This week’s warm weather inspired me to seek out some quick, tasty food that was healthy, and not too heavy. Literally walking around town, I stumbled upon these three restaurants.
Diamond Hill Café
This new restaurant recently opened in Chinatown—and while you might say, “Meh, another Chinese restaurant in Chinatown,” you will probably be pleasantly surprised.
Diamond Hill is unique in that it is a fusion mix of Asian and Mexican cuisines, leading to an interesting take on the taco and burrito.
The place looks basically like a burrito and taco stand. The layout is simple and inviting and the colors are more rustic than those of other places that are visually designed to “make” you hungry. There is dark wood trim throughout, and the entire place is extremely clean.
There are four choices on the menu: a Bowl, which is a burrito without a tortilla; the Taco, a set of three soft shell tacos; a Burrito, filling wrapped in a flour tortilla; and the Kid’s Meal, a burrito (any kind) with a juice box.
The Bowl is more of a taco salad-type thing, where ingredients are piled up in a box to make the meal. There are four kinds of meat to choose from: grilled teriyaki chicken, braised barbeque pork, grilled Korean spicy beef, or braised duck, which are all cooked in a traditional Asian style. There is also a tofu option for those who like it. It is organic tofu, seasoned in Asian spices, lightly fried.
For the fillings, along with your choice of meat, you can choose either white or toasted rice, much like they have in sushi places. Then you have options like black beans, tomatillo salsa, sour cream, kimchee salsa, Monterrey Jack cheese, fresh baby corn salsa, and romaine lettuce to top it with.
They have only one side, and it’s tasty sweet potato fries. They also have some outrageously good hand-spun milkshakes. Aside from the usual chocolate and vanilla, they have green tea and red bean shakes too. The green tea shake is very satisfying. It wasn’t too sweet like many places have—where they try to mask the bitterness of their low-quality green tea powder—but a good balance of green tea and sugar.
The Bowl was quite filling, reasonably priced, and all ingredients tasted fresh. Diamond Hill is a good go-to place for lunch as the service is fast. It’s also the place to go to when you’re in Chinatown, but craving something within the realm of Asian flavors, yet not your typical fare.
Diamond Hill Café is located in Chinatown at 147 Canal St., near Bowery.
Continued on next page: Brgr and Rickshaw Dumpling Bar
