QUICITOP

Review! Charlotte, North Carolina // food stall in Alley 51 selling Northern Chinese-style street food // closest thing to mainland China that we've got, so decent?

the ELEVATOR PITCH

This food stall caught my eye immediately! Both because its name was peculiar to pronounce and that it boasted of selling jian bing (煎饼), one of my favorite quick and affordable breakfast street foods to get whenever I’m in Shanghai.

On the subject of “how do you even pronounce this”—the characters “快车道” (kuài chē dào), which means “fast lane,” is printed on the QUICITOP sign… Perhaps the owners are treating “QUICITOP” as a sort of phonetic cousin to “kuai che dao”? 🤷‍♀️

While it seems like jian bing shouldn’t be any more difficult to cook than bao zi (包子, filled steamed buns), somehow looking for a restaurant that offers jian bing is truly the most difficult mission anyone could undergo (juxtapose this against bao zi, which are offered on every other restaurant menu and in the frozen aisle at Asian supermarkets). There came a time when my craving for jian bing was absolutely unbearable (!!) that I decided to try and make some at home… but the process was quite labor intensive to make all of the fillings and to get the batter just right, that I haven’t tried making it again since.😢

So the fact that (1) we have a stall selling jian bing in Charlotte, (2) the other QUICITOP location is in Queens, NY (are we as cool as the Big Apple now?!), and (3) the menu also has Chinese (which means there’s a degree of authenticity here), is one giant leap for the Charlotte food scene**.

**As Neil Armstrong once said, “that’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Since we’re all about being fully transparent here on Cathzine, I’m going to share that my experience at QUICITOP humbled me! It made me realize that, just because I’ve had jian bing before in Shanghai, it didn’t make me an expert on QUICITOP’s menu. The QUICITOP team specializes in Northern Chinese street food, so things like “Roasted Cold Noodle” (烤冷面, kǎo lěng miàn, which is essentially like a large noodle sheet that is grilled and filled with the jian bing toppings) and “Pancake Roll” (卷饼, juǎn bǐng, which uses a flour tortilla to wrap its filling—think “skinnier Chinese burrito”) were items I was seeing and eating for the first time along with some of my friends.

There were also moments, though brief, where I felt ashamed that I didn’t know more. Unhelpful thoughts like “how could you even call yourself Chinese when you’ve never heard of a kao leng mian before” or “how are you Shanghainese if you didn’t know jian bing is actually a Northern Chinese street food” peppered my brain and it took more energy than I’d like to admit before successfully swatting them away (if you also come from a background of being a mutt of identities, you probably know exactly what I mean!). But there’s grace in not knowing, and self-shaming is not the healthy way to respond.

Now onto some of the things we tried from the menu~

the spread! We visited early June 2024

Reviews on the munchies pictured above:

Crab Rangoon (炸云吞, zhà yún tūn): did you know that “crab rangoon” translates to “fried wontons” (I just learned this!)? Which totally makes sense, because the imitation crab cream cheese filling is wrapped inside of wonton skins that are then deep-fried till golden, crispy, crunchy. 😮 This is just your typical Chinese American takeout restaurant appetizer, but they did a great job meeting expectations! (rating: 7/10)

Home made Jiao Zhi, Pork filling (家常饺子, jiā cháng jiǎo zi): the Chinese characters are actually saying “home-style” dumplings, which insinuate a filling of your choice protein plus chives to me! (So unconfirmed if there were actually chives in there, but I tasted and saw a little something something green…) The dumplings have a generous amount of filling. Would’ve liked some dipping sauce, but maybe that was offered on the counter and I just didn’t see it. (rating: 8/10)

Braised Pork Roasted Cold Noodle (至尊卤肉烤冷面, zhì zūn lǔ ròu kǎo lěng miàn): the bite/chew on this is somewhere between the wheat flour noodles you get when you order a Chinese pulled noodle soup and the rice noodle shavings that come in Chow Fun. The toppings/sauces that are used are relatively pretty similar to jian bing, the only difference is the vehicle in which you’re eating it all from. This was much easier to eat because it automatically called for a fork and knife situation instead of leaving you trying to eat it as a handheld. (rating: 8/10)

