Xinjiang YaKeXi - elaborate deco + merry atmosphere + authentic food

I love Xinjiang/Muslim food cuz I love lamb and beef. This one is around the corner from my Manhattan apartment (corner of XiKang Rd and WuDing Rd) and it makes a nice neighborhood restaurant. Upstairs is where you should sit, where there's nightly music and singing, along with noisy customers and lots of smoking (ok, not my favorite part of the restaurant). They carry pretty all the standard fare Xinjiang stuff, lamb skewers, rice simmered in lamb oil (zhua fan), and hand-pulled noodles (ban mian). There are also many other kinds of lamb dishes (saw some horse dishes also) and your basic naan breads. The veggies here are cut very finely so the flavors are more delicate than what you'd expect from a family restaurant like this one. Don't forget to order some Xinjiang or Harbin beer and then you got yourself a satisfying meal.

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