You will soon have another restaurant choice along Second Avenue. Coming soon signs are now up for Hou Yi Hot Pot at 97 Second Ave. between East Fifth Street and East Sixth Street...
Hou Yi Hot Pot currently has a location on Hester Street in the northern fringes of Chinatown. Serious Eats called Hou Yi "comfortable and friendly" and "This is your Manhattan Chinatown go-to for hot pot."
The space still looks pretty raw inside, so you may have a little wait for hot pot here.
Until last June, the storefront housed the longtime laudromat Launderette.
Hopefully some good competition for Hot Kitchen?
ReplyDeleteMight have to have a meal there just for kicks, in the same stupid space where I did all those laundry loads for all those years.
ReplyDeleteIf they're serving good food at reasonable prices, I will certainly patronize them. Hot Kitchen on a weekend night is incredibly busy, there's always a long line of people waiting outside to get in.
ReplyDeletePS: I still miss the old Bamboo House on 6th Street and 2nd Ave.
ReplyDeleteThey stayed open very late almost every night. But that was when the EV was still very lively in a good way. Without bros and hoes hollering and woohooing.
Hi Walter,
ReplyDeleteIt's a hot pot restaurant, which is similar in concept to fondue. A Chinese version of Japanese shabu-shabu.
It's a nice traditional way of communal eating for a family or group of friends, or a nice date for two. I remember eating hot pot as a kid, it was really exciting and delicious.
This should be very good, and it's a totally different menu from Hot Kitchen which is spicy Szechaun. Hou Yi serves hot pot, which is a soup base (including a vegetarian version) plus any ingredients you choose, cooking on a hot plate at your table, There's a nice little pot place over on 7th Ave South but until now I haven't seen one in the EV or anywhere outside of Chinatown. There's nothing better on a cold day than to have a nice hot pot bubbling away on your table full of delicious food.
ReplyDeleteWalter - remember when Bamboo House had a sign in the window that promised if you spent 20 bucks you'd get a picture of a panda? I always wanted to take them up on that but never spent that much money, so...
ReplyDeleteGojira, it would have been pretty hard to spend 20 bucks at Bamboo House. I think that might have been the joke.
ReplyDeleteBamboo House was great. I miss them.
ReplyDeleteMelanie
East Village Corner
...and Bamboo House would always ask you: Brown Rice or White Rice?
ReplyDeleteI miss that place very much.
Just for the record - the landlord could have had a not-for-profit Thrift Store in the space and instead they opted to hold out for a "restaurant".
ReplyDeleteThanks, anon 2:14. I didn't know that. Augh! My life and sense of purpose in the EV was very dependent on charity, both giving directly and buying from thrift shops.
ReplyDeleteI had many sit down meals and deliveries from Bamboo House. The customer service was second to none. I remember them being always so very gracious.
I never knew they offered brown rice!!! If I dig through my old menu archive, I'll find out and be amazed!
That old menu archive is like a graveyard on paper, by the by.
Oh boy!!! I can hardly wait! Another trendy restaurant on Second Avenue! Now I know I'll never starve. And who needs laundromats anyway?
ReplyDeleteWake me up when they close
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody cook anymore?
ReplyDeleteBamboo House had the best Hot and Sour soup.
ReplyDelete@ ShutUpHooker
ReplyDeleteYes. I actually typed that last post while preparing dinner.
I cook every day. Very thankful for the presence of Commodities, and the St. Mark's farmer's market when it's open.
ReplyDeleteCooking food yourself is the only way to be sure of the ingredients and preparation of what you are eating (assuming you also trust the sources of the ingredients, that is!).
Still, we dine out once a week or so, just for the variety. One of the reasons we stay in the EV is the quality, variety, and relatively low prices of the restaurants.
Favorites:
Souen
Angelica
Pukk (vegetarian Thai!)
Pylos
Veselka
Cellar 58
Klong
Spice
Taralluci e Vino
Ramen Misoya
Spice
Mogador
etc.
- East Villager
I do remember Bamboo House asking whether you wanted white rice or brown rice. I asked for brown rice.
ReplyDeleteThe chicken in garlic sauce was great too.
Melanie
East Village Corner