Jian Bing (煎饼果子, jiān bǐng guǒ zi): the “果子” (guǒ zi) part of this refers to the crunchy crispy fried dough pieces that are characteristic of jian bing! Sadly, due to the amount of moisture going on in the jian bing that we received, the guo zi got soggy and was just sort of an oily carb… The mung bean crepe itself also felt a little too loosely wrapped/too wet, which made the entire jian bing difficult to eat from the bag. So while these were very generously filled, the look and feel of the jian bing reminded me of the crepes from Hazelnut Creperie which are served on plates, and honestly, I would’ve preferred it that way so I automatically go in with a fork and knife and not make such a mess 😆 Overall, while I would prefer a crisper/drier crepe (to make holding and eating it easier and less messy), the sauce was very close to what I remember from Shanghai, and it’s close enough to the real deal that if I’m ever craving this or feeling nostalgic, I would definitely come back versus trying to make it at home again. (overall rating including ease of eating: 5/10)

👉 Braised Pork (至尊卤肉煎饼, zhì zūn lǔ ròu jiān bǐng): jian bing with pork belly that’s stewed in a savory soy sauce mixture till everything is tender and melt-in-your-mouth! It’s a classic protein option in Chinese cuisine in general, but definitely not something offered on the streets of China. Could be “heavy” on the stomach, but worth trying because it’s pretty good in the jian bing, and fun with the shredded potato! (flavor & filling rating: 8/10)

👉 Signature (老味煎饼, lǎo wèi jiān bǐng): is just the basic jian bing with egg, lettuce, and “guo zi,” nothing crazy to write home about because I’d rather add something other fun things, but it IS easier to eat from the packaging because there’s a little less stuff. (flavor & filling rating: 6/10)

👉 Ancient Spiced Beef Jian Bing (古法酱牛肉煎饼, gǔ fǎ jiàng niú ròu jiān bǐng): okay, the spiced beef never fails to be so tasty. I haven’t tried every jian bing on the menu but this won’t disappoint if you enjoy mild spice and tender fatty sliced beef! (flavor & filling rating: 8.5/10)

My QUICITOP experience left me with mixed feelings, explained below:

• highs: getting to eat jian bing for the first time in years without having to make it myself, trying new Northern Chinese street foods I’d never had before, sharing the experience with my friends who I probably wouldn’t be able to visit China with

• lows: comparing all of my jian bing bites with ones I had in Shanghai and just remembering “ah, it’s just not as crispy,” or “darn, why is it so unwieldy to eat without a fork and knife”

All that said, I am ultimately very excited that Charlotte’s getting more and more authentic Chinese food on the horizon, and that Charlotteans are open to trying these new foods! **happy dance**

the RÉSUMÉ

address // 10500 Centrum Pkwy, Pineville, NC 28134 (located inside/next to Super G Mart)

operations // Sunday - Thursday, 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM; Friday - Saturday, 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

logistics //

• lots of free parking in the shopping plaza

• the wait for your food can take upwards of 30-40 minutes on a weekend, so be prepared! We had to wait near the stall to hear our order number being called. Maybe in a couple of months they’ll implement a texting system to notify you when your order is ready instead? Fingers crossed! 🤞

amenities //

• bathroom with numerous stalls in the back by Itaewon

• no WiFi or outlets

• outdoor seating available, so can be pet friendly!

vibes // industrial

menu //

• beverages: fruit tea, soda, water

  ⭐add boba for $1.00 to any drink

• entrees: jian bing (煎饼果子, jiān bǐng guǒ zi), roasted cold noodles (烤冷面, kǎo lěng miàn), crispy beef patties (牛肉烧饼, niú ròu shāo bǐng), pancake roll (卷饼), egg omelette roll (鸡蛋灌饼, jī dàn guàn bǐng), Chinese chives pocket (韭菜盒子, jiǔ cài hé zi), teriyaki with rice

• sides/appetizers: homemade dumplings (家常饺子, jiā cháng jiǎo zi), crab rangoon (炸云吞, zhà yún tūn), spring/egg rolls (菜卷, cài juǎn), wings, braised eggs (卤蛋, lǔ dàn), spiced beef (酱牛肉, jiàng niú ròu)

• desserts: rolling donkey (驴打滚, lǘ dǎ gǔn, rice rolls with sweet bean flour); brown sugar rice cake (红糖糍粑, hóng táng cí bā), milk style buns (奶香小馒头, nǎi xiāng xiǎo mán tou), pumpkin cake (南瓜饼, nán guā bǐng)

recs //

• anything with the spiced beef (酱牛肉) or braised pork is delicious

• if you want something that isn’t as messy to eat, the pancake rolls/roasted cold noodles are great!

site // QUICITOP

~ cath!!