Flushing Chinatown

Flushing is at the end of the 7 subway line, a half hour ride from Manhattan. It is home to NYC's largest Chinese population and a vibrant Chinatown. 

When you get off the subway and exit the station, you would be forgiven for thinking that you have been somehow ended up in Shanghai or Guangzhou. Every shop sign is in Mandarin, and here are street vendors, markets, and dinky holes-in-the-wall serving incredibly cheap and good food. 

It's a sensory overload - the humidity, smells, noise, and constant crowding and jostling transporting me back to my visit a China a few years ago. It was then, at a street vendor in Guangzhou that I fell in love with Portuguese custard tarts.

Portuguese custard tarts are incredible, flaky, gooey morsels of yumminess. Reflecting the colonial history Macau, these are a staple of any Cantonese bakery. They are served warm, with a flaky pastry shell contrasting with the eggy, creme brulee-esque filling which is not overly sweet, but enough to allow caremelisation on the top of the tart.

There are so many other cheap snacks to try within a short distance of Main St. Another winner is the $1 Peking duck bun from the aptly named Peking Duck Sandwich Stall. It is a small steamed pancake with crispy-skin roasted duck, spring onions and hoisin sauce. Really simple, but delicious.

Its definitely worth the trip out to Queens to experience the Flushing Chinatown. It's probably not on many tourists' agendas, but its easily accessible from the subway and not far from  Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, home to the US Open, the Mets and the New York Hall of Science.