Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City
Large menus may seem like an exciting prospect, but they usually make it impossible for me to make a decision. Although truthfully, I struggle with that regardless of the menu size.
Needless to say, I was overwhelmed by the choices at Uluh, a fancy, modern take on Chinese dim sum. I stopped by on a weekend afternoon (the typical dim sum hour) to find a positively jamming dining room and a few open outdoor tables.
I picked outdoor and that is where I agonized over what to order. The prices here are considerably higher than what you get from a modest cart roaming a dining room in Chinatown. Some of the most tempting dishes (like Boneless Pork Trotters and Brown Sugar Glazed Peking Duck) can cost upwards of $30-$70.
Granted those are larger portions and much more elaborate than what you get at the dim sum parlors in Chinatown. But for a weekend lunch, I tried to stick with the smaller dishes under the $20 mark.
With some help from the harried waiter, I chose the intriguing Black Truffle Soup Dumplings (I’ve heard tell of these elsewhere but never jumped in) and asked for something spicy.
I’ll write a separate post about the dumplings, but for a spice kick, I was steered toward the Green Peppercorn Chicken. And in this case, the agonizing paid off.
This was a shredded chicken salad that was served cold (that’s not explicitly explained in the menu, so I was a bit surprised). The chicken is tossed with lime wedges, basil leaves, peppercorns, and lots of chiles.
There was something about the flavor that reminded me of the unexpectedly spicy fish stew at Hao Noodle. Both showcase the green peppercorn, which provides a bit more floral quality than other varieties. There is also a good amount of Szechuan peppercorn giving it that hot and numbing experience. And then the lime and basil made me think a bit about Southeast Asian cuisine. Fresh, bright, and herbal.
It’s not a big portion, but it’s certainly big on flavor. And it’s a great place to start on this overwhelming (but very exciting) menu. Price: $13
| ULUH |
| 152A Second Avenue (between East 9th and East 10th Street), East Village (917) 261-5963 |
| uluhny.com |
