The Taste of China in New Haven

Even before I came back to Yale, people kept telling me about ”Taste of China” (川園) in New Haven already, a Chinese restaurant that is well known among members of the Yale community for its authentic Sichuan cuisine.

If you want to prove how authentic a good Chinese restaurant is, mapo tofu is a must-have course and it turned out the Sichuan-style spicy tofu here tasted really good. Now I’m wondering if someone should come to Yale and open new restaurants called “Taste of Hong Kong” (focusing on dim sum?) and “Taste of Taiwan” (hot pot?) in New Haven…

Taste of China
954 Chapel St, New Haven, CT 06510

The Study at Yale

New Haven doesn’t have five-star hotels but The Study at Yale is a quite nice place for your temporary residence. The local boutique hotel also has a New England cuisine restaurant on the ground floor and it’s called Heirloom.

Heirloom claims to focus on local organic ingredients and coastal cuisine. It also has a large wine collection including wines from Italy, Spain, France, Australia, Germany, South Africa, and the United States. Its namesake burger is always a popular choice for lunch. Try to get a window seat so you enjoy the nice view of moving people on the historic Chapel Street in downtown New Haven.

The Study at Yale
1157 Chapel St, New Haven, CT 06511

This Coffee Shop Is Not Common

During my first-time visit to Yale as a World Fellow, I used to spend time at the Wall Street Coffee on Wall Street, near the Yale Law Schoo. This time (2023) when I came back to New Haven, I cannot find the old Wall Street Coffee any more.

Instead, a new local coffee chain replaced Wall Street Coffee to be the new popular one. It’s called Common Grounds. I just happened to be witness of the new branch opening of Common Grounds on York Street in late April. Everyday the local coffee chain in New Haven will feature some house blend flavor coffee. I got a “today’s special” called Milkyway, which comes with natural vanilla flavor.

I also get its French vanilla muffin (yes, I’m a big fan vanilla fan, from ice cream to bakery), which is also said to be the coffee chain’s signature cake. New Haven now is too sweet, with a lot of new shops opening in a series!

Common Grounds Coffee
276 York Street, New Haven, CT 06511

Milkcraft New Haven

In comparison with my last visit to New Haven (two years before the pandemic happened), a very noticeable change is now we have many ice cream shops in the college town. Isn’t it amazing? I guess many Yale students must be big fans of ice cream.

This shop (which is said to be originally from Japan) is proud to make ice cream all on site. I got the “best vanilla ever” ice cream in cup and it did taste naturally good. It also has something called “bubble come”, which is just like Hong Kong’s signature street food egg waffle (雞蛋仔), and imagine if you get ice cream wrapped with that!

Watch the video to see how the ice cream was made on site.

Milkcraft New Haven
280 Crown St Suite 100, New Haven, CT 06511

Mory's, A True Yale Tradition

Mory’s is a true Yale tradition since 1849 in New Haven. It began as a British style bar for Yale students and later has grown over the decades to be a members-only cultural club for many fans from different fields. For example, many of Yale's superb singing groups visit the clubhouse often, making Mory's a haven for a cappella fans.

Since the early-to-middle 20th century, some of the parties of the Yale Political Union (particularly those on the right) have adjourned to Mory's, "as is traditional." Current and past club members include John Kerry, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, Gerald Ford, John R. Bolton, George Pataki, Joe Lieberman, John Heinz, Paul Mellon, William Howard Taft, and William F. Buckley, Jr.

Perhaps the most famous dish (or more like “starter” at Mory’s — now located on York St and not too far from the Yale Law School — is The Rabbit, a version of Welsh rabbit. It is in fact just the name and has nothing to do with rabbit. It comes with some toasts and you can eat with strong flavour cheese or order more bacons and eggs to enjoy together. The other signature appetiser is called Baker Soup, a potage heavy on tomato, curry, and cream and topped with croutons.

Mory’s
306 York St, New Haven, CT 06511