Flushing’s New World Mall Food Court has come up in previous posts, but I wanted to do a different roundup. There have been numerous articles and blog posts that you can find all over the internet talking about this food court and what to eat here. Everyone knows about Lanzhou Handmade Noodles and the Sichuan Ma La Tang place. This time, I am going to concentrate on a couple of my favorite places that I think haven’t gotten as much attention and coverage as they should.

One of my favorite food stands has the funniest English name: Casserole. Big Bowl of Noodle. Unsurprisingly, hey specialize in stews and noodles cooked in clay pots. You can see the clay pots lined up on the stove, filled with to the brim with stock and bubbling over as it stews. It’s a mouth-watering sight.

This braised pork ribs and vermicelli in a clay pot is out of this world. The wait time is a little long because they cook it to order, so you have to let it stew for a while. I assure you, though, that the wait is worth it. The ribs were tender and juicy and balanced off with a good portion of napa cabbage, wood ear, and mushrooms. The vermicelli was cooked to order, so it doesn’t get soggy and limp.

They also have an array of Chinese su bing, which are pastries with this flakey, crumbly skin that can be either sweet or savory. The sweet ones might have red bean or black sesame in the center. I bought a savory salt and sesame pastry, which made for a perfect breakfast the next day.

Another mom and pop shop in the food court is No. 10 Xiang Ba La, for which I can’t think of any translation that doesn’t sound weird and awkward. “Yummy Aroma” is what I’m going to go with. They make really homey, Northern Chinese food. Comfort food! The Ba La Chicken is basically a chicken and potato stew with peppers and onions and a hint of spice. The flavors are homey, something out of a mom’s kitchen rather than out of a restaurant kitchen. They also carry Beijing style yogurt, which is tangier and has a more liquid consistency than American yogurt. I love this stuff and haven’t found it anywhere else in New York, so I will buy a ton to stock up. Does anyone know of a grocery store that sells this?

Dessert at the New World Mall presents you with a lot of choices as well. Inside the JMart Grocery store is a small bakery stand called the New World Bakery. They specialize in egg tarts, which are best when they’re fresh out of the oven. For a slightly more indulgent treat, get this Portuguese egg tart, which is creamier and sweeter version. If you like creme brulee or flan, you’ll love this.

Back downstairs to the food court, Snopo does shaved ice. Light, fluffy ice drizzled with condensed milk and topped with tapioca balls and red bean, this is a giant dessert made for sharing. You can custom make your own combination of ice flavor and toppings, or they also have set combinations with cute names like Snow White or Cinderella. The thing is that I can be a witch, so the cuteness is a bit much and gets on my nerves. Only complaint though.

My favorite dessert place here is Manji or their weird sounding English name “Beautiful Memory Desserts,” which has an amazing menu ranging from sago to durian. Above is “black pearl” in vanilla sauce with green tea ice cream. Black pearls are really just chia seeds. The vanilla sauce is an icy mix with a hint of vanilla – it’s like an icier vanilla ice cream. Mix it all up with a bit of real ice cream, and it’s delicious.

Manji has a lot of variations of sago, such as this refreshing mango pomelo sago.

Continuing with this mango theme, thai black glutinous rice with mango in vanilla sauce. All of my favorite things in one place!

I asked them what their most popular items were, and they suggested the mango glutinous balls. Fresh mango dices in the center and dusted with coconut shavings. I’ve seen these in bakeries before, but the freshness here puts Manji a step above those bakeries. I can definitely eat two orders of these.

Hope that was a useful guide to some of the shops in the New World Mall food court. Try them out and let me know how you like them!

New World Mall Food Court

136-20 Roosevelt Ave. Flushing, NY 11354

Casserole Big Bowl of Noodle

Xiang Ba La

New World Bakery

Snopo

Manji Dessert