Chop Shop celebrated Chinese New Year (the Year of the Monkey) this year by the addition of special menu items, including as noodles and dumplings that are said to promote longevity and prosperity respectively. I stopped by their newest hip and quite busy Flatiron location as their guest.

We sipped on the French Sauvignon blanc ($40) Domaine Davy “Parcelles” from the Loire while waiting for our appetizers. I highly recommend the refreshing Asian flavored (fish sauce, sugar and rice vinegar) salad of green papaya, watercress (in need of trimming) and cashews ($7). I could have eaten a large plate of that for dinner. Also good are the pan-fried pork dumplings (four for $8). The evening’s miss was their spicy slaw ($6) – a flavorless mixture of Napa cabbage, apple and radicchio.

As the servers cleared the appetizer plates with one hand, another put down all three ordered entrees. That service speed is way  too rushed for me.

I could recommend the “the three cups shiitake chicken,” organic cubes of boneless chicken and mushrooms flavored with sesame, soy and rice wine plusThai basil ($16).  We also tried the marinated fried flank steak ($18) with chilies and orange from the special holiday menu. Both were served with white rice. I usually like the piquant peanutty cold spicy sesame noodle ($10), but these had too much soy, and too little peanuts and chili oil.  With all that, we ordered sauteed baby boy choy ($6) that I’d recommend

Like in most Chinese restaurants, dessert is nothing special. The Asian gelato flavors (mint, black sesame, ginger, mang) at Chop Shop are  from Il Laboratorio del Gelato ($7) The coconut creme caramel could have used more coconut ($7).

– bonnie
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ChopShop II
Flatiron District
41 W 24th Street,
New York, NY 100
(646) 964-5627

Chop Shop II Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato