For many people, “Chinatown” in New York means the one in downtown Manhattan. But, if you ask the people who knows about the “REAL” Chinatown, they will tell you it is in Flushing, Queens. We were just starting to explore more eateries and restaurants before the Pandemic hit. You can find some great dim sum spots in Flushing! I think all the Asians, not matter where you are born, have extra appreciation for food. And when I say “food” it also includes desserts! One of the most popular desserts in Japan (in my opinion) is crepes. If you go to Harajuku, you will be offered with crazy number of crepe offerings everywhere. Tasty crepes can be found in Flushing as well, at this lovey spot called A-Crepe. It is located inside the Arcadia Mall, right on Main Street.
When you enter the Arcadia Mall, A-Crepe is the first eatery you see to the left. Simple yet warm storefront with lots of wood, making it feel cozy. I liked the vibrant red accent wall, that really pop and grabs your attention. They had three counter chairs, and you can eat your crepe here, if you choose to. But since crepe (in Asia) is more of a “street” snack, many customers just ordered them to go.
When we arrived, the owner David was very busy making all the orders that came in through the online order. It is always good to have the option to order on their website before heading over, especially if you have a busy day. With online order, you can grab a tasty dessert (or two) while on the run! He told us that it will be a while before he can take our order, and since we were not in a hurry, we were ok to wait. After he finished making more than handful of crepes, without a second of rest, he greeted us with a warm smile and took our order. We started off with one of their popular drinks, Tapioca Boba beverages! It was interesting to watch him make the drinks, similar to making cocktails! Then, he put the cup through a machine that seals the top.
And here it is, the first drink came out with the seal on top. I always wondered how that top seal get put on the cup! Now I know… The first drink of choice was Matcha Boba Tea ($4.95/16oz). He asked if wanted it sweetened, and I asked him to make it “not too sweet.” The result was perfect sweetness! Not bitter, but not too sweet. It had a really great matcha flavor, the real kind, not artificial flavor. It was super tasty! Boba was plump and chewy like mochi, in a good way.
The second choice of drink was Hershey Strawberry Milk Boba ($4/16oz). It sounded good, but I didn’t really know what to expect. It had a very pretty pink color, with nice strawberry flavor. It was like delectable strawberry milk drink, something I’ve had in Japan a few times, and of course, loved… This was really awesome! Good amount of boba in each drink to satisfy your tummy.
After he crafted our drinks, he moved onto making our crepes. From watching him make many crepes already, I could see nothing was pre-made. Everything was made to order, which takes a bit longer, but you get super fresh crepe each time! They offer Sweet Crepes, Gourmet Salad Crepes, Pizza Crepes, and Breakfast Crepes. How fun is that???
He started with making the crepe, which is gluten free. He makes it look so easy, but it does require a good skill! David has over a decade of experience in food industry, so I am sure he acquired a good amount of useful skills during that time. And watching the crepes being made is somehow so relaxing…
Once the crepes were ready, he started to assemble all the ingredients. The first crepe of our choice was Strawberry Cheesecake ($9.75). It seems like it is more labor intensive than some other ones. He chopped up strawberries right there, added cream cheese, and then…
…he added custard cream and whipped cream. I know, it is going to be great! I heard that through his own experiences, David thought the crepe shops can do better for the customer. And so, he decided to open up his own crepe shop! He has smaller menu than some others do, so that he can focus on quality of ingredients and service. I am all for that! Even at the busiest time, he crafted many crepes quickly and efficiently, all by himself, with care and love. And I think the people see that, as the orders kept coming in, non-stop while our visit.
He placed a good amount of strawberry slices carefully, and then finished it off with one of my favorite snack, Pocky sticks!
And here it is, the glorious Strawberry Cheesecake Crepe! Doesn’t it look great? It is made with Strawberries, Whipped Cream Cheese, Custard Cream, Whipped Cream, Strawberry Ice cream, Strawberry Syrup, and Pocky Sticks.
Everything was super fresh, strawberries were perfectly ripe. It had a generous amount of cream and custard without being too much. The ice cream had real bits of strawberries in it, and Pocky just makes it extra fun to eat! The size of the crepe itself is really nice too. Definitely satisfy your sweet tooth, left with a happy tummy.
For our second crepe, I wanted to try something different, something interesting. As I mentioned, A-Crepe offers more than just sweet crepes, but also, salad crepes, pizza crepes, and breakfast crepes (served all day!). We thought, why not try one of their Gourmet Salad Crepes? We chose Spicy Shrimp Avocado Salad Crepe ($9.29). For this one, David combined all the fresh ingredients together, and then pour them into the crepe.
That made much more sense, as it will be rather difficult to roll a crepe with loads of salad and its contents in it. So, here are the two crepes, both made with care and love. I also like how he makes the crepe to be not too thick nor thin, but just right!
The Spicy Shrimp Avocado Salad Crepe is made with shrimp, avocado, carrots, red onions, and Romaine lettuce in their signature Southwest dressing. It is a quite good amount of salad in here!
It had a nice kick to it, which I really enjoyed. A good amount of shrimp in there, being friendly with creamy avocado. Everything was super fresh, the greens had a nice crunchy texture. With a good amount of protein, it can fill you up. It is cool that you can get “salad to go” in a crepe, that you can eat while on a go! For those who wants to stay healthy, they offer great options!
After enjoying the crepes, we ended our pleasant lunch with their Blue Butterfly Tea with Honey ($4). I first discovered Butterfly Pea beverage at Mad Hatter’s G&T Party on a double decker bus, and thought it was just so pretty! The source of this tea, butterfly pea flower, is caffeine-free, high in antioxidants, vitamin A, C and E. Oh yeah! It is naturally blue, but when you add some drops of acid, such as lemon, as we did here, it turns to gorgeous purple! You can also experience this magical portion at The Cauldron NYC, if you solemnly swear that you are up to no good… Or, you can just head out to A-Crepe and get your perfect cup made right here.
They also serve organic coffee here, if you are more of a coffee drinker. I also saw they have coffee with coffee jelly! I am not sure if coffee jelly is common in the US, but it is common in Asia, and it is so good! I must try that the next time. At the end, we had a lovely lunch here. David was very friendly and welcoming, and everything we had a was really good. Crepes were light and airy, with elegant sweetness. We were comfortably full and our tummy were happy.
After you fill yourself up with these tasty crepes from A-Crepe, you can walk around Main Street to have the full China Town experience! And, you get to walk off some of the calories at the same time… So, next time you are craving a good, fresh, tasty crepes of all kinds, head over to A-Crepe in Flushing, Queens!
A-Crepe – 4235 Main Street, Flushing, New York, 11355