Twenty two stops, two transfers, one hour. After a tumultuous train ride, my class and I arrived at New World Mall in downtown Flushing, Queens. The food court was located downstairs below the shopping center.  Once we arrived, my classmates and I settled in at a nearby table before we went to check out the stalls bustling with hungry customers. It took us a while to settle on what we wanted to eat, and it was especially stressful considering the time limit we had.

Following our little back and forth between stalls, we decided on a ramen and udon place called ‘Dawan Ramen.’ The menu here was quite extensive consisting of ramen, bento boxes, rice bowls, and appetizers. 

I ordered the Chicken Katsu Don which was a rice bowl with egg and chicken katsu, along with an order of fried dumplings. The total cost came out to be $19. Once we received our food, we sat back down at our table and started to eat. 

Looking at the time, we had 25 minutes to eat, 25 minutes to enjoy, 25 minutes to critique the restaurant for an assignment on writing journalistic reviews. 

Presentation: I ordered this meal ‘to stay’ while my friends ordered their meals ‘to go.’ My food came out in a nice tray with the main bowl in the middle and off to the sides were the fried dumplings and the miso soup. The chicken katsu bowl was a bowl of rice under a layer of eggs and freshly made chicken katsu garnished with shredded nori. The fried dumplings came in a container of eight, and it was clear to see that they had a nice golden brown color to them. 

Taste: The fried dumplings were fried quite vigorously and it left a nice crunch once you bit into them. However, they were not dry at all; the second I bit into a dumpling, I was met with a burst of flavor that was very pleasant. I dipped them in the soy sauce that accompanied the fried dumplings and that added extra flavor. The chicken katsu bowl had a lot going on: rice cooked in a savory sauce underneath a layer of seasoned eggs and pieces of chicken katsu. The chicken katsu, like the fried dumplings, had a golden brown exterior and an amazing crunch. The rice was seasoned and cooked perfectly. It was the eggs that I was unsatisfied with as they were mushy and undercooked. These eggs would be great for someone who likes undercooked eggs. These undercooked eggs didn’t diminish from the overall taste because they still had good flavor, I just would’ve preferred more time to cook. The miso soup was an average miso soup, nothing too fancy. 

Overall rating: Considering this was from a food court, this was above average and I would be compelled to come here again if I was looking for an easy meal and in the area. However, the waiting time for this meal wasn’t extremely satisfactory if you’re under a time constraint. Overall, the food from New World Mall exceeded my expectations.