MáLà Project (Manhattan - East Village)

Americas - USA East NYC and environs
1

Sichuan dry hot pot has taken root in Manhattan, and it’s a pretty good iteration, albeit a bit gentrified.

Lots of goodies on tap to order for your hot pot, as MáLà Project offers everything from basics like beef, chicken, lamb to more exotic items like intestine, tripe, kidney and gizzards to the surreal like rooster testicles.

If you go make sure to try the “candy garlic” (like wasabi peas, except garlic cloves) and the scallion pancakes, which is one of the better version in Manhattan (not greasy, and light and crispy).

MáLà Project
East Village
1st Ave. and 7th

2

I walked in tonight around 7 but there weren’t any free seats at the counter and I didn’t feel like waiting. The menu advises 5-8 ingredients per person, but that seems like a lot to me. Your thoughts? My favorite thing on that menu is “sea cucumber, not a cucumber.”

3

5-8 is a bit much if you’re dining solo.

More like 2-3 vegetables and 1-2 meats, which would leave room for one side dish, like those sea cukes.

4

Thanks, as I suspected. Looking forward to trying this place.

5

I just took a quick look at the Manhattan board on Chowhound.

Where did everyone go? It’s basically Trockwood talking to herself.

6

And me, and sgordon, and Pookipichu. But there isn’t much chatter from the old squad of prolific posters, like katherine and foodwhisperer. Some of the Chowhound personae non gratae - c oliver and linguafood, et al. - decamped to Hungry Onion, as you are doubtless aware. T-trock and I also post there. It’s not the same.

7

Not the same is right. I go on about once a week these days, when I have nothing else to do

8

And, you’re here about, what, once a month? Give or take a week or two.

So does that mean you drop in when you get bored watching paint dry?

9

No! when I get an email :wink:

I would like nothing more than for this to take off.

1 Like
10

l went there solo shortly after it opened, had l think a five item bowl: l thought it was very good, if just a touch pricy [truth be told, l could have ordered four items instead of being a hog]. The beef tendon was tasty, but they cut it in big chunks instead of thin slices, and it’s a bit, uh, glumpy?

l’m very sad about the sparseness of chowhound since the redesign: the Manhattan board is slow, but the Outer Boroughs board is like a ghost town. I WANT A ROBUST NYC FOOD MESSAGE BOARD AGAIN!!!