On A Spicy Food Mission In NYC

Finally made it to Mission Chinese in NYC and it was everything I expected, mouth numbing, spicy, delicious food with surprisingly complex flavors. Don’t be afraid of the spices, the dishes aren’t overwhelmingly hot but the ones I tried did make my nose run a little and  that’s not a bad thing.

First up was the spicy chicken wings. Perfectly cooked and coated with a dry spice that sneaks up on you after a few bites. Just push aside those hot chile peppers on top, which seem to be more of a garnish or be daring and munch on a couple but I’d skip that and dive right into the wings. Besides, you’ll have plenty of other flavors to get through and your taste buds should be present for that!

The tingly smoked chicken below is like nothing I’ve ever had before. The flavors are so bizarre to me but I couldn’t stop eating it! Served cold and probably for good reason, this dish is smoky, woodsy, a little sweet, spicy hot, and laced with enough Sichuan peppers to make your lips feel, well tingly and numb.

I also tried the spicy Sichuan pickles which are great to snack on between meals, like some cooling palette cleanser. The nuts provide a good amount of crunch too. The broccoli beef brisket is a great dish but my absolute favorite was the cod fried rice. You must get this rice! Great balance of flavors and so tasty you  gobble it up before remembering that almost all other fried rice you’ve had had to be covered in soy sauce. Not this one, it won’t even cross your mind. Probably the best fried rice I’ve ever had, fresh, savory and unlike any pork fried rice you’ll get at your Chinese take out.

When you go, expect to wait at least 40 min to an hour or more depending on what time you get there. I’ve heard some people have waited 2 hours which I think is insane but when you do plan to go, grab a snack just in case. What I love about this place is that they’ll take your mobile number and call you when your table is ready so you can shop in the area to kill time. Oh and if you really want to stick around and wait for your table they at times will have complimentary beer for you while you wait. Now that’s my kind of service!