The Place: Last year, Long Island City gained an exciting Asian food hall not so dissimilar to the ones you can find further out in Queens in Flushing, which are, of course, not so dissimilar to the ones you can find in Shanghai. On my visit to the LIC Food Hall on a cold weekday evening, I found very few crowds but an immersive experience. I’ve never been to Shanghai, but I have certainly been to Flushing and this saved me a slightly longer trip on the 7 train.
The Menu: The vendor I visited, Fat Cat Flatbread, not surprisingly, also has a location in Flushing. At both, the menu consists of crispy flatbreads stuffed with savory or sweet fillings. I’ve had these before and find them hard to resist. These make an easy snack or light meal to enjoy at one of the food hall’s tables or walk down Queens Boulevard.
The Dish: These flatbread, which are very popular street food, are called Guokoi, and consist of a light crispy dough that is folded over a choice of stuffings. I went with the spicy pork that brought a slight numbing meaty experience to the handheld pallete. The bread was not quite as rich and buttery as jian bing and was just the right size for a snack. I may have been slightly more critical with the amount of filling if I was looking for dinner. As it is, these are a crowdpleaser and hard to turn down when walking through this new exciting market. Price: $6-$7.25
| FAT CAT FLATBREAD |
| Inside LIC Food Hall, 27-17 42nd Road (at 28th Street), Long Island City, Queens (718) 715-0802 |
| licfoodhall.com |
