I Tried The Best Chinese Food In America

Americans spend $60 billion dollar a year on Chinese takeout General se's orange chicken are common but what have I told you that's not even the best stuff some of the greatest Chinese food in the world is being served in chinatowns Across America recipes and dishes that have existed for hundreds if not thousands of years so today we're on a mission to find the greatest Chinese food in America and what better place to do it than America's largest Chinatown we're here with Chef Maxi laow eating through breakfast lunch dinner and late night meals she's taking us to the places that make flushing one of the most most influential chinatowns in the world and at the end I'm going to find my favorite bite these are some of the best noodles I've ever had oh my God it's ridiculous this is a hit and Crown our champion so we've made it to the heart of flushing Maxi how are we going to do this there's so many places to eat and flushing I think it's going to take you about a week to get through all of them but since you only have 24 hours here with us I'm going to take you to my favorite places that I grew up eating here and some of the new hot spots even though I don't think you're going to make it what do you mean make it like make like alive 24 hours dude that's a t of food you know do you good hello we're at our first spot ajane so we're going to get some teen bang oh hell yeah so team bang they literally make a crepe and then they put eggs in it and then you have the option of doing sausage and beef so I chose beef cuz that's the one I like the most you can choose the option with the fried dough or do like the crispy won skin but I chose the crispy won skin a little lighter and crispier God I love it okay so this is ridiculous I've literally never had anything like this in my life soft yet crunchy fatty yet clean a little spicy it's not driving oil this is really good let me explain my rating system again I'm harsh on my rating a 5 out of 10 is not bad it's mid a 1 out of 10 is bad a 10 out of 10 which we've never given before and probably never will because I don't think Perfection exists in this world this is an 8 out of 10 and that is very high for my scale a strong start moving on Jin bang starting the day off strong but next we have a very special place Maxi's Aunt's restaurant Cina Cafe which is known for some unexpected breakfast dishes this is like a more tatan Tang style tatan Tang means like kind of like a Hong Kong Style Diner so this is called combo a this is my go-to I never thought about starting my day with macaroni soup but I'm going to moving forward the sesame oil is amazing super welcome I think it perfumes the whole thing in Hong Kong McDonald's this is a breakfast item and then we have salted beef and egg sandwich that's ridiculous so first of all the eggs cooked absolutely perfectly this is like the fet minan of breakfast sandwiches so good it made me forget about the h Kong French toast wow holy cheers you know what it's not overly heavy at all that means I can eat the whole thing right the fluffiness of the bread and then just like that thin layer of peanut butter you could eat this and I think you'd feel great maybe that's an overstatement you can eat this and you'll be really happy lots of great items but now it's time for another judgment is this really going to beat out an incredibly High rating from a Jane the corn beef sandwich easily a 9 out of 10 this is the clear winner you guys know I don't give nines and I'm not cuz Maxi is here I am slightly afraid of her but I'm willing to put my my life on the line to at least be real and I'm telling you this is a 9 out of 10 if you live in New York City you should be pulling up an immediate leader with a huge nine right out the gate but now it comes down to one of my favorite things ever which honestly might ruin me for the rest of the day we are at Lake pilion right now we're going to do some yam and dim some I remember when I was a kid and I would walk in and I'd see them pushing the carts and there's just food everywhere and people are running around and you're like yeah I want that and they literally Sprint at light speed to you it's like a whole experience I invited my friend cuz we're going to be feasting so my friend Jessica's meeting us in there all right let's go as soon as we sat down the madness began everywhere I looked people pushing carts overflowing with steaming fresh food look at this dude where should we begin I don't even know I'm really eyeballing these rice rolls kind of want to start there it's ridiculous I'm going to go for my fave La my is um the type of rice and it's wrapped in this like Lotus Lea So Good by God the rice is cooked so nicely obviously the flavor from the Lotus Leaf it's like fragrant almost like a tea really nice should we suck on some toes so it's just going to slip off the bones love it so it's about the technique of sucking the to skin so flavor-wise really nice it's got Umami