Dine Out : 3 Times

We dined at 3 Times 茅庐 in late February before the pandemic. This restaurant has two locations - one in the Lower East Side where we dined in and one by Union Square where we have been ordering delivery from throughout the lockdown. My review will cover both experiences.

3 Times serves an array of Chinese dim sum alongside rice and noodle dishes in a modern fast-casual setting. At the helm is Chef Xu who has over 40 years of experience specializing in Chinese dim sum. The brightly lit interior features paneled brick and blonde wood for an earthy and streamlined feel. We ordered four dishes including xiao long bao (soup dumplings), pan fried dumplings, scallion pancakes and the house special braised beef noodle soup. The soup dumplings had a nice flavor and burst of broth inside. The skin could have been thinner but it wasn't overly thick or chewy so it gets a pass especially in a fast casual environ. The pot sticker dumplings were good with a nicely charred skin and juicy filling. The scallion pancakes were light and crispy if a little lacking in scallions and could use a dipping sauce. The beef noodle soup was flavorful and had some serious kick. The noodles had a nice toothsome chewiness and the meat was tender. The food is solid overall. Those with heartier appetites might be disappointed by the portion sizes. The service was friendly and we had a pleasant experience. The prices are a little higher than Chinatown which is to be expected. They have us 10% off our bill because we paid in cash,

So 3 Times was one of the restaurants that remained opened during NYC on PAUSE with their LES location offering takeout and delivery of frozen pre-prepared foods and their Union Square location offering takeout and delivery of cooked and frozen pre-prepared foods. The delivery experience was generally positive. The food was packed well and generally stayed hot if the delivery person didn't get lost trying to find us because our complex is behind a police barrier (don't ask).  We would generally stick with the same order - pickled baby cucumber with garlic sauce, scallion pancake with pot-stewed beef, pan fried pork dumplings and noodles with minced pork sauce (dan dan noodles). The cucumbers are light, crispy and refreshing and inspired me to start making my own cucumber salad again. The dumplings actually travel decently though they were a little inconsistent with the searing but I'm not going to complain in the midst of a pandemic. The scallion pancake is definitely better with the addition of the tasty beef. The dan dan noodles coated with a chili oil sauce are springy with a nice balance of spicy and sesame flavors. I think calling it a minced pork sauce is a little misleading because there is barely any meat. This doesn't bother us as the chili oil component is the main factor to why we like it but I can see some people looking for the meat. We also tried the fried rice with pork cutlet which consisted of mostly rice and a few scraps of egg. Both were bland and disappointing. The only good thing I can say about it is that it wasn't greasy. Reminds me why I rarely order fried rice and should stick to making my own. I'm grateful for any place that has stayed open during this time because even I get sick of my own cooking after awhile and my aching neck/arm could use a break at times. Even though more of our regular restaurants have opened around us, we'll still order from 3 Times every so often. It will probably be quite some time before we actually dine out again though.

3 Times                  Union Square location
90 Clinton Street       818 Broadway
New York City             New York City
646.609.6324             646.609.3040
$ - $$