Milu: A New Chinese American Restaurant
Chinese food is so played out. Chinese food is so greasy. Chinese food has too much MSG.
These are the misconceptions of Chinese food most commonly heard. In actuality, Chinese food is so varied and vast. China itself is huge. There are so many different regional cuisines that one or two words cannot possibly encapsulate Chinese cuisine as a whole. These misconceptions may apply to Chinese American restaurants near your corner bodega but there’s a newish Chinese American restaurant that is here to change those misconceptions.
Milu in Flatiron is a Chinese American restaurant that is different from what you are used to. The chef, Connie Chung, is a former sous chef from Eleven Madison Park. She and her team are bringing some major quality skills and technique to her newest venture.
Table spread of Mandarin duck rice bowl, marinated cucumbers, duck fat rice, salad, beef brisket and extra rice.
Milu is one of those spots that is perfect for lunch or a quick bite. It’s a counter service restaurant so it is very approachable and affordable and great for groups. The menu revolves around rice bowls topped with a variety of protein choices ranging from their signature mandarin duck to beef, chicken, salmon and a vegetarian cauliflower option. There are also a couple of wonton options to share and tons of sides to pair with your rice bowls. And don’t forget dessert, which includes two types of soft serve and dim sum-inspired filled pineapple buns. Oh, and there are also tea and milk tea options. So basically, they’ve got you covered.
If you are with a large group, they have a family style option which is a hearty feast or you can order entree size portions of everything and just share to your heart’s content. Milu is perfect for one or many. And with so many choices, there is something for just about everyone.
The signature mandarin duck rice bowl is a must order. It is a deboned duck leg confit (cooked low and slow in its own fat) served on top of duck fat rice and a side of hoisin sauce. A side of marinated cucumbers and watercress cilantro salad surround the duck. After the duck has been confited, the skin is made crispy to provide a texture contrast to the tender flesh. The flavor of the duck is homey and filled with delicious savoriness.
It isn’t too gamey but is just enough to tell that it is duck. When dipped in the hoisin sauce, the umami ante is upped as is the sweetness. The duck fat rice is on a whole other level. Each kernel of rice can be easily felt on the tongue. The richness and flavor from the duck fat makes the rice incredibly addicting. A person can easily inhale a whole bowl easily. When the duck and the rice are eaten together, the full spectrum of duck flavor coats the mouth with intense but comforting duck flavors and satisfying textures.
Duck rice bowl, marinated cucumbers with garlic and red pepper flakes, watercress cilantro salad.
The sides are also excellent. The marinated cucumbers provide a snappy crunch not provided by the duck. It is also mildly spicy, garlicky and refreshing which is the perfect contrast to the duck. The watercress cilantro salad is more herbal. The mustardy watercress gives a slight bitter bite to cleanse the rich fattiness of the duck from the palate. Together with the herbal cilantro, fresh scallions, earthy fennel & celery, tied together with the spicy ginger vinaigrette, the stark contrast of this salad is great on its own or with the other proteins on Milu’s menu.
Another side dish to highlight is the tofu seaweed salad. This wonderful salad has bean sprouts, snow peas, cilantro and dill. The tofu in the salad isn’t actual tofu, it’s actually yuba. Yuba is tofu skin, a byproduct of making tofu. Yuba can be soft and fresh or dried, to be rehydrated later. This particular salad uses the dried kind, which is thicker and adds better texture to this salad. It provides structure and heartiness needed for the salad. Most of the components of this salad are cut into thin strips, which make for easy eating. The bean sprouts and snow peas provide varying levels of satisfying texture while the cilantro and dill provide uplifting acidity and flavor. Each bite of salad has a very clean flavor that differs very well from the rich, deep flavors of the proteins that Milu serves.
Refreshing tofu salad with bean sprouts, snow peas, cilantro, dill. The tofu is actually yuba, or tofu skin!
Dessert includes two types of soft serve that act as playful takes on some classic and modern Chinese treats. The milk tea soft serve is served with dark chocolate pearls that emulate the boba pearls that you would get at a boba (or pearl) milk tea shop. One bite can whisk you back to the best boba milk tea that you’ve ever had. That milky flavor is unmistakable and distinct and Milu has it down to a T. The sweetness of this soft serve is muted, unlike the ones at the milk tea shops, which can taste like drinking straight syrup.
Milk tea soft serve ice cream with dark chocolate pearls that emulate boba or pearl milk tea (PMT).
The second soft serve pays homage to dim sum parlors. The bright yellow egg tart soft serve clearly mimics the egg tarts that you would get at those large dim sum halls. In this soft serve form, small pieces of caramelized puff pastry are studded in the soft serve to be the puff pastry from the original egg tarts. The flavor of this soft serve is a bit more subtle, imparting more of a light eggy, more vanilla flavor. But when the soft serve is eaten with the pieces of puff pastry, the dessert springs to life. It immediately tastes like an actual egg tart at a dim sum restaurant but in a colder, more creamier form. Milu’s ability to perfectly replicate the taste of these Chinese treats deserves a culinary Nobel prize.
Egg tart soft serve ice cream with topping of caramelized puff pastry pieces.
One other playful option for dessert is the pineapple bun. The classic version has no pineapple and was only named a pineapple bun because of the flaky top’s resemblance to a pineapple. Milu’s version goes the extra step and actually fills the bun with pineapple curd and vanilla custard, finally making a bun that is deserving of its name. The bun itself is on the firmer side, so the structure of this bun can withstand holding the heavy filling within. The flavor is perfect when you get a bite of both the custard and the curd, as it tastes like a pineapple creamsicle. Some lucky bites will have a small chunk of pineapple, which explodes in your mouth with sweet, tropical goodness.
Milu is a total standout, especially at its level of approachability and affordability. They are able to serve outstanding food that is not only incredibly delicious but can also change the perception of what Chinese American food can be. Milu is doing something new and fun while celebrating and respecting where their roots come from. And when a restaurant can achieve both sides of that equation, it can be one of the most exciting culinary achievements of our time. Hopefully in the future, people will say that…
Chinese food is exciting. Chinese food is so complex. Chinese food is delicious.
