Plenty has been written about Fu Run, in Queens, particularly about specialties like their Muslim Lamb Chop and the Taro dessert. One thing I hadn’t heard much about was their vegetarian food, and so on a recent visit with several of our friends we ordered a ton of food (see the photo above for partial proof), and a lot of it was vegetarian. Perhaps more importantly, most of it was fantastic, and much different than what you’d get at Americanized Chinese restaurants. Take for example the dish of greens you see above. Known as Tiger Vegetable, it’s an apparently simple salad comprised mainly of cilantro. But it’s actually far more complex than it seems, and quite refreshing — there’s sesame oil, vinegar, and scallions, but I’m not sure what else.

My favorite dish of the night, though, was the unlikely sounding Green Bean Sheet Jelly, tossed with mixed vegetables and chile oil. You may know by now that I have a fondness for wobbly, jelly-like noodle-things (see here and here), and these did not disappoint. Served at room temperature with crunchy cabbage and cucumbers, with the spicy oil, this dish was right up my alley. I could have eaten this entire bowl myself.

A couple of other dishes warrant mentioning. Triple Delight featured chunks of potatoes, fried eggplant, and peppers in a thick brown sauce. The Sauteed Pea Shoots are one of the most expensive vegetable items on the menu, but also one of the tastiest, cooked with a lot of garlic.

Less successful was the Dried Tofu with Chiles. The pressed tofu was rubbery and the sauce was a generic “white sauce”. You can skip this.

As Donny said after our epic meal, Fu Run really lived up to the hype. There are plenty more vegetarian dishes that I’d like to try, and I’m sure I can find plenty of carnivores willing to go as well. Who’s with me?

Fu Run — 4009 Prince Street, Flushing