Unmei一心本緣

I’m not sure who told me about this place but I’m so glad they did! I was first interested in the noodle soup but then I saw they had steamed pork buns so I ordered those too. Both items were delicious, I couldn't take a picture of the buns because we ate them so fast! I'm definitely coming back to try more of the menu.

Went here for the beef noodle soup as recommended by a friend. It was one of the best in NYC I've had. The broth extremely flavorful, noodles chewy and springy, and meat tender enough to break apart with your chopsticks. You can taste the many hours of slow braising that goes into each bowl; How the flavors from the spices, tomato, beef, and pickled vegetables melt together into a comforting hot meal reminiscent of home. There is one small table with a few seats, so this is mainly takeout. Service was very friendly, we just had to wait a bit for the food (20+ min), but they were probably just busy with orders at the time.

As a Taiwanese American, I can definitely say the flavors and quality live up to those of authentic Taiwanese cuisine that I’ve had from the homeland. The beef noodle soup is fantastic with a rich broth stewed for 16 hours, huge tender shanks and perfectly al dente fresh noodles. The meat is fork tender and truly a highlight! The dough is all fresh made in house with the exception of the noodles, which are also fresh. Really appreciated that they had a nice selection of vegetarian/vegan options, which is so incredibly uncommon in traditional Taiwanese cuisine. I am so grateful they made this menu so inclusive to different dietary choices. I would definitely suggest the tofu gua bao, which comes on a steamed bun and has really great sweet chili flavors. The tofu cube snacks are also fantastic with seasoned batter and fried basil leaves. Will definitely try the other snack selections next time. For vegetarians, they can also make a vegetarian noodle soup using a mushroom and carrot vegan broth base. The owners, a brother-sister duo from Taiwan, are very friendly and really care about the quality of all the food. They told me they crafted the menu themselves when they moved to the neighborhood and couldn’t find Taiwanese options, so decided to open their own shop—such an amazing endeavor. The one thing to prepare for is that there is limited seating, just one table outside for two. There is also a long wait for food and a bit pricey though you wouldn’t expect it, but the quality for what you get is so worth it, so try to either call ahead for the larger items or wander nearby while you wait. Three items came out to about $45 with one main entree. All in all really recommend this place especially if you live nearby.

I’ve been to Taiwan and had good beef noodle soup in Taipei and even done a beef noodle soup pop up with a friend and this is the best beef noodle soup I’ve had in a long time. The beef portion is also very generous. Also shoutout to the vegan Xiao Long Bao because you cannot find them anywhere.

This was absolutely delicious. I ordered at the window and it took a little time to get food but I could hear them making everything fresh to order. I got two tofu bao in a single order (score!) and the tofu was so deliciously crisp. I’m not typically a sweet chili sauce fan but this tastes better than any I’ve had before - not too sweet and the chili is prominent but not strong. The bao bun itself has a lovely sweetness to it. The sweet potato fries were an accident - I meant to order the salt and pepper special fries but didn’t specify. However, my disappointment didn’t last for more than a minute because the fries had this tangy salty (plum?) seasoning on them and were fried with a slight crisp! I really enjoyed them and this became a happy accident. I’ll be back to try the vegan dumplings some time!

This tiny hole in the wall Taiwanese Dumpling House recently opened in the space formerly occupied by Foodstruck. This space is not much bigger than a food truck and I think their menu is still being finalized. There was a handwritten menu on the board above the counter which differed slightly from the one that they posted on their IG page. I went after work yesterday and ordered: Fried Chicken Gua Bao ($9.75): came two per order. This was my favorite item from my order. The chicken was perfectly fried, the white bao bun was pillowy soft, and the sweet plum sauce went perfectly with the fried chicken. Popcorn Chicken ($11.50): not bad but I’ve had better versions of this. Some pieces of popcorn chicken were dry but overall tasty and a good snack. Pork Wontons ($12): came with 8 pieces of pork wontons. You can choose to have the wontons in soup or house made spicy chili sauce. I got mine with the chili sauce. The bite size pieces of wontons had pork fillings and were coated in spicy sauce. It was tender and savory. The heat level wasn’t overwhelming, which I appreciated. They are still in their soft opening stage (until March 2nd) and are working out some kinks. I feel like some items are priced kind of high. The Braised Beef Noodle Soup wasn’t available the night I went but I saw it was listed at $24.50 which seems kind of high imo. Also, most of the items are made to order so expect a bit of a wait. Some people who came before me were still waiting for their order by the time I got mine. The staff were very sweet and apologetic. I’m curious to try other items on the menu so I’ll be definitely be back. I’m always glad to see more food options here in Astoria.

A hidden gem in Astoria for authentic Taiwanese cuisine and snacks! We were passing by and were intrigued by the cute design of the store front, and the food did not disappoint. There seems to be a grandma hand making all the buns on the back, so we had to give their dumplings a try and it was sooo good. You can definitely taste the hand-make in it. We weren’t expecting the scallion pancake to be covered in sweet chilly sauce, but it worked pretty well and crunch lasted even over night in the fridge. My wife who’s Taiwanese was impressed. We will definitely be back to try more things!

Wow, delicious! The Xiao Long Bao and pork bun were exactly the comfort food I was looking for! Chef FC puts so much into every single item, making each by hand. They have very healthy and fresh ginger turmeric tea as well! Can’t wait for the beef noodle soup.