LAN SHENG, WALLINGTON
How many Chinese restaurants have you been to in New Jersey that have a bar? We took it for granted that the Lan Sheng was BYO. Once we walked in, we realized our mistake when we saw a bar with bottles of liquor lined up. When we asked about the corkage fee the waiter said it was $10. Lowell said, “let’s just order a glass of wine.” I said, “Order one glass and if it is drinkable I’ll order one also.” He ordered a house cabernet, the waiter did not know the brand, and after taking a sip I decided not to order any. The wine was $6.
We had to ask for tea although the other tables had teapots placed down as soon as they were seated. Fried Chinese noodles or peanuts were not placed on the tables but we did see a bowl of noodles placed on the bar.
The Dan Dan noodles with minced-pork chili vinaigrette had gummy noodles and very little sauce. Ma Po tofu, our go-to dish, with minute minced pork and silky tofu, was appropriately spicy. However, both dishes did not have the oomph we expected. We prefer the versions served at Chengdu 1 in Verona. We enjoyed the bacony smokiness of the tender and tasty Camphor-tea-smoked duck served with hoisin sauce, but would have preferred crispy and crackling skin rather than the soggy version we received. An orange and two fortune cookies accompanied our bill.
Adventurous eaters can have a feast here with not-often-seen menu items like pork-blood curd, stir-fried pork intestine, dry pig feet, sea cucumber, duck tongue and frog offered in many variations. The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner. It is not BYO.
Ma Po Tofu
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein
Lan Sheng
209 Paterson Avenue
Wallington
973-773-7100
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