By the TimesLedger Staff
At Jie Jie Sheng, a no-frills Union Street dumpling shop, they let the food do the talking.
Here, you collect your own chopsticks. You get your own napkins, and you bus your own tables. Several of the menu items are handwritten on a neon orange poster affixed to the wall.
Some of the tastiest Chinese food in Flushing is found in small, unassuming shops around the neighborhood. And Jie Jie Sheng is no exception.
The specialty here is dumplings, and they come at a bargain.
Fried pork dumplings are served at room temperature and go for the mind-boggling price of five for $1.25. That’s a quarter per dumpling!
But the main draw to Jie Jie Sheng is most definitely the steamed variety.
Fork over $3 and you will be served 10 pork and chive dumplings, a plate of boiled bliss.
Although they are one of the most common foods found in China, there is something to be said for a restaurant that does them right. And Jie Jie Sheng has the process down.
Be careful, the brown bottle on the table is not soy sauce. Dumplings are typically eaten with a vinegar-based concoction, which lends a tangy bite to the meal and can be mixed with the hot sauce in the red bottle.
Of course, there are plenty of other reasonably priced options to choose from as well.
If you are looking for a snack or compliment to a noodle dish, which are also served up here, a plate of meat buns may be in order.
For $1 you get four golf ball-sized buns, which consist of Chinese-style bread surrounding a medallion of savory and perfectly seasoned pork.
If meat is not your thing, the dumplings come in the veggie variety. A leek pancake for $1.50 might be a good snack, or possibly a tea egg, which is hard-boiled in tea instead of water.
Wash everything down with a cold glass of soy milk, $1, to give a slightly sweet end to a down-to-earth dining experience that doesn’t break the bank.
If you go:
Jie Jie Sheng
40-04 Union St.
(718) 939-3489
