Yesterday I was dying for some legit Asian grub after work, but couldn’t decide where to go. My usual spots felt boring, so I grabbed my phone and searched “best asian restaurant near me right now”. Scrolled past a bunch until “You You Asian Cuisine Middletown NY” caught my eye with tons of recent five-star reviews.
Driving Over There
Threw on my jacket and drove downtown around 6:30pm. Parking was actually easy – snagged a spot right across the street. The place looked cozy from outside with red lanterns glowing. Walked in and got hit with this amazing smell of ginger and sizzling woks immediately.
Ordering Process
Hostess sat me fast even though it was packed. Menu was huge – like twelve pages! Felt overwhelmed so I asked the server what’s popular. She pointed at three things instantly:
- Szechuan beef (her exact words: “spicy enough to make you sweat”)
- Pork dumplings (“we make skin fresh every morning”)
- Thai basil fried rice (“my coworker’s lunch right now – smells killer”)
Ordered all three plus a bubble tea. Total came under $35 which surprised me.
Food Actually Hitting the Table
Dumplings arrived steaming hot in eight minutes. Bit into one and holy crap – juicy pork explosion with that perfect chewy wrapper. Szechuan beef came next on a sizzling plate, covered in chili flakes and numbing peppercorns. Fried rice had crispy bits of egg everywhere like grandma makes.
Ate until I couldn’t move chopsticks anymore. Ended up boxing half the fried rice because portions were massive.
Why I’d Go Back
Walked out completely stuffed and happy. What stood out:
- Real wok char flavor in every dish
- Server knew the menu inside out
- They didn’t water down spice levels for American taste
Left my own five-star review on the way to the car. Already planning to drag my cousin there for their kimchi stew this weekend.
