T.S. Ma of New York has opened a small restaurant in Upper Montclair. Located on Bellevue Avenue, east of Valley, in the location that formerly housed Il Forno Bakery.
Good Chinese is always welcome in New Jersey and T.S. Ma comes very close to filling the bill.
We enjoyed the take out we had the other night.
Updated 10/14/08
TS MA continues to deliver great food, they have added some new things to the menu.
Just had lunch at the NY restaurant on 9th ave between 37th and 36th. Great lunch specials.
We dine at TS Ma often, tonight we had one of the best Chinese meals ever.
05/01/06 Review
The dishes we tried included Braised Tofu Skin Wrapped with Veggie in a Shanghai Brown Sauce. Served cold, delicious, tasting just like the cold smoked fish we enjoy in Chinatown, NY.
The Mai Fun, House Special, was also very good. The noodles were just right, again more authentic than what you typically find in New Jersey.
Barbecued Boneless Ribs, were tender, and tasty. Not the best I have had, but good.
A special of the day, Hoisin Chicken on String Beans was OK, the chicken fresh and tender with a gentle, not overbearing, sauce. The beans, however, were crisp but bland, an added dose of Tamari Sauce did not help.
Two other items we tried was Fried Brown Rice with veggies, Diana loved that. And a vegetarian dish Sauteed Baby Cabbage and Chinese Broccoli with Fresh Garlic, much better than the String Beans.
With dinner we decided to enjoy a Gewurztraminer. With Chinese I will usually reach for a Riesling or Vouvray. Tonight it was to something different. Gewurztraminer goes well with Asian food, it is usually too flowery for me. This Gewurzt is Italian, not German or French, called Kolbenhouf.
One of my favorite wine writers, Lettie Teague, said this in reviewing the wine:
"Kolbenhof Gewürztraminer is a deeply flavorful, nuanced wine with a penetrating minerality. It may be the most characterful Gewürztraminer I've tasted outside of Alsace, though unlike many Alsace wines, it is dry." Italy's Braveheart: Martin Foradori
The wine is produced at the Hofstätter Estate by Martin Foradori , cousin to Elisabetta Foradori. You have probably read my rave reviews of her wines.
Their wines are wonderful, but unfortunately hard to come by.
We will be back to T.S. MA for their delicious and fresh cuisine, that is very close by.
The menu has many specials you don't usually see. They also have a good vegetarian section. No MSG, and all fresh ingredients.
Visited T.S. Ma again last night and sat in their small but pleasant dining room. Had their Fried "Veggie" Dumplings, Mai Fun and Beef with Chinese Eggplant in Brown Sauce. All were good, the Beef I thought was very good.
Drank the last of my 2001er Reislings from Weingut Willi Schaefer, a fabulous year for German wines.
