Mini Express
“We tried the red bean ice and lychee ice ($2.75 each); flavorful and tasty.”
“This little spot tucked away inside the Chinatown arcade/tunnel is a gem.”
“I have been going to Coluck since I was a kid for their ice slush drinks soooo good.”
Mini Express
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
7 reviews
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The taro coconut milk with tapioca (西米露) is my favorite item at this cafe. This is the first place that I know that sells this. If you know of another place that sells this, then you need to message me now!
I've also had their beef with sesame pancake, and it is not good. It's pretty much a sesame pancake with some sliced beef. That was pretty much it. There weren't any veggies or sauces in the sandwich. I may have had too high of expectations for this place. But, for now I'll still be coming here for my taro coconut milk with tapioca!
This place makes me sad. So sad.
In Hong Kong, I jump around over its divine food and drinks. In New York.. I bang my head on the table.
Derpy cashier + bad food = man, Hong Kong won't be opening another one of their food chains in New York any time soon.
Mini Express in Hong Kong is a haven; though fast, the food is presented nicely and made with love. I feel no love here at all. The man with the glasses doesn't even know half of the menu, and can be very difficult to deal with. He even grabbed my friend's menu off her hands to put in the order!
The yeung chow fried rice is nothing special, wish they could add more ingredients. The creamy spaghetti with ham & corn is gross; all topped with canned corn and mysterious cream sauce, this turns into another Campbell's mysterious cream soup..just more noodles.
The one good thing I will say about this place is their drinks. It's the only place that where fruit cocktail still exists and I LOVE their condensed milk ice! Honestly, not worth the $2.50 since they charge you for an extra longan, which is like the normal topping.
Mini Express has bing*, not just bing* but great bing*!
We tried the red bean ice and lychee ice ($2.75 each); flavorful and tasty. the red bean and lychee both standout in flavor and smoothness.
We then decided to stay for HK-style spaghetti dinner.
Curry Chicken Potato spaghetti $5.75- flavorful and delicious; just enough heat. Rate 4/5.
Tomato Chicken spaghetti $5.75- sweet & tangy sauce; delicious. Rate 4/5.
*Icy slush drinks.
I have been itching to try Mini Express since it took over the space that Coluck used to be. My boyfriend and I spontaneously decided to come to Mini Express for a quick bite before an appointment with an insurance company.
There's barely any decor, but it's fairly cozy to eat here. The space is really small compared to Coluck and a limited amount of tables and seating. We arrived around 3-3:30pm and there were no seats available, so we patiently waited until a table was available. We sat near the entrance which was a bit of a pain because there was a wall divider that wasn't placed properly and it kept falling over my boyfriend's head (how nice!), but the nice gentleman eventually fixed it.
We ordered two beverages and two dishes and a soup. My boyfriend ordered a shark fin soup which looked very much like New England Clam Chowder – white, creamy, and had potato chunks. It didn't seem like there was a lot of shark fin at all and for $3-$4.00 for a bowl of soup, can't expect much. He also ordered a chicken sandwich and a red bean ice with grass jelly. I didn't try any of his food, but in his own opinion – he thought the food was okay, not great and definitely inexpensive.
As for myself, I ordered the soy milk with grass jelly (a personal favorite of mine) and a stir-fried instant noodle with ham and egg. The soy milk with grass jelly wasn't too sweet which I liked and refreshing, but I wished there were more grass jelly. The stir-fried instant noodle with ham and egg was savory and tasty! Although, it got to a certain point where it wasn't enjoyable to eat anymore because the cold wind kept blowing towards us and made my food cold.
Mini Express is definitely different from Coluck restaurant, but the food is similar so that's good. This mini restaurant is appropriate for brunch, lunch, and if you need a quick bite. The food wasn't excellent, but it was good.
I've still been doing takeout from Mini Express because every time I stop by, the place is full and packed, not to mention I'm always by myself so takeout would be the better option.
Breakfast here is pretty worth your buck, each item comes with a drink and toast and is around $3ish which can leave you pretty full. Lunch is usually a hit or miss. Calling in advance would be better if you don't want to wait. I would suggest getting the noodle items more than the rice as it's the cheapest in Chinatown as of now (if anyone disagree please let me know, this girl here likes some cheap Chinese food also – share the love). Owner is friendly and quick.
It's the old Coluck but revamped and smaller. It's so modern looking now.
I have been going to Coluck since I was a kid for their ice slush drinks soooo good. It is the only place in Chinatown that makes their ice as a slush drink instead of chips of ice. Awesome!
I thought Coluck was gone. Thank goodness it was just a renovation and new name. The ice slush drinks are still around…phew!
When I heard Coluck was closing, I wanted to cry. I've been going there since I was old enough to chew my own food. I have such fond memories of their ham+egg sandwiches. I literally could've eaten 3 of them for dinner and be perfectly happy.
When I heard that Coluck was "re-opening" with a new name and a smaller store front, I rejoiced because I thought I would be able to get the same old ices, rice dishes and my favorite ham+egg sandwich. Boy was I wrong. The ham+egg sandwich that I had from them did not taste like the old Coluck. The egg wasn't folded. The wonder bread wasn't oily. Despite the same style of wrapping the sandwich, it just wasn't the same. I am once again disappointed and sad. Shame on you guys for giving me false hope.