"When it opened four years ago this month on a First Avenue corner, Little Tong Noodle Shop was among a host of new restaurants popularizing mixian rice noodles from Yunnan. In its excellence and accessibility, it was also one of the places that made the East Village a principal destination for Chinese food. Chef Simone Tong was born in Sichuan, studied at the University of North Carolina and the Culinary Institute of America, and worked under science-focused chef Wylie Dufresne before spending a summer in Yunnan prior to opening Little Tong. Eater critic Ryan Sutton particularly admired the mala chicken noodles, with a balance of sour and spicy flavors, and the kick of Sichuan peppercorns. In addition to noodles, the menu explored the Yunnan province in a deeper and more thoughtful way, via dishes like steak tartare served with a flaky Southeast Asian roti. While Tong’s more ambitious Silver Apricot remains intermittently open, both the East Village and Midtown Little Tong locations shuttered just as the pandemic was ramping up, depriving both neighborhoods of fun and insightful places to eat." - Eater Staff
