Located Midtown Manhattan, Blue Willow is a true find. Serving Chinese cuisine from Hunan and Szechuan, it has an extensive menu that made me think about the regretted Blue China. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian diners would surely find dishes to try with various levels of spiciness.

The dining room is beautiful, although a bit dark, with these nice Chinese lamps on each table and a decor that would make you forget you are in New York City.

The food there is really good, but I admit that I was surprised to see dishes coming out of order. So, here is what we had, in order of appearance!

The first dish that came was the hometown tofu casserole that was made with pan fried tofu and vegetables smothered I a delicious sauce that had a slight kick.

Hometown tofu casserole at Blue Willow in Midtown, NYC, NY

Then came my drink, from their large offering that had not just Chinese items, but also French wine and beer, sake, etc. I decided to go for a cocktail called The Opium, made with Monkey Shoulder Scotch, lemon, peychaud bitters, a cherry, star anise and simple syrup. Very much like an old fashioned. The presentation was superb as it was served in a small bowl with a lid that added a bit to the whole experience.

At the same time, they brought us the scallions pancakes that were flaky and deliciously greasy, as well as crystal shrimp dumplings that is my go to dim sum. These dim sum were perfect: the shell was not too thick, slightly crispy, covering a good piece of shrimp.

Pancakes at Blue Willow in Midtown, NYC, NY

What I was really looking forward to was the Peking duck. I was glad to see that they offer a half and admit that it was a nice quantity of it that came with these little things him crepes that are Mandarin pancakes, hoisin sauce, green onion and cucumber. The way to eat is is to spread the pancake with some hoisin sauce, put some green onion and cucumber, top with some slices of duck, and then close it like a wrap. The first bite was divine: you get a sweet and salty flavor from the hoisin sauce, mixed with the fattiness of the skin with some juice oozing from it. Texture wise, the cucumber and skin add a nice crispness to the whole dish.