Huang Pu River Restaurant

They serve the usual North-​Americanized Chinese fare (loaded with sugar and starches) during their lunch buffet, but they also offer a «real» Chinese menu. I’m basing my review upon my great experience ordering off that menu.
Unlike some Chinese restaurants, the «real» menu isn’t solely written in Chinese, but the daily specials on the whiteboard are. The staff is friendly and is happy to explain the daily specials. I started ordering a pork belly dish, and my waitress suggested an alternative spicy preparation of the pork belly in the menu that turned out great. Also ordered: ma po tofu and water spinach.
The ma po tofu was very hot, and the right amount of spiciness for me. They stock a mean chili oil that packs a wallop so you can dial up the heat if you want; just ask for some. I prefer my ma po tofu without a thick, cornstarch-​laden sauce, and they happily accommodated my request. The water spinach still had a delicate crunch and was cooked with just the right amount of garlic and salt.
The kitchen is fast; my food came out in less than 10 minutes, piping hot and it all seemed freshly-​prepared to me. They pull this off with proper technique, wok, and the massive burner I saw in the kitchen. If I ordered beef chow fun, I fully expect to experience the «wok hei» in the dish. This is the Chinese equivalent of «down-​home cooking»; no mistaking this for Le Bernardin, but I enjoyed it just as well for its straightforward, unpretentious fare.
If you want General Tso’s, there are lots of choices probably equally suitable. But this place is a great choice if you want to get a taste a little bit closer to what people in China eat.

This review is only for their weekend lunch specials.
The Skinny: Great fried doughnuts, fresh soy bean milk and tasty dumplings are a real treat (3.75), Service is solid (3), Value — it’s reasonable (3).
In the ‘Peg, this is the place to get your Northern Chinese styled dim sum — namely fried doughnuts, fresh soy bean milk and xiao long bao.
The fried doughnuts — crispy, salty, light, fluffy — they go so well with the warm fresh soy bean milk (you can get it sweet or salty — I usually go with the sweet).
The dumplings here are the best in town (other than my dad’s but their a pain in the butt to make). You can get them pan-​fried or boiled — both are pretty good. The xiao long bao are made in the restaurant. They are good — I’d say a 3-​kind of good — but they are still the best show in town for these Asian treats.