Nice Day Chinese Opens in New Haven: Chinese-American Cuisine With A Mission

(Have a) Nice Day! Young Zhao and Wanting Zhang, owners of Junzi Kitchen, recently opened Nice Day in the heart of New Haven. 

We met the two young owners at their newest restaurant a few days prior to their grand opening. Nice Day’s Elm Street location marks a bit of a sentimental reunion for the Chinese duo who first met as undergrads in the classrooms behind Yale University’s Neo-Gothic stone walls. Their first Chinese concept, Junzi Kitchen which they opened in 2011, sits just across the street. 

The model for Nice Day is rather unique. Each Nice Day restaurant replaces a Chinese restaurant that has shuttered. Their goal is to save the traditional Chinese takeout while offering a fresh take on Chinese American Classics with their modern aesthetic, fresh ingredients, and menu which draws influences from the varied cuisines from throughout China, without altering the concept of  traditional American Chinese food. In doing so, Young and Wanting have found a delicious recipe for success. 

Their hope is to change the our vision on the concept of Chinese food – to renovate this concept which Young describes as “elementary school dining” by offering a wider range of dishes and flavors. He wants his brand and cuisine to keep evolving with regard to influences and creativity. The ultimate goal is to be in every town, approachable and affordable, and offer the best flavors at reasonable prices to bring a positive change to the Chinese food restaurant industry.

At Nice Day, dishes are inspired from throughout China, drawing inspiration from Cantonese, Hunan, Szechuan, as well as family-driven homestyle recipes which honor the legacy of passing recipes from one generation to the next. Danny Wong is the chef in New Haven and he’s been hard at work developing recipes. We’re looking forward to the arrival an original Ginger Beef recipe from Calgary, Canada from where he hails.

Nice Day’s commitment to freshness and to making simple dishes better is quite evident. Their food is neither heavy or greasy. Their ingredients are clean. Their chicken has no growth hormones or additives, and they’re very conscientious about transportation, and all of this translates into the taste. “We want to make delicious, nutritious food, and make our guests happy,” Young told me. 

The New Haven restaurant is their fifth location. They currently can be found in Brooklyn, and in Melville, Deer Park and Plainville, Long Island. The next location to open will be West Haven. The Elm Street location is the only one with a sit in concept and seats roughly 50 people. It opened quietly in August and people are already lining up for both dine in and takeout. They accept no reservations at this point. 

In the states, Chinese food is by nature very nostalgic, and it does bring us back to our childhood—an evening of casual dining, long before take-out was a ‘thing’, and with that nostalgia there is indeed something very elementary about it all. 

Below are the dishes we had the great fortune to try. 

Golden Crispy Fish Fillet (Dine in only) This fried fish dish features fillets topped with sweet & sour sauce and the scoring causes the fillets to curl and puff up. It’s an amazing dish and a fun experience.  Beneath the incredibly crisp exterior lies a fish that’s flaky, tender and incredibly flavorful. Unique to this location, this one dish is not available for take-out, but everything else we enjoyed is available for take-out. 

Pork Xiao Long Bao, Soup Dumplings

House hand-made, juicy soup dumplings filled with succulent pork and rich broth, offered an unforgettable explosion of umami-packed flavors. Those preferring chicken will thoroughly enjoy the Chicken Xiao Long Bao, Soup Dumplings.

Bone Broth Red Braised Beef Noodle Soup

This 4-hour house-brewed beef bone broth noodles with red braised beef shank, bok choy, scallion and cilantro is hearty, aromatic and just what you need as the weather starts to cool. Pure comfort and joy in a bowl.

Crispy Spicy Salt & Pepper Jumbo Shrimp & Fries (Yes, fries!)

This Crispy Spicy Salt & Pepper Jumbo Shrimp dish served with fries really packs a spicy kick. If you like heat and want something completely different, I highly recommend this dish.

Sichuan Garlic Sauce Eggplant

This stir-fried eggplant and minced pork in Sichuan garlic sauce was a winner in my book. I had never had anything like this before. The veg was tender, succulent and I loved the somewhat sweet and somewhat spicy flavor profile. 

Singapore Mei Fun (thin rice noodles) w/ Jumbo Shrimp and All Natural White Meat Chicken

(shellfish) offers a perfectly balanced flavor bomb of Singapore-style, curry & oyster sauce stir-fried rice noodles, with scrambled eggs, onions, peppers, all natural white meat chicken, and jumbo shrimp.

General Tso's Chicken 

Made with all-natural white meat, this ain’t your (American) Grandma’s General Tso’s … This has none of the heaviness and greasiness that we’ve come to associate this dish with. The chicken is incredibly crispy and clean tasting. 

Grandma's Stir-Fried Tomatoes & Eggs

Vegetarian, gluten-free, this dish was the inspired by Hunting’s grandmother. She told us that while her grandmother didn’t often say “I love you” she showed her love with this dish which is unique to and popular in her hometown – Every family has their own recipe. I absolutely loved the flavors and simplicity in this dish. It really does conjure up a grandmother’s love and comfort.

Spicy Sichuan Crispy Chicken 

This one comes out of the kitchen hot and spicy. Crispy battered all natural chicken with their signature Sichuan pepper powder, peppercorn oil, sesame seeds and whole dried chilis. Tingly, spicy, crispy, the Chinese hot chicken you've been waiting for! (Depending on how much heat you can tolerate, you can select less or more spicy when you order.)

Guo Bao Rou (Sweet & Sour Pork)

Both Young and Hunting recommend experiencing this dish when dining in for the best quality. It really is special. Here they have collaborated with Zhi Guan Xiao Guan in Beijing, the one and only Michelin Starred northeastern Chinese restaurant in the world. You won’t experience a sweet and sour pork like this anywhere (unless you happen to be in Beijing!)  The marinated pork tenderloin offers robust sweet & sour flavor which combined with an incredibly crunchy exterior that’s tender inside.

Each dish was better than the next. The flavors were vibrant, fresh and robust. Nice Day Chinese offers an experience and flavor profile that will have you rethinking Chinese Cuisine. Even if you’re not a fan of  “American” Chinese, I highly recommend giving these guys a try. As Young kept referring to the American Chinese restaurant concept being very elementary school-like, I’ll go on the record to say that Nice Day Chinese is definitely on a collegiate level. It may not be an “ivy” but it certainly is in the leagues!