,
a well-known roasted meat house.
I walked in and it was clear they run an efficient roasted
meats business. There is an exterior
room from whence the meats are roasted, cut, placed into containers and
dispersed. If you want, you can go
inside and sit down, and there is a larger menu. I would like to do that sometime, but on this
occasion the meats were the thing.
$5.50 got me a nice portion of roasted pork and whole roast
pig with plenty of rice and some lightly sauteed cabbage. The roast pork had a pleasing saltiness and
the distinct but not overpowering flavor of soy. The meat was not exactly what I would call
tender, but it wasn't horribly dry either.
Whole roast pig was one of the finer versions I've tasted, rich and
almost buttery. Succulence, thy name is
roasted meats.
So yes, an admirable showcase of meats. Not necessarily mind blowing, yet certainly
above average. I pondered meats and
soaked in the sun, and then went for a stroll.
OK 218 Restaurant
Grand Street, Chinatown