NYCReview
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Uluh
Included In
Uluh is a Chinese restaurant and teahouse on 2nd Avenue in the East Village. But if someone were to walk in blindfolded, they’d assume they were somewhere with a cover charge and a 300-pound bouncer named Ronnie.
The space is giant, dimly-lit, and largely undecorated aside from a pop art portrait of Andy Warhol’s face that makes it feel like he’s Skyping in. There’s a long table in the back where there’s always a group celebrating, and hip-hop blasts from the speakers with bass levels similar to that of a Corvette rental. But instead of bottle service, Uluh has tea service. Instead of closing when the sun comes up, Uluh opens at 11:30am for dim sum lunch and closes after dinner. And instead of bathrooms Sharpied over with phone numbers, Uluh has bidets and heated toilet seats. If all of these aspects sound contradictory, that’s because they are. But, it’s these contrasting elements that make eating with a group of friends at Uluh a good time.
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
The menu lists about 100 Chinese dishes - ranging in region and style, from Shanghai pork soup dumplings and Peking duck, to lobster dry pot and other Sichuan specialties. Like most of the people you sit with in meetings all day, the food at Uluh is mostly good-not-great. But there are a few exceptions that stand out, like the excellent mapo tofu, and the spicy boneless pig feet. The best dish, though, is the fermented fish in cabbage stew. About five seconds after your first bite into the soft and sour fish, you’ll feel a slow creep of spiciness through your upper body. Suddenly the vibrations of atmospheric hip-hop might seem more intense, as if you’ve swallowed one of the restaurant’s speakers, and it may appear that Andy Warhol is staring directly at your table. But spice level aside, the fermentation from the pickled cabbage is the reason we’ll order this dish again and again.
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Dinner at Uluh will cost about $40-$50 per person, without alcohol. What you’ll get, though, are portion sizes large enough to feed the current members of Fleetwood Mac and dainty pots of oolong tea in a space that plays music with an average of 130 beats per minute. So take stock of all the people in your life who would appreciate the unique experience of eating fermented fish stew at a clubby tea party, and make a night of it.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Tea
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Scallion Pancake
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Mapo Tofu
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Fish In Homemade Pickled Cabbage
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Boneless Pig Trotter
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Eggplant In Garlic Sauce
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Shanghai Pork Soup Dumplings
photo credit: Noah Devereaux