[Photographs: Robyn Lee]

A display case of almond cookies may not seem all that notable, but let me set up the scene for you.

Nom Wah, tucked in crook of Doyers Street—my favorite street in Chinatown—is Chinatown's self proclaimed first dim sum parlor, having been around since 1920. Although it's certainly had an upgrade since it opened, it doesn't look, or smell, like it's changed in decades. (The effect is rather charming, not off-putting.) Judging from the lack of clientele, it's hard to believe they serve much food or make any worthwhile amount of money.

Yet to the right of the entrance when you walk in, there's one display case filled with neat stacks of large, golden almond cookies—hundreds of them, at least. There are no other display cases filled with baked sweets (unless you count a container of fortune cookies). It would look more normal in a bakery, but stood out in this worn down restaurant. How old are these cookies? Who eats them? Why are there so many? My friends and I didn't find the answers to these questions, but we shared a cookie with the expectation that it would taste as though it had been neglected for five years and it ended up being pretty good.

If you want a piece of old school Chinatown accompanied by a cookie and a pot of tea, take a seat in one of Nom Wah's red booths and relax. (They do serve food, but you're best off sticking with the cookies and tea.) You may also be accompanied by tables of old men playing mahjong.

Nom Wah

13 Doyers Street, New York, NY 10013 (b/n Pell and Bowery; map)
212-962-6047

Related: Nom Wah for Dim Sum? [SE Talk, 6/21/09]