Great Wall 10-11-2009

Location: 60 Henry St. BK
Time: 6pm
People: RB and myself

Feelings: When I first moved to the city from Florida almost 10 years ago, my favorite cheap Chinese take out place was Ying Chen in Upper West Side. Sadly, they closed several years ago, and I have yet to find anything remotely close to it since. After almost three months in my new Brooklyn neighborhood without any decent Asian takeout, I was ready to give up. I was not looking for Ying Chen level, but I wanted something decent.

After our adventure in DUMBO to check out a Japanese book store, Zakka, we stopped at a no-nonsense, food pictures on the wall type of Chinese takeout joint called Great Wall. There was a pleasant aroma of grease and sauce coming from inside. You would think even a Chinese takeout place would be more expensive in Brooklyn Heights, but Great Wall is about $1-$2 cheaper than other Chinese restaurants in the area.

When I had my first bite of shrimp chow fun ($6.28), I shouted to RB, "Ying Chen!" I would not be surprised if the former Ying Chen chef moved to Brooklyn and started cooking here. The amount of onions, snow peas, and sauce resembled to Ying's. The noodles were not overcooked, and unlike other mediocre Chinese takeouts, it was not over-sauced or over-greased. The sweetness of onions and shrimp brought the flavor together.

RB always judges American Chinese food by general tso's chicken, so he did just that. Their general tso's chicken ($6.92) was cooked very well. Most places overcook the chicken, resulting in nearly burnt and dry chicken. The broccoli was steamed well and perfectly al dente. He thought it was a tad over-sauced, and the sauce itself had a bit of tang that reminded him of BBQ sauce, which is not necessary a bad thing. I tasted the rice that came with his dish, and it was fluffy and cooked very well.

Great Wall is a solid Chinese take out place with a reasonable price. I am happy to announce that we have finally found our Asian take out joint, and I will no longer say that Brooklyn Heights/Cobble Hill area has no decent Asian take outs. (Still no decent Thai food though!)