Year of the Takeout Day 215: East Noodle & Izakaya

By Victoria Bekiempis Tue., Aug. 7 2012 at 12:07 AM

Categories: Victoria Bekiempis, Year of the Takeout

Shazdeh Omari

Gyoza and Spring Roll from East Noodle & Izakaya (East 119 Second Avenue, 212-982-4285)

For our first order of business: Before anyone kvetches that this doesn't count for today's dish, know that we already ate some takeout but feel like writing about this instead.

With that settled, here's some interesting info for your enjoyment:

Although these kind of gyoza ($1 some nights!) -- with their diminutive size and thinner noodle walls -- are typically served at Japanese restaurants, the dumplings do originate in China and are said to have spread to the archipelago and other nearby nations. They tend to most closely resemble pot stickers, not the thick-shelled Northern Chinese pasta puffs.

The spring roll (also $1!) served at East Noodle does not taste any different from that encountered at Cantonese-American takeout joints. Our explanation? A lot of Asian restaurants get basic apps such as egg and spring rolls frozen from nearby wholesale-esque distributors, so it wouldn't surprise us if that were the case here.

Follow Victoria Bekiempis @vicbekiempis.