Uncle Lou Opens in NYC’s Chinatown

"Opened in late December on Mulberry Street in Manhattan’s Chinatown, this 2,000-square-foot restaurant was launched by longtime neighborhood figure Louis Wong and his partners to revive old-school, countryside Cantonese cooking while blending in younger 'jook sing' influences. A sprawling 200-item menu highlights a lo wah kiu section with dishes such as braised pork belly with pickled mustard greens; buffalo fish steamed with ginger-scallion sauce; chenpi duck in a sweet-bitter mandarin-peel glaze; oxtail casserole with sticky gravy; steamed or fried pork patties with salted fish; crunchy fried silver fish with chives and jicama; old-fashioned sweet-and-sour pork ribs with lychee and pineapple; crispy garlic chicken; Chinese broccoli with sausage; honey walnut jumbo shrimp; and Peking pork chops fried golden and tossed in sweet-and-sour sauce. The warmly appointed dining room—designed by a family architect and decorated with donated artwork, a neon logo, Vita lemon tea displays, large hanzi scrolls, globular lights, and a bit of Instagram-ready foliage—feels communal and familiar, with the owner frequently chatting with patrons and many locals saying it already feels like an established neighborhood institution helping bring people back to Chinatown." - Chris Crowley, Melissa Hom