 New Hong Kong
One thing I like about the rural U.S. is that there always seems to be one really good, old, inexpensive, no-frills Chinese joint in any decent-sized town—a place with Chinese proprietors (usually a wife and husband, or some type of family) dependably serving up the Americanized version of Chinese food that everyone knows and loves. A place that sticks to the formula, doesn't change with the times, and never forgets the fortune cookies. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, that place is New Hong Kong.
Tulsa has other Chinese restaurants that probably fit the same description, but once I found New Hong Kong, I didn't need to go any further—it was super close, super cheap, and super good, with a sassy, no-bullshit Chinese lady manning the front counter while her husband toiled away in the back on the food. I never saw anyone else working here—nor dining in, despite the huge dining room.
The ambiance is pretty amazing—perfectly preserved circa 1978 and ripe to be used in a movie by some budding Tulsan Tarantino. The menu is exactly what you'd expect, covering the whole gamut of Americanized Chinese classics in various combinations. For about $5, you can eat like a king, and while I won't say it's terrific per se, it's always completely solid, which is all you really need in a place like this.
I typically get something like kung pao chicken with white rice and an egg roll—fried rice is the default, and it's super greasy … if I'm feeling like greasin' it up, I'll go with some pan-fried noodles. The egg rolls are nicely sized but pretty paltry (cabbage is the only filling), but for 99¢ you wan' pork, big G.I. man? I hope that in Hong Kong, there's a place called New Tulsa, also in a crappy strip mall next to a hookah place, serving up what they consider American food. After all, isn't stereotyping what ultimately brings us all together?
Review by Wimpempy Tarlisle, July 2018 |