it's a little salty sweet it's very balanced it's not spicy I know this looks like it's kind of heavy you know we're eating chicken feet but this is actually all breakfast so I want to try piggy so I guys will split it this bun is amazing going to say it's light it's not super heavy but in a great way I love it Sesame ball it's like chewy crunch y it's crispy last but not least we have soup dumplings one of my favorite bites of all time soup dumpling needs no introduction it's perfect the skin on the outside's like perfectly alente it's not overcooked inside's juicy seasoned really nicely the dish just kept on coming and I kept on eating but now it's time to stop and name our winner but then a new Contender caught my eye from the distance these are very unassuming you might see these and go oh I might get it I might not let it pass you up we were about to do that one of the best bolo tasu bolo tasu bow the softest most delicate dut you've ever eaten in your entire life texturally but it's Savory a Crispy Crunchy top salty barbecue pork on the inside 9 out of 10 easily I feel like I'm getting my toes sucked on moving on next up another major Contender Joe's steamed rice rolls maybe the most famous in all of New York I love these but you rarely see them made from scratch like this in the morning they grind out the rice to make the liid he does like one Ladle of the mixture then he adds the filling in there pop it in the steamer he takes it out he rolls it up cut it up and this is what you got we have the rice rolls they have barbecue pork in them we just doused it in soy sauce oh my God these are the best rice rolls I've ever had in my life way better than dim aot thinner thinner more tender but this is like obviously the simplest version you can go this is like my go-to the barbecue pork is just the right type of texture you're looking for to add to the experience when you're eating this it's so silky so smooth but you definitely want another texture in there there and the barbecue pork provides exactly what you're looking for a little bit of chew this is like a perfect bite I'm going to give it a solid 8.7 moving on breakfast is complete but we've got a two-way tie between Casina Cafe with their salted egg and beef sandwich and the barbecue pork pineapple bun from dim suum each with a massive nine I mean these are rare ratings are we going to have our first 10 on the channel in this video onward to lunch our next stop is actually at Maxi's Place Maxi told me that I'm not allowed to eat until I know how the works yeah I'm going to make them work for so we're actually wrapping w today in this filling is 90% shrimp 10% pork so get a little bit of the filling okay now close it up how do you even move your hand like that and then now lift it up and then have your thumb hold the left side and then get your thumb underneath the wanton pull the stick out slightly roll it make it a little rounder and then that's a one time not quite as pretty as yours it's pretty good right what do you think it's a the story of how Maxi started her restaurant is nothing short of incredible Maxi and her family have been eating and flushing since she moved from Hong Kong as a kid it was always her and her mom's dream to open a restaurant one day but when Maxi turned 28 her mom sadly passed away from cancer but that wasn't going to stop Maxi she totally swapped careers to fulfill her and her mom's dream thus Maxi's noodle was born today I have for you our fried BB wons this is the same filling as the wons here in the soup but I did add in a dry flounder powder oh yeah the flounder powder is amazing this is so balanced and then we have the LOM style the Dum and the dang with the ducking noodle these are some of the best noodles I've ever had I've never had these before these are actually the Hong Kong style alkaline noodles pretty much like alkaline makes it like nice and bouncy and I was going to say there's there's almost like a crunch to the Noodle in a way like there's like a really strong chew so nice so good the wanton skin is like so so delicate melts in your mouth but you have this nice firm shrimp I like it literally dunk it in there it for two seconds yep now eat it this is exactly the type of thing that I like to eat cuz it's like a multi-course menu in one meal and then over here we have the noodle soup Style with the flat rice sud the beef stew the wantons these are actually the wantons that you wrapped they put mine in there cuz they were like Hey we're going to throw these away you guys should just eat them this is what will put me to sleep that's really nice out of everything you're eating what's your best dish these are one of the greatest noodles I've ever eaten in my entire life 9.5 Maxi this was excellent and a clear overall leader on the board Maxi is doing it right with insane noodles and wons but will she hold the lead we're not just going to go easy on Maxi cuz she's our friend so onward to a drink Showdown starting with hey tea