Liang’s Kitchen (梁媽媽家)
133-51 39th Ave
Flushing, NY 11354
$$
Menu
Liang’s Kitchen is one of the overlooked Taiwanese restaurants in Flushing. Originating in California and having a previous branch in Forest Hills, Liang’s is an example of a successful journey from west to east. While there are oyster pancakes and beef noodles, patrons will be surprised to hear that the main focus here is not your traditional Taiwanese dishes but rather the cuisine the Kuomintang army brought over from China. Therefore, you will see some Chinese dishes on the menu as well (Further evident as I spot some simplified characters on the menu).
The restaurant itself is located in the basement of the Best Western Hotel near Flushing Mall. The dining area is spacious and even has a bar at the entrance. Service is exceptional as the waiters constantly refill the tea and tell you to be careful of the incoming hot dishes.
Minced Pork Over Rice 肉燥飯
Instead of the “Lu Rou Fan” we are so accustomed to ordering at Taiwanese restaurants, Liang’s version is the “Rou Zao Fan” 肉燥飯 ($5.95) which has a more finely grounded pork. The meat is leaner and dryer than the pork belly variety of minced pork rice. I personally felt the dish needed a little bit more moisture.
Stewed Bamboo Shoots 油燜筍
The tender Stewed Bamboo Shoots 油燜筍 ($4.95) is a refreshing chilled appetizer in a light soy sauce. This fresh variety is great because they don’t have that pungent smell the jarred versions have.
Oyster Pancake 蚵仔煎
The Oyster Pancake 蚵仔煎 ($6.95) here is lacking compared to the ones around the area. The egg and oyster are good but it had a rough powdery texture to it. An extra scoop of sauce would have helped as parts of the omelette were bland and almost bitter.
Da Zui Bing 大嘴餅
Literally called “big lips bun”, the Da Zui Bing 大嘴餅 ($6.95) is stuffed with a cilantro, scallion, and pork mix to the point of explosion. You will need to open your mouth wide to get a bite of the extra crispy crust and filling. This dish is a must order.
Stewed Oxtail
I kind of had high hopes for the Stewed Oxtails ($8.95). While it is delicious, not to mention meaty and fatty, there is just not enough pieces to make this dish worth ordering again. Maybe the lunch special version has a better value.
Three Cup Chicken 三杯雞
Listed as Garlic Chicken with Basil in Casserole 三杯雞 ($9.95), the three cup chicken was the most disappointing dish of the meal. I don’t know if we got a bad bunch out of the pot because the chicken in this dish was very dry. The larger pieces were overcooked and tough and I couldn’t finish the dish. It doesn’t help that half the contents of the casserole consisted of ginger, garlic and basil so there was barely any chicken to begin with.
Apparently if your order is over $30, you get a choice of free Soup Dumplings ($5.50) or beef pancakes ($6.95). We chose the Xiao Long Bao and for a free dish, it was surprising good. Each bun was filled with flavorful meat and soup. The dough is very delicate as most of the dumplings popped when lifted off the steamer.
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