Han Kou Steaks & Appetizer

Whoops! I already reviewed this place, but on the Flushing Mall entry.
The only thing I have ever had here is the steak that comes with noodles, soup, and salad. I’ve never touched either the salad or the soup (too suspicious looking ~ never eat food court salad and what’s with the oily sheen on the soup?). But I love love love that steak (with the egg, broccoli, bean sprouts, and sauce) and those noodles (topped with sauce and corn).
I’ve never tried anything else simply from laziness (I’d have to go to the trouble of communicating my order myself) whereas when I go with my friend, she orders it for both of us in Chinese.
I just wish the place was a little cleaner (which is really more of an issue with the mall) and less shouting from the lady at the counter (I can never figure out what number she’s calling anyway ~ I learned Beijing standard when I took Chinese, so the Taiwanese accent makes so sense to me whatsoever).

Hmmmm…
Plain and Simple: Ain’t what it used to be.
It has obviously changed owner — it used to be a franchised of the well-​known Taiwanese chain. Ever since the place changed its name, the food isn’t that good anymore. They’ve changed the way it’s cooked too. What a disappointment because it had the best oyster noodle and stinky tofu in NY (even though there was also a lot of MSG). I want the old owner back!

PROS: I’m here only for their signature dishes which are Steak With Black Pepper Sauce and Squid Noodle Soup With Shacha Sauce. Traditonal Taiwanese food but I found them so creative and unique. Food in large portion, great price, what more can I say?
CONS: Last order of day is taken around 7:30 PM since they close at 8.

located in flushing mall, which was the most-​happenin’ place in flushing until new world mall came along and it got de-​throned. a lot of the booths moved out, except for this one, it has been there for years! on the left side, they have different meats on sizzling plates. on the other side, it’s traditional taiwanese street foods. to order, go to the small counter on the side and order from the chinese lady. once the order is ready, pick it up at the window.
i usually come here for the salt & pepper chicken (crispy, seasoned with salt, pepper, and five-​spice powder; served with a mayo-​like dipping sauce), pork rib soup (warm and comforting), and minced pork belly on rice (or lu rou fan). the pork belly rice is amazing because they hand-​cut the pork belly (not using ground pork) and it gives a good texture, much better than ground pork. the pork is then slowly braised with soy-​sauce, shallot, sugar, and other spices. it’s one of those TW comfort food that i can never get tired of.
IMHO, this place has the best pork belly rice compared to Gu Shiang (ground pork mess), 101 (now closed). it offers great value and i hope they stick around longer.

This place was the best back then but now it is more expensive and more importantly, it doesn’t taste as good as it was before. I use to come here at least once a month for the number one steak with the black pepper sauce. However, they have constantly increased the price year after year. 8 years ago, it was about $ 6.50. Now, it has almost doubled in price.
Taste wise, they use to add a leaf that had this unique taste to it. It was a little bitter but gave the steak a distinguished taste. The steak now doesn’t have much flavor, it tastes rather bland despite their black pepper sauce. As the pictures show, they do still include an egg, a piece of broccoli, noodles and some corn in the meal. However, you must ration your noodles carefully as there is never enough noodle to steak. They also include either a tea thing or a bland soup (if its winter) as well as a small salad with a dressing that is like thousand island.
The steak itself has also shrunk. It use to fill up the plate but now it only covers half of the plate. They space out the steak on the plate now to make it seem like it is the same amount but they definitely reduced the size from back then.
Overall, I use to crave the steak here. Now, I only eat it if I’m passing it by and can’t think of any thing else to eat.

Only stinky tofu is OK, others are pretty bad.
I was really disappointed.

Legendary salt and pepper squid. Been eating here for many years

If you come here bring some ear plugs and be ready to argue with the cooks because not only do they scream out numbers but there is a loudspeaker in the pickup area and they scream into that too. In the summer time the food court is sweltering hot because the mall is too cheap to turn up the AC. But enough about the ghetto mall and back to Han Kou…
I was carrying my 6 month year old son and the grill lady who might be semi retarded decided to shout into the microphone. Its a microphone and loud speaker, you dont need to shout.
And god forbid if u come to pickup ur order late. They might just get in an argument with you. If you ask for another napkin they’ll give you the evil eye.
I understand that this is not some fancy restaurant but the the workers there seem really grouchy. The food by my standards is just OK. I am from los angeles where theTW food is 10x better than what you can get in new york but this tastes very similar to the ah zhong mian xian there. The steak is cheap and drenched in black pepper sauce. It is by no means a quality steak but it is how i tasted my first steaks as a kid/​teenager in la hk cafes and tw steakhouses so i am partial to them. Especially mixing the black pepper sauce into the noodles. Fyi u can buy black pepper sauce at the chinese supermarkets. Gets u maybe 50% of the way there. Its probably missing the roach/​grease bits that add to the flavoring here.
Sans the shaved ice and grilled steak/​chicken id rather go to lu’s seafood where you actually have AC and the servers are nice. Plus their pork chop rice is so good. Even better than LA joints.
I do come here but only to get stuff to go and I make sure to get my food before they even call my #.