known for fruit drinks with cheese foam that's I love everything in this but the jelly did you taste that cheese foam on top oh that's good that was unexpected but overall flavor-wise the sugar level's really good the flavor is nice it's really nice intensely grape flavored I'm going to give this one an 8 out of 10 but I don't like the jelly so I'm going to have to knock that down to a 7 out of 10 still strong but not my top Contender I think we have better to come next up Molly tea an incredibly high-end spot from China known for their premium Jack Jasmine milk tea this is by far my favorite cuz I'm obsessed with Jasmine I've been to a lot of different Boba and milk tea shops and none of them look like this I feel like I'm walking past a Louis Vuitton it's super balanced it's not overly sweet it's Ultra fragrant it's arguably the most jasmine tea flavored jasmine tea out of all the milk teas I've ever had in my life this is easily a it's another nine out of 10 like I don't know what the hell is happening and finally Jing Fu Tang from Taiwan known for their Lux brown sugar Boba with actual real gold on top we got gold leaf on the Boba before we got GTA 6 explain that to me the boba's still warm you saw it in the walk a golden walk really nice if you've ever gone to a Boba place anywhere typically you go you get it it's good but it's really sweet this is like sweet salty creamy but not too sweet it's got nice even lines of flavor out of all the milk teas I've had this is in the top three but I would give this a solid 7.5 out of 10 one of the best Boba tees I've ever had but out of all the teas we had today I'm going to give the crown too the Jasmine milk tea it was unbelievable all right it's check in time I feel like I've been brought back to life not just by this but just by the vibe there's nothing that can bring me down the next lunch spot is one of the most anticipated locations it is Cantonese barbecue the location Corner 28 listen growing up as a kid I lived for this stuff so here I usually get the three topping crispy pork the rose pork and the duck over right and make sure you get the ginger scallion sauce this is like liquid gold to me that's ridiculous you don't even need anything else wow the Jer Scout Ian just as a heads up this is basically Ginger green onion oil salt I suppose makes you want to hit my head against the wall the beauty in the Simplicity of these flavors combined this you have to ask for they only give you this if you order chicken I mean this is ridiculous got to do the duck this is a hit this is the one that I'm like I want to come back and eat every day I don't know where we go from here this like might be our highest rated one I'm not even joking for bang for the money the diversity of choices you get to eat I'm going to give this 9.6 I don't even know if we've given a 9.6 it's so perfect I don't even care like I forgot where I am they could have seated me in the bathroom and I would have been perfectly happy our newest lead at a 9.6 could we end up giving our first 10 out of 10 in the entire history of this channel I guess we'll find out now that we're moving on to X they're known for their crab row and crab meat I think they're the only place in New York that have this stuff okay so we're here with the owner Homer man himself so should we crack into this crab flavor is so nice it's Oceanic but the texture of the noodle I mean this is like a complete meal and I love the addition of the wood ear for texture really really nice next one so after they steam it they also pan Fred a bottom this has pulk so now you have some pulk taste I love the diversity of flavor texture it had everything I wanted crispy chewy I'm going to give it a seven if you're like a crab fanatic this is a place for you this is the place for you everything was absolutely excellent thank you so much so welcome and a check in I am feeling it when I sat down in there my body was basically like it's time to stop eating you had enough no seriously I'm in pain please dear God stop we need to go to the hospital and my brain was like goooo Gaga moving on it's time to fire things up and that means sesan ironically Maxi is actually anti-s spice so she invited her friend Caroline Shin a queen's food focused journalist who grew up in Flushing that lives for the Spice we linked up at New World Mall food court and we're here for La Mala Tang's sesan Mala dry pot Mala is that flavor that I'm addicted to which is a combination of the spicy chili peppers with the numbing quality of the Cel and pepper corn the fish is kind of calling me it's honestly not that spicy I heard that Q was not too spicy I'm going to try it on my personal spice scale I would give this a 5 out of 10 on the spiciness it's not too hot at all the fish is cooked really nicely see it has the exact amount of numbing spice that I like it's not the type of spicy that bites your tongue off it's warm this is what Americanized Chinese food wishes it could be the market is like