With the Pandemic still not completely over, the desire for take-out and delivery focused eateries has gone up, in my opinion. This new spot, Chinah FiDi is a welcome addition to that category. I still prefer where I can sit and eat inside, but that’s just me…
The inside was bright and clean, a good space for people to come in and order, and wait until the food is ready. The ordering counter is three steps up, but they have a heavy-duty elevator for wheelchair. There is no quick/easy access or ramp.
There was one staff taking orders, and the kitchen seems to be right behind the ordering counter. They had some food ready to be picked up by customers, maybe ordered via phone? They also have online order available on their website for pickup or delivery.
Their drink options were displayed behind the glass. It is nice to be able to see the actual items before ordering. I liked how they had some Chinese kinds and Japanese kind. I was excited to see the green tea, jasmine tea, and oolong tea lined up! The other drinks shown here are herbal tea, lemon tea, and chrysanthemum tea.
Chinah FiDi offer Chinese food in the style of tasty bowls. They prepare their food with simple, fresh, natural ingredients. They use their family receipts, creating dishes that taste like home. How awesome! Their ordering system feels a bit similar to Chipotle or Subway, but without the ingredients out in the open in front of you. Everything is prepared in the kitchen at the time of order. You first select a base, then one green dish, one side, and then finally, one protein. You can also add toppings and sauces to your order.
They have some signature bowls called Chef’s Bowls, where all the ingredients are pre-set and chosen for you. But if you want to customize your order, you can certainly do that with ease. We customized our bowls, and we were very happy with it!
The first bowl was created with Whole Grain Brown Rice, Taiwanese Cabbage, Homestyle Eggplant, and Black Pepper Beef ($12.99). We also added three toppings; Toasted Sesame, Crispy Garlic, and Fried Onion. For the sauce, we chose Mushroom “Oyster” sauce. All the toppings and sauce came complimentary, thank you!
The cabbage was a bit of let down, as it didn’t have much of any flavor. But, the eggplant was really good! It had a little kick to it, juicy and packed with flavor! The toppings were good too, adding texture and flavor to the dish.
Brown rice was cooked just right, and making this dish very filling. Pepper Steak was tender, and had a good seasoning.
The second bowl was created with Whole Grain Brown Rice, Baby Bok Choy, Mapo Tofu, and Glazed Pork Belly ($13.99). We added the same three toppings; Toasted Sesame, Crispy Garlic, and Fried Onion, plus Five Spice Egg (+$2). For the sauce, we went with Sesame Aioli. This made the total to be $15.99.
Baby Bok Choy was tasty! Cooked perfectly, with still a bit of fresh, crunchy texture to it. We liked this much better than the cabbage.
Mapo Tofu had two “spicy” icons next to it, and it certainly was spicy! It was delightful, very tasty. It didn’t look like much, but it was packed with flavor.
Egg had good flavor to it, but I preferred the soft-boiled rather than hard-boiled… But they were still pretty good. I am not sure about the additional $2 for one egg though…Maybe their cooking method takes more time and effort?
The amount of Glazed Pork Belly was really generous, almost surprising! They sure give you the amount worth your money and some!
The meat pieces needed knife and fork, not quite fall of the bone. Could also be that they got slightly cooled in transit on the way home. They had tangy and a bit sweet flavor, which we enjoyed. Bit of fatty parts were cooked well. Thick, large pieces of meat, nice!
But, one of the three pork pieces was almost 100% fat, which was a bit sad… I really like pork belly, with some fat on it, but not that much of fat…
Overall, we enjoyed our bowls from Chinah FiDi. The portion was very generous, good amount of each ingredients. They were really, very filling! If you are not too hungry when you get this, it might be enough for lunch and dinner! The quality was high, and very tasty indeed. If you are looking for a tasty bowl made with simple, quality ingredients, try Chinah FiDi!
Chinah FiDi – 100 Maiden Ln, New York, NY 10038