Over the summer, The Tang, a contemporary Chinese noodle bar, opened a second location near Columbia University's Morningside campus. The Tang's first location is in the East Village and was opened in 2016 by two young grads of NYU, Yu Li and Eric Sze. Eric Sze later left The Tang and opened the Taiwanese bistro 886, a modern Taiwanese restaurant in the East Village.
In addition to its all-time favorites such as Drunk Noodles and Braised Beef Noodle Soup, you'll find creative dishes that weren't available at the first location due to the size of the kitchen. After walking past the new location of The Tang a couple of times on my way home, I decided to give it a try and share some of the dishes I had.
Roasted Eggplant
This dish was full of surprises. When I ordered saw "roasted eggplant" on the menu, I imagined it would be like the eggplant with garlic sauce (红烧茄子) dish that I can commonly find at Chinese restaurants in the city. Instead, half of a large eggplant was served with a fork and knife. The Tang put a twist to a popular Japanese izakaya dish by putting Chinese soybean sauce on the eggplant and topping it with bonito flakes. The eggplant was roasted just to the right level and was full of flavor. It's a unique dish that I would definitely go back for. I remember sharing the photo of the dish with my first-ever 🍆emoji on Instagram, and what my autocorrect kept trying to suggest afterward is history.
Scallion Oil Noodles: tossed noodles with marinated shiitake and dried shrimp. (Vegetarian option available.)
People say that sometimes, simple things are the best. The Tang's scallion oil noodles may look simple but this bowl of noodles comes with depth. Scallions, leeks, and onions are fried in the oil for 45 minutes, creating savory and long-lasting flavor. Since the scallion oil is the key to this dish, I'd say it would still be tasty even if you order the vegetarian option without the dried shrimp. If I were to choose my comfort food from The Tang, I would choose this satisfying bowl of noodles.
Seared Beef Short Ribs
When we're craving red meat, especially here in NYC, we often think of all the steakhouses. There are some serious steakhouses in this city, and they are clearly an iconic part of New York's dining experience. Sometimes, not everyone in the group wants to eat steak, and often steakhouses do not offer many other options, let alone vegetarian ones. When everyone else in your party is craving Asian food, and you are craving red meat, I'd say the seared beef short ribs at The Tang is the way to go—short ribs marinated with chili peppercorn, bay leaf, and Sichuan spices and cooked sous vide for 4 hours. Well-seasoned, juicy, and mouthwatering—The Tang's beef short ribs are everything that a meat lover would want.
If you are back in town for school, try visiting The Tang's new location.
The Tang (Upper West Side location)
Address: 920 Amsterdam Ave, New York
Hours: Mon-Thurs: 11:00am-10:30pm | Fri-Sat: 11:30am-11:30pm | Sun: 11:30am-10:30pm