Dine Out : 3 Times

3 Times NYC, 3 Times Restaurant, 3 Times Review

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,

3 Times NYC, 3 Times Restaurant, 3 Times Review

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 NYC, 3 Times Restaurant, 3 Times Review

3 Times                  Union Square location
90 Clinton Street       818 Broadway
New York City             New York City
646.609.6324             646.609.3040
$ - $$
3 Times Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

15 comments

Kinga K. said...

Tienen buena pinta ❤

Jackie Harrison said...

Love the decor and how welcoming it is, the food looks so appetizing and delicious. I hope everything was back to norm, I understand it won't be the same, but close enough without concerns. To enjoy places to eat like this. Have a lovely weekend be safe.

Oh to Be a Muse said...

I haven't had dim sum in forever, and I haven't eaten inside a restaurant in what seems like just as long. After these photos, I'm looking forward to getting some takeout this weekend!

new post: https://www.ohtobeamuse.com/2020/05/what-im-loving-quarantine-edition.html

Emmylou said...

Your post just made me miss our fave restaurant, chingu:) I really do miss being able to eat stuff like this. It's great that you were still able do order from the restaurant during the lockdown, and even better now that things that are opening up. My hubby is a big fan of soup dumplings so he will definitely like this place:D

R's Rue said...

I'm hungry now. Yum.

Evi Erlinda said...

These dimsum and the noodle soup look savory! No wonder, this restaurant has s great chef.
I have never had Chinese foods since this pandemic, I am drooling :)

Doctor Anne said...

Oh dear, I miss dining out, but just like you don´t see me doing it for quite some time.

FASHION TALES said...

Yes, dining out has been much missed, although I pretty much cook everyday it’s nice to be able to grab and go. The total portions seems hearty enough to me. Now, I want to make dumplings! I never generally order fried rice out unless someone who knows food well tells me it’s amazing. Last time I ordered it was about five years or so ago because it had delicious roasted duck, that was a no-brainer. :-) Thanks for sharing about this place. Stay safe and enjoy the weekend, Rowena. x

Pilar said...

The restaurant environment looks very welcoming! I agree I doubt if I'll be dining in a restaurant anytime soon.

Mica said...

The food looks good even if you weren't impressed with all the dishes! It's nice you can still order takeaway. We don't usually eat out a lot or order takeaway often but we have tried every few weeks to support the places around us. Although they are open for dining in now I think it will be a while before we eat out anywhere, the dinner party cluster or the virus made me a bit nervous, ha!

Hope you have a nice weekend ahead of you :)

Away From Blue

Ivana Split said...

3 Times seems like a nice restaurant. I'm not a fan of big portions, so I think I would like it. The dumplings look yummy and it is nice to know that the meat was tender. It is also good that you had a nice experience with their delivery service. I don't think I ordered anything out during lockdown, but then again nothing was open here on the island. I'm sure that in bigger cities some places were open for delivery. Now that the lockdown is over here, I might go out to eat sometimes. There haven't been any new corona cases in a while here and tourists have already started to arrive to Croatia. The borders have reopened.

Eli Dou said...

Oh wow! now i'm hungry! Everything looks so deli!!
I hope we can enjoy these restaurants again very soon!
xx

Eli

Curly Style

Aimee said...

the food looks so delicious, I'm craving for some Chinese food right now.

Capturing Life Memoirs | Aimee

Shireen L. Platt said...

Ohh, the menu looks absolutely delicious, Rowena. We haven't really eaten out...well, one order from Wendy's which they forgot my burger and yea, that's that.

Loren said...

Everything looks so delicious! Never thought I'd miss eating in a restaurant, but its great that it offers delivery

Loren | Plaid + Sugar