this place is an absolute GEM. the beauty of this place is the fact that barely anyone knows that it exists.
located in the ghost town of flushing mall, this establishment stands out due to the fact that it has a great tasting steak on its menu for an absolutely outlandish price.
One could order a strip steak (the house special steak) with the works for a measly 11.50. This steak is smothered in black pepper gravy comes with a side of eggs corn some broccoli a salad, some spagetti and a strange fruit juice concoction on the side.
If you are in the mood for steak at a reasonable price this is the place to go
the stinky tofu is on my list of things to try here

Are you a STEAK lover? Well, this place might just be the place for YOU! Look no further because Han Kou’s Sizzling Steak is one of the best in Flushing (Queens). For a $ 11.50 House Special Steak, you get a sizzling steak, egg, broccoli, along with a side salad, soup, and noodles. It is sooooo GOOD!!! The steak is juicy, tender, flavorful, and very comparable to some of the well-​known steakhouses. I mean the price is not bad given that it is in a food court. You will be satisfied! I have to thank my good friend for bringing me here years ago. I’ve been returning here just for the steak ever since. Talk about loyalty to one of the best steaks in Flushing! Bliss. Smiles. Happy EAT.

With a soft spot for Taiwanese food and penchant for food courts, Han Kou (aka the old Ay Chung Noodle) Steaks has been easily my favorite in the near dead Flushing Mall (
). The food court and the mall have seen their share of changes over the past few years, but Han Kou has remained one of the more prominent stalls featuring consistent, tasty, dishes.
They’ve got a good array of Taiwanese fare here, most notably in the form of steaks, rice dishes, and noodles. Almost everything reminds me of street fare I had in Taiwan and their selection is impressive considering other nearby T-​Wan joints may not offer nearly as much. That said, there is a lot to try here and certainly something for all appetites.
They’re known for their steaks, but I have been a bigger fan of their vast noodle dishes. Their traditional mian xian is good, but the mian xian with oysters (no.2 on the menu) is probably the most popular choice and certainly my fave. Most of the other noodle combinations are good, but the broth and noodles (bean or rice) are virtually the same sans the extra protein. Lately, I’ve been enjoying their yu su geng mian (fish cakes noodle soup) since the fish cakes add a nice texture and added taste to the dish.
Meat lovers beware: the steaks (niu pai) can be tough at times but the peppery sauce is a nice way to keep the meat in check. The short ribs (niu xiao pai) have been hit or miss but I can definitely get behind the crispy pork steak (zhu pai). It is usually pretty juicy, tender, and goes great with rice.
Speaking of rice, there’s a lot of great combos here. Starting with one of my faves, the turkey rice (huo ji fan), which is highly underrated considering everyone else gets the minced pork (lu rou) over rice. The fried pork chop (zha pai gu) is probably on par with being the most ordered dish at these places and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. It’s smokey, tender, and juicy — all great things a quality pork chop should have. I would avoid the sacha beef (sa cha niu rou) and the braised dishes because they’re usually too soupy. The salt and pepper meats work better as appetizers for me, no need for the rice and soup.
Stinky tofu lovers (chou dou fu) might not be offended by the lack of smelliness in the tofu and the o-​a-​chien lovers (oyster pancake) can appreciate the size and the amount of oysters (wow!) stuffed into it. Again, salt and pepper squid /​calimari folks, the appetizer versions are the way to go.
Supposedly Flushing Mall was supposed to be done with by the end of this year but so far the food court has survived remarkably. I am not ready to part ways with Han Kou just yet, so however long they delay the eventual destruction of the mall, I’ll be right here enjoying every bite. Duo Sha!

It gets 5 stars strictly for nostalgia. Black pepper sauce steak… mmmmmm…brings me back to Taiwan and eating with all my cousins. Can’t think of another place that serves steak this way in the local area. Stinky tofu is decent and the shaved ice is still the best in Flushing. Pork chop on rice though is way mediocre… head to 66 on the corner instead for that.

