How is Nanking? Well, let's just say that the name is appropriate.

Why, you might ask? Well like the atrocities associated with the Rape of Nanking, your stomach will feel violated after you eat there.

And yes, I recognize this review is in poor taste, but then again so is the food there.

its pretty awful. go look at yelp. the majority of the reviews are 1 star.

This place has a groupon today. Is it worth buying? I've never been there....
http://www.groupon.com/r/uu824939

nanking is what it is - a dressed up restaurant with the food quality of a chinese takeout....

Unique mix of cuisines offered at Nanking

Thursday, December 03, 2009
By MARIAM AYAD
WW STAFF WRITER

Nanking offers restaurant-goers a unique mix of cuisines: Indian and Chinese. It soon will be featuring authentic Indian dishes, like the popular chicken tikka masala and garlic naan.

MANDY JAWALE and RICHARD LIAO
AGE: 28 and 45

PROVENANCE: Jawale has been working at Nanking as sous chef for three and a half years. He went to culinary school in India and got his start as chef working at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Mumbai, India. He moved to the United States in 2004 and worked for a cruise line, then moved over to the Nanking in Long Island in 2005.

Liao, on the other, hand didn't receive any formal training and learned the culinary arts from his mother at home. Liao started working in a restaurant kitchen in his late teens. He opened a Chinese restaurant in Queens 5 years ago, but after it closed began working for the Nanking in South Plainfield in 2004. He is the head chef at Jersey City's Nanking.

PHILOSOPHY: The Indo-Chinese fusion comes from Calcutta, and was part of Jawale's training in culinary school. He trained in the fused cuisines for six to seven months. "I had to learn about the fusion because it's really complicated dishes," he said. "I love the food here. It's not just that I'm cooking, but I really love the food here."

HIS SIGNATURE: Saskatchewan shrimp, a spicy dish served with grilled vegetables is Jawale's specialty. Liao has a knack for Hakka chili chicken, a mouth-watering menu item made with garlic, chilis and onions. The chili chicken is a Nanking customer favorite.

BEHIND THE SCENES: When the restaurant first opened, Liao said he and Jawale would be in the kitchen for 12 to 14 hours everyday to set up taste-testing for the restaurant staff and run the regular restaurant crowd. It's less stressful now. "The kitchen is not that big, so we have to organize everything in the kitchen and start preparations on the sauce and basic things early to open the restaurant," Liao said.

AMBIANCE: The busiest days of the week are Fridays and Saturdays, excluding holidays when offices are closed and there is a steady stream of guests.

DEMOGRAPHICS: Nanking sees a lot of business people working at offices in the area, but there are also families that dine there. The restaurant is popular among local Indians because of the cuisine's unique mixture.
http://www.nj.com/entertainment/jjour ... 59825211139790.xml&coll=3