Breeze 和煦
595 Manhattan Ave
Breeze has a modern name, a modern facade, and a modern interior, but what about the food? More Sichuan, baby... read and find out if this place serves a reasonable lunch in these modern times...
This place opened in 2023, and according to Greenpointers, it is inspired by Sichuan teahouses. The interior has sleek wood and nice lighting, and there's a full bar and a happy hour, making this a pretty good date spot. But while it may have been Friday when we went, it was not yet 5 o'clock, so the vibes and the booze were of no import. I was there for the lunch special.
Breeze's lunch special allows the diner to pick a dish, either white or "Eight Grain Purple" rice, and a side (scallion cucumber, hot and sour radish, or tofu skin in chili oil). Each dish is priced differently, with the cheapest being $14 and the highest being $17. On this lovely Friday, we went with kung pao chicken, white rice, and the tofu skin for $15. I somehow got some online ordering discount so the total after tax was just $13. Thanks, I guess!!
We were sharing lunch as our breakfast was pretty heavy (bagels from Syrena Bakery on Norman Ave), and we were quite satisfied with the portion. We had eaten most of the tofu by the time I took the above photo. I kind of wish I had gotten something spicier, but the tofu was delightfully numbing, and the kung pao chicken struck a nice balance between sweet and savory with a touch of heat. All of the other options for the lunch special sound pretty delicious too:
The last one in particular interests me. Just due to price, I would probably get the Sichuan classics (mapo, meat slivers and peppers, green beans and minced pork) at Four Season Joyful instead. Wait... hold on... +3 dollars for mince meat in your mapo tofu?? What is this????
I don't know how to recover from that, honestly.
They also offer a "lunch box", a bento-style collection of small dishes. You can get it with tea-smoked duck! $22 is a bit steep though.
All in all, I thought my lunch from Breeze was great, though I think charging extra to get meat in your mapo tofu should be punishable by at least three years in prison, and for that I cannot rank it higher than Peking Express. What I can say is that Breeze is the most Long Island City Chinese restaurant in Greenpoint, which must count for something. Date nights? Sure. If we go out there we're sitting at the bar and drinking $5 snow beers and getting the mouthwatering chicken and "husband and wife special"... but lunch? Probably not.
Greenpoint Chinese Lunch Current Standings:
- Four Season Joyful
- Peking Express
- Breeze
- Mala Project