"If you’re with a big group, you could come to Green Garden Village and have a feast made up entirely of suckling pig. It comes served whole, staring directly into your eyes with a side of buns and hoisin sauce. Each bite has crispy skin and tender meat, and will make you seriously consider the feasibility of an all-pork diet. But unfortunately, another meal here might involve soggy beef noodles or unpleasantly gamey duck. The food at this BYOB Cantonese restaurant in Chinatown is extremely hit or miss. If you order nonchalantly off of Green Garden Village’s giant menu, your chances of striking nothing but gold are pretty low. So stick with the deluxe-leaning meats and seafood, like the crispy Peking duck (skip the roast duck), golden brown salt and pepper squid, snails in their shells, or the lobster fried rice with generous hunks of lobster. And, if you’re celebrating a birthday or team dinner, get that whole suckling pig (which requires calling ahead to order) and maybe an Alaskan King Crab prepared any way you’d like. Just know that at $38 per pound, the crab deserves its own tier of luxury dining. The average eight-pounder will cost an irresponsible portion of your rent. photo credit: Noah Devereaux Green Garden Village naturally warrants a comparison to Wu’s Wonton King (another BYOB Chinatown spot with big round tables, gleaming barbecued meats hanging in the windows, and live seafood in tanks). But unlike Wu’s, most people don’t come to Green Garden Village to have a wine-fueled party dinner. So consider Green Garden Village the next time you’re looking for a night out sponsored by your own alcohol, but know that it doesn’t feel rowdy like Wu’s. Food Rundown Whole Suckling Pig You have to call ahead and order this pal, and it’ll cost you around $150. Is he worth it? Yup. Consider him the centerpiece of your big group dinner at Green Garden Village. Pigs make for better centerpieces than flowers do, anyway. photo credit: Noah Devereaux Roast Pork If you aren’t going to splurge on the whole pig, at least try some pork while you’re here. They can do a mixture of fried and bbq roast pork, and that’s what you should ask for. photo credit: Noah Devereaux Peking Duck They don’t always have Peking duck available, but you should inquire anyway. We’d order the skin alone if we could. It’s incredibly crispy and dark, like it spent a nice afternoon in a lifeguard chair. photo credit: Noah Devereaux Lobster Fried Rice This is a massive plate of food. There must be at least two lobsters in here. You’ll taste it in every single bite. Order this. House Special Style Shrimp Big pieces of fried shrimp. On their own, they taste mostly like hot, fried batter - like something you might find at an Applebee’s. But, incorporate some crunchy peppers and shallots hiding on the plate, and it’ll make for a much more interesting bite. Salt & Pepper Squid A little fishy snack. We’d happily eat these crunchy pieces of fried squid out of a bag from a bodega. photo credit: Noah Devereaux Sauteed Pea Shoots Sometimes sauteed pea shoots taste like nothing but chewy garlic. These don’t. They’re simple and refreshing. Especially after so much salt and flavor elsewhere on the table." - Hannah Albertine
