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5318 Eighth Ave.,
Brooklyn, NY 11220
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Daily, 10:30am-3:30am
D, M at 50th St.
$6.95-$18.95
Cash Only
46th St. to 60th St., Fifth Ave. to Eleventh Ave.
Like many restaurants in Sunset Park’s Chinatown, Ren Ren serves Fujian food, a humble cuisine that relies on live seafood and never shies away from offal. Goose intestines and pig’s blood might not appeal to everyone, and the same could be said of the eatery itself, unapologetically geared toward local tastes. Heineken-fueled groups crowd large round tables, cigarette smoke permeates the air, and orange ceiling neon teams up with Vegas-style chandeliers for maximum wattage. Crab and a selection of fish that often includes tilapia and bass are plucked from glass tanks in the front of the room, weighed and hastily walked back to the kitchen to be steamed with scallions and ginger. Sizzling casseroles like one with littleneck clams bubbling in savory brown XO sauce are far richer. Light pork-filled Fuchow dumplings and springy fishballs, also stuffed with the ground meat, are served in a portion large enough for four despite the appetizer designation. Pleasantly gamey pigeon is hacked into leg and wing portions and covered with a sticky sweet glaze like miniature barbecued wings—and are even messier to eat. Tip back a bottle of beer and try not to think about the ubiquitous city birds while gnawing on the tiny bones.
Recommended DishesFuchow dumpling with soup, $3; crispy pigeon, $8.95; clams in XO sauce casserole, $11.95
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