Today's Lunch Break: Asian-Inspired Eats

50% off Sichuan appetizers all day today on the Upper East Side, an incredible lunchtime bargain for three Michelin stars, and Korean-Chinese cuisine in Bayside. Decisions, decisions. By Yvo Sin.

See Also: Tuesday's Best NYC Sample Sales

Wa Jeal Sichuan Chili House

1588 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10028
(212) 396-3339
wajealrestaurant.com
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Upper East Siders might be pleasantly surprised to find themselves with an authentic Sichuan restaurant nearby, and to sweeten the pot, Wa Jeal is offering 50% off all appetizers all day today.  Try the dan dan noodles or the Sichuan pork dumplings with chili-garlic soy; normally a pretty delicious bet, you definitely can't go wrong when each is $2.50 after the 50% off discount is applied.  Of course, if this isn't enough to fill you up, the lunch menu boasts over 25 different proteins served with your choice of white or vegetable fried rice, and soup or spring roll.  Try the double cooked pork with chili leeks or stir fried fresh pork belly with chili leeks, both very popular Sichuan dishes... and appease your less adventurous coworkers with their standard Chinese restaurant options like General Tso's, chicken and broccoli, or chicken lo mein.

Jean Georges

1 Central Park West
New York, NY 10023
(212) 299-3900
jean-georges.com
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You may think that any recommendation for a three Michelin-starred restaurant for lunch is ridiculous and should be ignored.  You would be entirely wrong: Jean Georges offers a $32 two-course menu for lunch, with additional plates bearing a $16 surcharge.  Considering the quality of the food, the ambiance, the location, the stars, the name... all things considered, this is an absolute steal.  It's shocking that more people don't take advantage of this.  This is an excellent way to get your feet wet at arguably one of the country's best restaurants for such a marginal cost relative to dinner, which starts at $98 for three courses.  The menu changes seasonally, making it hard to recommend a must-have dish, but order whatever strikes your fancy.  At this price, it is all too easy to return for what you missed the first time, or to just include it this time.  Revel in the experience.

Guh Song

4724 Bell Boulevard
Bayside, NY 11361
(718) 281-1810

See Also: NYC's Best Korean BBQ

Are you familiar with Korean-Chinese food?  Exactly as it sounds: a Korean interpretation of Chinese food, and wildly popular among those in the know, these restaurants are scattered around New York, with little to mark it as such except the menu.  Filled with items like tang soo yuk (a reimagining of sweet and sour pork) (pictured), which bears little resemblance to the original American-Chinese dish and instead boasts an almost clear sauce that isn't quite as goopy as the American-Chinese style, or - and this is where Guh Song shines the strongest - the jjajjungmyun, the Korean version of jha jeung mein, a northern Chinese noodle dish.  Originally intended to be slightly spicy, Korean jjajjungmyun at Guh Song arrives at the table a giant bowl of perfectly cooked, long, chewy noodles, topped with a dark brown sauce made of - surprise - black beans blended to a completely un-beanlike consistency, onions, and bits of meat.  Guh Song skips the extra veggies that some places toss in the sauce to stretch it and instead just nails it on flavor, though the noodles are what you'll be fishing through the sauce for at the end.  Those chewy, chewy noodles satisfy to the last bite.  A bowl will run you about $6 and stuff you, though for the same price, you can easily indulge in one of their numerous lunch specials that include a soup, fried rice, and your main course - yes, tang soo yuk is one of the choices.  Go nuts, get both and split them with a coworker.  You will both be extremely happy you did.

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Yvo Sin is the founder and head writer of Feisty Foodie.