Looking for a big bowl of noodle soup

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As dinner time drew near Monday evening, I felt like driving over to Wondee's in Hackensack and ordering its biggest bowl of noodle soup. Of course, when we got there, we remembered our favorite Thai restaurant is closed on Mondays.

So we just turned toward the shopping center near Route 4 and the best Chinese restaurant in North Jersey -- Lotus Cafe, which is open seven days a week.

And there it was on the menu: seafood soup noodles ($11.95). In truth, the bowl isn't that big, but there is enough broth, homemade noodles, shrimp, scallop, squid, fish cake and spinach for two to three people as an appetizer.

The fat, toothsome noodles appear in other dishes, notably zar jiang mein, the Chinese version of spaghetti Bolognese, with a hearty meat sauce that will have you coming back for more.

Following the soup, we really enjoyed the house special, pan-fried tofu ($9.95) with white rice. The soft, eggy tofu is dipped in a light batter before stir frying with meaty black mushrooms and vegetables. Another nice dinner.


Lotus Cafe, 450 Hackensack Ave., Hackensack; 201-488-7070.
Open seven days, BYO, free delivery within 3 miles ($12 minimum).

Cooking takes a holiday

At La Pola in West New York.

We've taken a vacation from cooking most of our meals at home.

It began last Thursday, when we battled traffic to buy our Cuban roast pork feast at La Pola Restaurant, a Cuban-sandwich shop in West New York, that we served on Christmas Day. The next night, our usual one dinner out, we had soft-tofu and spring-chicken stews at the Soft Tofu Restaurant in Palisades Park. Sunday night, we ate leftovers from Christmas.

Tuesday night, we treated my niece, her boyfriend and her children to a multicourse Chinese feast at Lotus Cafe in Hackensack, before their return to California the next day. That night, we finished the Lotus Cafe leftovers. Wednesday afternoon, four of us shared a large cold antipasto and a large pepperoni/anchovy pizza -- well-done -- at Brooklyn's in Hackensack, a satisfying cheese-filled meal with a single glass of wine for me. Tonight, we were planning to drive to Paterson for Middle Eastern food if the snow doesn't detour us to a restaurant closer to home.

Last New Year's Eve, the weather kept us in and we prepared curry chicken and lamb chops, and drank wine before watching the ball drop on TV.

A great meal any time of the year

Who can resist great food at great prices -- the crusty $2 baguette at Balthazar Bakery in Englewood, the $6.99 restaurant-quality Italian takeout dinners at Jerry's Gourmet, just down South Dean Street from the bakery; and $4.49 for a pound of scrumptious organic spring salad mix at Costco.


You'll find the restaurant version at Lotus Cafe, a popular BYO in Hackensack, where the multi-course dinners for four, six or eight are both filling and delicious -- among the best Chinese food in North Jersey. And you'll pay $20 or less per person, including tax and tip.


Last night, our party made a 6 p.m. reservation and ordered food for six from the special price-fix dinner and banquet menu.  We were four adults and three children -- 12, 10 and under 2 years old. With three light eaters, we had plenty of leftovers.


We were served eight courses, with lots of greens: seafood and tofu chowder, three-cup chicken casserole, crispy, aromatic duck; pepper and salty prawns, beef with chili pepper and mustard green, fillet of sole with yellow chive, stir-fried Chinese broccoli with fresh garlic, and ice cream and fruit. Because we are good customers, we also received a warm Chinese rice pudding on the house.


In the past week, I was unsuccessful in finding seven people to join my wife, son and I for a Dutch treat New Year's Eve banquet meal for 10 -- 12 courses for about $27 per person, including Peking duck, prawns, filet mignon, whole fish and braised noodles. 


Lotus Cafe, 450 Hackensack Ave., Hackensack, in Home Depot-
Pathmark Shopping Center; 201-488-7070; open seven days.