When East Meets West (4): Red Farm

概要

Red Farm 严格说起来不算中国菜，是个fusion餐馆。如果你吃腻了唐人街千篇一律的dim sum，到这里来尝试一下新口味还是不错的。

这家餐馆坐落在west village，装修成纯朴的乡村风格，价格却绝对是west village的价格，不便宜的，绝对的扮猪吃老虎。餐馆中间一张大木桌子很是显眼，顾客群年轻嬉皮，气氛轻松快活。这家用料相当讲究，是唐人街的便宜餐馆不能比的。至于菜么，既有比较地道的中国口味的，也有照顾美式西餐的，就不好说了。我倒是不反对中餐不断的创新和改良，老吃同样的菜也怪腻味的，对不对？我尝试过的菜有几个：

• Shu Mai Shooters 用料讲究，货真价实的鲜贝，比唐人街的假鲜贝做的烧卖要鲜美多了。
• Crab & Eggplant Bruschetta 是很不错的创新，蟹肉放在炸茄子上面，而不是面包片上面，口感上形成有趣的对比。
• Pork buns 外面的面皮蓬松，里面的红烧肉绵软，入口即化，非常好吃。
• Pastrami egg roll 和 Spicy Crispy Beef 都比较偏美国人的口味。.

I hesitated quite a bit before I wrote down the name of Red Farm. It’s not completely Chinese cuisine. It’s the so called fusion. However, if you are tired of those run-off-the-mill dim sums and want some creative experiments, this is THE place to go. Plus, the location and service is hard to beat.

As its name suggests, Red Farm is an unpretentious farmhouse that attempts to deliver green market sensibility. Its wooden communal table, boisterous young crowd, no-reservation policy and one-page menu all echo that long passed old age when every ingredient was fresh and organic. Fusion concepts are always filled with potential pitfalls, but Red Farm’s cooking style is playful and fresh. It serves both spicy crispy beef as an upgrade from the orange crispy beef you find in any Americanized Chinese chain, and pork buns that all real Chinese will die for. I’m a true believer of evolution. If we human beings have evolved in intelligence, knowledge, technology and life style, so should our culinary skills and recipes. I’m always open to new experience and ideas.

In Red Farm, any dish could be a miss or hit, depending on your own taste and acceptance to changes. I personally like the idea of the following:

Shu Mai Shooters win by its quality ingredient. You get a piece of real scallop in each shu mai, which is hard to find in Chinatown dim sum places. Besides, the delicate taste of mushroom and the warm broth reveals the sophisticated layers of flavor and the level of details you cannot find in traditional shu mai dishes.

Crab & Eggplant Bruschetta screams innovation. The buttery tender crab on top of the crispy tempura eggplant is an interesting play of texture. 

Pork buns? Oh, heavenly. The buns come as soft as a down pillow and the pork melts right in your mouth magically.  

Pastrami egg roll is a true fusion between the east and the west. Try it and let me know how you like it. It’s not really my thing, but my western friends went nuts about it. So did the Spicy Crispy Beef. These two signature dishes are too far reach for me. 

Finally, don’t get fooled by its rustic style. this cozy and intimate farmhouse is definitely on the pricey side. You pay for the west village experience and creative new recipe. I hope you will find the experiment worth the cost. J

Address: 529 Hudson St., New York, NY 10010
Telephone: 212 792 9700