Sonia Ahmed photos
Chef Ming Zhang slicing noodles to create the house special stir fry dish.
Chef Zhang at work.
Chef Ming Zhang sliced fresh hand-pulled noodles before tossing them with bok choy, carrots, and onions in a wok. He then topped off the noodle dish with marinated beef, shrimp, and a tea egg — to make one of the more popular dishes at the recently opened Kung Fu Kitchen on Orange Street.
The restaurant, which had its grand opening a couple months ago, is located at 32 Orange St. and is open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.
The Michelin-recommended restaurant, which was founded in 2012, also has locations in New York and Florida. Sen Lin, the restaurant’s owner, said during an interview Wednesday it was time to expand the restaurant, though he’s wary of opening too many more locations to protect the restaurant’s quality.
Kung Fu Kitchen is the product of Peter Song’s vision, whom Lin dubbed “The Noodle Master.” Song was an actor in China before immigrating to the U.S and opening his first restaurant in New York.
Song, who is head chef at Kung Fu Kitchen, hand pulls noodles every day. He is well known among Chinese celebrities and even has a documentary about him, which has amassed over 20 million views.
Lin said he wants customers to understand the history and culture behind Chinese hand-pulled noodles. He said when his parents were selling Chinese takeout years ago, they were only making enough to support the business, and not enough to survive.
Chinese immigrants used to sell food at relatively low prices, resulting in many customers thinking Chinese food should be cheap, according to Lin.
“We’re worth the price,” he said with confidence. “Our handmade noodle is better than anyone else.”
Lin said he hasn’t seen much foot traffic around the restaurant, but hopes the marketing the restaurant has posted on social media will help them. Kung Fu Kitchen’s New Haven Instagram page has 4,000 followers and receives thousands of likes on reels.
“I see a lot of potential,” Lin said. “We want to grow with this city,”
This reporter sought to try Kung Fu’s signature dish, the house special stir fry noodles. The noodles were bouncy and fresh, and were well accompanied by the crunch of carrots and softness of the bok choy. The beef in the noodle dish was tender and the tea egg was packed with umami flavor.
The house special stir fry noodles.
Dumplings steaming on the stove.
The outside of Kung Fu Kitchen on Orange St.
The inside of Kung Fu Kitchen's dining room.
Fresh ingredients used for noodles and other dishes at the restaurant.
A wall in the restaurant, hand painted by a Chinese artist.
A photo frame of noteworthy people head chef Peter Song has met.
The scallion pancakes with beef.
Pan fried Peking Duck buns.