by the people for the people so it's going to be at that palette level so it is going to be super spicy and it's not going to hold back because that's what the natural palette is how are you doing Maxi was it spicy for you I'm sorry I'm sorry it's a good spice but every bite with that I have to eat it with some rice I think if you're going to get a sesan dish and it's going to be Mala Focus this is where it should be all things considered this is like a solid 9 out of 10 a 9 out of 10 in a food court is a 10 out of 10 anywhere else and I'm especially happy with this food C I have like a multitude of different options every single one of them have their own unique offering people are bringing technique we're not going to come to America and then change it we're going to come to America and do it the way it's supposed to be done and one of the best quotes I ever heard from a chef that I worked for was we're not doing anything special here we're just doing it the right way the m just hit my throat oh my God it's amazing it's like another world down there we're finally back out here and I'm like oh right we're in New York totally forgot it's like I was transported back and I'm ready for more and kids that needs barbecue wins lunch with the highest score I have ever given I really think we might be giving our first 10 here and what better way to do that then with Michelin level sesan food hopefully Maxi survives the heat because we might be looking at a new leader so we're at sesan mountainous it is one of the New York Times 100 best restaurants which I think is actually just a testament to like how mainstream popular it's become and then they have a bib Gourmand is that right yeah amazing Michelin level food right here so they're like this is going to be really spicy I'm like how spicy look at this an uncountable amount of peppers we'll start here then we'll work our way up to here the ultra numbing and then we'll work our way up here what could be the most spicy dish here we have the chicken this is supposed to be the lower end all right here goes nothing oh yeah it's not that bad it's not bad especially compared to what we just had okay so we have the Mala boiled beef cheers fragrance of the peppercorn really comes through on this one is it spicier than that no no do you feel that like numbing sensation oh yeah I love it my mouth is vibrating yes I'm over here having fun Maxi's fighting for her life but the next dish might just have me fighting for my life too W oh I just got a little vibration in my upper lip we have three incredible dishes all unmatched flavor I was almost going to say the chicken was my favorite until I tried the fish and immediately this took first place for me by far so flavorful it's got Umami it's salty it's balanced there's Spice in there but first and foremost there's the beautiful flavor of chili which most people will never enjoy because they're too scared of the spice but this isn't too spicy this was really scary to me it it looks overwhelming but once you try it it's actually really good the greatest things are behind a wall of fear one of the best fish soup stews of all time this is an 8.5 out of 10 moving on this is crazy these backtack Mala meals have my entire face numb my tongue's tingling it's like I'm entering some sort of acid trip Sichuan fever dream and I'm floating through flushing as we land at the Michelin bib gourman rated Jang Nan where they serve Maxi's most favorite peeking duck she's ever had when we entered this space immediately my first thought was this place has Aura and by that I mean when we walk out of here we're going to walk out with at least plus 100 Aura people are going to be like where did you get that aura from like Dude down the road the peing duck usually they would serve you in the steam bun why this is so special to me at least is because I grew up eating peek and duck with this thin crepe it's like a face mask I always start with obviously a piece of duck a little bit of cucumber a little bit of the Shives and then a little bit of that Hoon sauce all right we're going in the process of peeking duck is incredibly difficult and one of the crucial elements of peeking duck how much you render the skin this is right smack dab where it should be they are Michin recommended as they should be because this is obviously clearly amazing honestly like I'm trying to pick this apart and figure out what's not excellent about it absolutely nothing are you crazy I'm going to give it a 95 yeah I you stop giving me such good places and the only reason it's not getting in 10 is because I haven't had every peeking duck in the world fair enough I never will that's how close this is to being perfect peeking duck leads dinner almost surpasses the barbecue from lunch but now it's midnight we're getting tired but we have to keep going because I was told wagu is next except uh we sort of accidentally walked into a wedding and oh just kidding actually wagu is also here that's a good