I am not a huge Chinese food fan.

Queen E craved Boston Chinese.

She grew up with it and nothing beats Golden Temple in Brookline, Massachusetts and their Chinese chicken wings, pork ends, barbecue spare ribs, Mushroom Chow Yoke and Lobster with dark sauce.

Periodically, Queen E’s relatives would put the food on the Amtrak train and my dad would pick it up at the Stamford, Connecticut train station.

They would tip the conductor at both ends.

NYC Chinese is too salty, spicy, lobster is served with a white sauce and the appetizers are poorly represented.

Trending…NYC is experiencing a satisfyingly refined Chinese food renaissance.

I had read good reviews on Hutong, located in the old Le Cirque space within the midtown Bloomberg building.

Hutong is the New York debut of the Hong Kong original (as well as London), featuring well-crafted northern Chinese fare.

At first glance, I noticed that the prices were high for main courses, but the restaurant does boast affordable selections, including delicious, creative dim sum, noodles and vegetable dishes.

The restaurant is elegantly decorated in navy blue accented with chrome fixtures and is reminiscent of 1920’s New York City and Shanghai.

Hutong opened about 5 months ago in the 19,000-square-foot, high-ceilinged space that includes an elegant 140-seat dining room, an 83-seat lounge and bar, as well as private dining rooms.

Our server, Sebastian, knew his stuff and everything he recommended was stellar.

I toasted the day with a Chinese Lantern, a divine aperitif with Aperol, St. Germain, cava, mandarin and plum bitters ($17).

We kicked things off with a delectable, crispy Scallop & Prawn Wontons ($17).

This was followed by succulent Lobster Dumplings on a bed of bean curd ($13).

Next up Dou Miao, Pea Shoots wok-tossed with shredded dried scallop. The Pea Shoots were fresh and fabulous ($18).

Choosing noodles over rice, the Fried Noodles wok-tossed with vegetables were light and flavorful ($11).

Our last dish was Bao.

Initially, I passed as I find Bao thick and gluey, but these were light as a feather filled with Truffle Shiitake and Wild Mushrooms ($12).

Hutong does offer the classic Peking duck ($45 for half to $84 for a whole) which is carved table side and other specialities such as wok-fried lobster ($78).

Hutong is a fabulous lunch option especially when shopping midtown…it is directly across the street from Bloomingdale’s and within a few blocks of all the retail opportunities on Madison and Fifth Avenue.

Hutong 731 Lexington Avenue New York City  Open for lunch daily from 11:30am-3pm. Dinner Sunday-Wednesday 5-11pm, Thursday-Saturday 5-Midnight. Reservations at hutong-nyc.com