There are fobs here. If you can’t handle that then you shouldn’t be here. This place is NOT a place to take your date for atmosphere and all that other junk. You’re here for the food. Get the steak with the egg, it’s pretty good for 11.50 and you get a good amount of food. Granted they lady will be yelling out your number, pay attention. Yes they yell it out in chinese. Time to break it out people. don’t be shy.
Yes these are the benches from high school lunch. get over it. You’re here to eat and leave. Steak and egg is pretty what to get. Pork chop maybe.
But there are fobs, and if you cant’ handle that, the you should not be here.

Gawd, I love this place. Located in the Flushing Mall food court, Han Kou (known as Ay Chung back in the day) serves up the most authentic Taiwanese food I’ve had in NYC. I used to eat at Han Kou all the time. But previous to the past weekend, it’s been more than half a year since I ate there. It wasn’t even until I went the past weekend that I realized I had not yet written a review for Han Kou /​Ay Chung.
Lately I’ve been trying different Taiwanese restaurants in Flushing in search of the best, and that search has brought me back to Han Kou. I feel as if I’ve come full circle. I’ve been a fan of Han Kou for years now and I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve tried. Though Ay Chung in Taiwan is famous for their Taiwanese oyster noodles, Han Kou in Flushing has expanded the menu to include many more Taiwan night market favorites. Han Kou’s menu is split into three sections. From left to right, the sections are sizzling steak dishes, noodle dishes, and rice dishes. I’ve noticed that some of their English translations don’t describe the dish properly or are flat out wrong, so if you can’t read Chinese you may have some trouble ordering.
SIZZLING STEAK — From this section, I recommend #1 Han Kou Niu Pai (house special beef steak). It comes sizzling on a hot plate with noodles, veggies, and a fried egg. There are two sauce flavors to choose from, mushroom and black pepper; I recommend the black pepper sauce for a true Taiwanese flavor.
NOODLES — Ay Chung’s famous noodles can be found on this menu. #1 is the basic Ay Chung Mian Xian (house special noodle soup), which is thin noodles and intestines stewed in a soup thickened with cornstarch and served with fresh parsley on top. #2 is the basic noodle soup plus oysters (Taiwanese oyster noodles AKA o-​a-​mi-​sua), and #3 is the basic noodle soup plus your choice of pork, cuttlefish, or shrimp, which you will need to indicate when placing your order. Though they are all the same soup base, I stick to #2 because it’s one of my favorite Taiwanese dishes. I always add a spoonful of their house chili sauce, found at the pick-​up counter, for the perfect combination of spicy and savory.
RICE — Some of my favorites in this section are #1 Pai Gu Fan (pork chop over rice), #6 Lu Rou Fan (house mixed pork over rice), and #13 Ya Rou Bian Fan (sliced duck over rice). The pork chop over rice and sliced duck over rice come with veggies and a braised soy egg on the side for a balanced meal. Lu Rou Fan, vaguely translated to mixed pork over rice on Han Kou’s menu, is better translated as braised pork belly over rice. It’s a very simple and popular Taiwanese dish. Much of the fat is left on the pork belly so keep that in mind if you’re trying this for the first time.
Han Kou’s dishes are really fillling. You can get full on just $ 6 – 10! Isn’t that great? If I’m with a friend, I like to split stinky tofu (#18 on the rice dishes menu) or an oyster omelette (#24* on the noodle dishes menu) as a side. Han Kou has solid renditions of both of these Taiwanese favorites.
Don’t turn up your nose just because it’s located in the Flushing Mall food court. Flushing Mall may be a wasteland when it comes to shopping but the food court is killer and much of that is thanks to Han Kou /​Ay Chung.
*The English is mistranslated on this item as «oyster noodle soup.» It is actually Taiwanese oyster omelette AKA o-​a-​jian.
**Cash only.
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So far there’s no word yet where Han Kou will be moving to when Flushing Mall closes in 2012. This concerns me.

