NEW CITY RESTAURANT

Blue Ocean is my go-to Hong Kong style cafe in Peachtree plaza. I try to schedule my orthodontist appointments (around the corner) close to lunch time so we have an excuse to stop by. On my last appointment, we decided to try something different and went next door to New City Restaurant. This cafe has been around a lot longer and had decent reviews online.

Atmosphere: Parking at Peachtree plaza is always a mess. Since we were anticipating a line, The Fiance dropped me off to get a number first. There was only a few people in front of me and our wait was short for 2 people, 10 minutes top. Tables were packed together and larger round tables were seated communally. There were lots of families with children and generally the restaurant was crowded.

Service: When our number was called, The Fiance and I were directed to a table that was uncleared. We weren’t sure if we were supposed to sit or wait. A server came by and asked if we were leaving or coming, so we sat down at the dirty table and she walked away. After a few minutes, another server came by to clear the table and take our order. I understand the restaurant was busy but sitting in front of some else’s half eaten meal was not appetizing. Other than this, service was fine, food came quickly and everyone was friendly albeit hurried.

Food: Both of us were craving noodles that day so went with the noodle special. The menus were small laminated cards, English and Chinese versions, stuck into a holder on each table. Both bowls of noodles came with a small hot Hong Kong style milk tea that could be upgraded to cold at an additional cost.

There were two sets of toppings to choose from, one more Asian style (the Fiance’s) and the other more Western (mine). You could then choose from a large variety of noodle types including ramen, rice noodle, and macaroni. Both of went with rice noodle but in hindsight, we should’ve switched it up.

With both bowls, the toppings and noodles were generous. It was a big meal for under $8. My toppings included pieces of fried bacon, slices of deli ham, a fried hotdog, luncheon meat and a fried egg. The fiance’s bowl had an assortment of fish balls, brisket, beef balls, shrimp dumpling, red sausage and fish tofu. We both enjoyed all of the toppings with a standout being the shrimp wonton. There was lots of variety and strong flavours. Our opinions differ on the noodles. I like my rice noodles cooked pretty well done and at New City, it fit my palate. The Fiance likes his more al dente and the noodles were very cooked. We both agreed that the broth was boring. There was little flavour or fat in the watery soup.

Overall, New City Restaurant was ok, I’d like to try some of their baked dishes but based on this meal alone, it wouldn’t be my first choice for lunch. Their milk tea was pretty tasty.