combo pretty much here it's all you can eat and there is like a set menu you're getting the works here it's funny it's they're like oh it's all you can eat and I'm like what happens if I can't eat so it's midnight I'm expecting wagu but we are confronted with a 8 plus course Omas where is the wagu and finally it arrived in one of the most beautiful presentations I can imagine this is a normal portion and it's all you can eat so how was it incredible I mean it's A5 Waggy what do you expect but what really blew me away was the Sichuan Mala spice blend that you dip your A5 in after you cook it oh my God it's amazing this m spice literally makes it with A5 wagy generally speaking don't want to overpower the flavor too much it's a pretty big no no but be the first time I ever make an exception for that because this is exceptional all it does is add salt add a little bit of umami add some Mala heat behind it but it's not overwhelming it I'm going to give it a n n but you don't need A5 to win so if A5 isn't going to win this what is 16 hours and 40 dishes in maybe my body can handle more but can my mind even though I don't think you're going to make it what do you mean make it like make like aive 24 hours d That's a kind of food I'm In Too Deep to stop now and so I find myself a Nang for soup doublings one of my favorite foods ever and supposedly theirs are one of the most famous in all of flushing maybe even all of New York this is like the Skittles of soup dumplings multiple flavors we have the Truffle truffle is really nice imagine the most beautiful soup dumpling but then that ous earthy funky truffle really nice next let's do chicken veggie scallop pork with the crap meat first of all each and every one of these are incredibly good people would probably vote on this based off of their preference Chef Maxi loves the crab one I can see why every single one of these are a minimum 7 and 1 half out of 10 that's just like Baseline the highest one on the other hand is a 9 out of 10 there was another one that was an 8.7 one was the Truffle and one was the vegetable truffle was the nine absolutely excellent we got to get moving Nan Shang lived up to the hype but not enough to Dethrone barbecue but maybe our first and only street food that we're going to be having can so I can't let you leave flushing without taking you to the OG street food vendor meet on a stick cart that's been here for more than 10 years all of their stuff is pretty much like average $2 so we have chicken grill with a Mala spice smells Smoky close your eyes it's tender it's juicy it's released all the bite I like it a lot final rating 7 out of 10 now we go to our final place this is the moment where we're going to find out who is our winner it's 2: a.m. 17 hours of eating and our final spot has me wondering if I'm still even on Earth Heidi Lao Hot Pot China's biggest Hot Pot chain known for their otherworldly customer service not just humans robots too and we had an empty seat at our table and were nice enough to bring us a friend who scared me slightly but with this being our final location will this food surpass the experience and bring us our ultimate Champion first we choose our broth here we have four broths to try I'm hyped next we choose our ingredients and finally we make our dipping sauces you dip you dunk youat and you eat using extra long Chopsticks we cook for ourselves and each other oh wow yeah that's good but then suddenly someone walked in who you might ask I literally don't know I don't even realize if I'm smiling or clapping the food was no longer a meal it was a show and there's no place on Earth with customer service like this but with food that's still this incredible and after the experience of a lifetime I now have my hardest decision of the day probably the best fish soup I've ever had in my entire life this is a hit that's how close this is to being perfect these are the best rice rolls I've ever had in my life these are some of the best noodles I've ever had I've never had these Before 40 plus dishes a full stomach a blown out pallet comes down to this moment and I'm finally ready to give my final score and announce our winning after everything we went through this is a nine which means coming in with the highest score I have ever given a 9.6 our Overall winning restaurant is Corner 28 with their Cantonese barbecue platter and ginger scallion sauce it was just proper technique in a simple uncomplicated setting and to me something like that special screams the beauty of Chinatown and it is a NeverEnding adventure and the food is only special because of the people who do it and the dedication of their craft so go to your local Chinatown explore use this video as reference grab some friends eat everything because you'll be supporting an amazing community that deserves it and a special tremendous thank you to the chef who changed my life forever Maxi Lao check out our food if you're ever in Flushing thanks for watching Love You So Much subscribe