Stepped into this mall (Flushing Mall) for the first time. I was craving for a noodle soup. Walked through rather used mall and found the food court. It was around 9PM. The FC was not happening around 9PM except this Taiwanese place. It was packed with a good number of customers.
I opted for $ 6 House Special Flour Rice Noddle with Oysters soup (I found later, that this dish was posted as the cover in their site). When my ordered was brought to the counter and called my number on the ticket in Chinese. Holding the soup on a tray and looking at it, I knew it wouldn’t be good. I was afraid even to eat tiny fresh oysters on the top. The soup had a strange smell. I added a bunch of chili oil hoping this would kill this add smell. When I curiously scooped the smelly broth, the thin thread noodle was very slimy in a not good way. Good amount of chopped Cilantro on the top of the soup couldn’t save the soup. My friends took over from me but none of them liked it either. I ended to leave a whole soup.
One of my friend got Fried Pork chopped on rice ($ 6). It was flavorful and greasy good! It came with half cut fried eggs and some pickled vegetables. Those vinegared vegetables cut the greasiness and made the pork feeling lighter.
I give less than one star for the soup but for fried pork, I definitely give 4 stars. To make even, I give 3 stars for this place.

Excellent Taiwanese food in the Flushing Mall food court. The prices for everything at this food stall are amazingly cheap — mostly around $ 6.
I was here with a friend and we tried the fried pork chop with rice and beef stew with rice. Both were delicious and excellent. The meat was well cooked and very soft and tender. The meat in the beef stew was very similar to the kind used in the popular Cantonese beef brisket stew.
The portions were big too.

I don’t get Western-​Eastern food, but I guess cheap steak is hard to pass up.
The wait for the cook time was definitely long and the was way too much pepper on the steak. The soup was your normal corn soup, as normal as corn soup can be. While I’m not a big fan of sizzling steak, my friend was and it was only sub-​par to him (I think the pepper killed it).
Overall, nothing spectacular. I would try other things in the food court next time. If the food court is still around…

If you want to order from any of the stalls located on the right side of the food court (including Ay Chung), you need to order either at the cashier in the middle of that section or at the Bubble Tea/​Shaved Ice place. Then, you need to hold onto your receipt and wait for your number to be called at the respective food court restaurant you ordered food from. It can be a bit confusing at first, but you’ll get the hang of it. They shout the order numbers out in Chinese, so if you’re not too familiar with Mandarin, hover closely to the place you ordered with your ticket and just pester away. Like others have said, costumer service here is pretty bad, so you can see a lot of hovering happening at the pick up areas.
The food can be hit or miss sometimes, but usually the salt and pepper fried chicken with rice, the salt and pepper squid, stinky tofu (was actually very good the last time I went), pork thick soup, and the pork bone soup with pork belly rice set from Ay Chung Flour Noodle were all pretty good. The oyster pancake was quite sad and was nothing what you would typically get on the streets of Taiwan, through, props for using a more «healthier green» in the dish (used chrysanthemum). Do get the stinky tofu. The pickled cabbage salad is wonderful with enough bite to go along with the generous portions of minced garlic, sauce, and chili pepper sauce. If you do get the chicken or the squid as a set with rice, the soup it comes with (weakly made miso soup with bonito flakes), leaves much to be desired. I would just forgo the soup and fill your belly with other yummy things.
Definitely one of the more popular places in the Flushing Mall.

I love this place. Supposedly they are related to the super famous AhChung located in XiMenDing in Taipei, Taiwan (which also has a branch in LA where a lot of Taiwanese stars visit when in the area) so they are somewhat authentic in taste.
Their most famous dish, obviously, is the flour rice noodle. In Taiwanese, it’s called «uh ah mi sua,» which means oyster noodles, which is a slight misnomer since it really just has intestines instead of oysters. So here in the states, it’s called «da chang mian shian,» which is Mandarin and directly translates to big intestine noodles.
I also love their steaks, which are typical of Taiwanese night market style — hot plate, black pepper sauce, noodles and a freshly cracked egg as you pick up your plate so that it’s still sizzling and cooking.
Their portions are hefty; when hubby buys their porkchop over rice, he can eat two full meals from it. They have a new offering, which is the beef noodle soup, that looks like it can feed a small family of 4. No joke.
Try the famous stinky tofu they make; when it’s fresh and piping hot, it’s absolutely delicious. Don’t get turned off by the smell, it’s just fermented tofu!
Most of the food is good, some are just okay. But definitely try everything on the menu, because they really are pretty authentic to Taiwanese tastes. This is also evidenced by all the New Jersey Taiwanese that pack the area on the weekends, ugh.

In the Flushing Mall food court, I’ve always passed by this place where people take away boards of wildly sizzling steak from the food stand counter and scuffle under/​over/​side-​to-​side from men/​women/​children to find a cafeteria bench where they can eat it.
I haven’t done that, but I tried the House Special Noodle w/​Oyster; I really like the semi-​thick soup base. The oysters are plenty, and the dish fills you up for $ 5 – 6. I didn’t know but Taiwanese people really love them oysters.