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Having lived in Hong Kong and southern China for years as an expatriot worker, I have been avidly searching for authentic southern Chinese - Cantonese - cooking since returning to NYC. I've dined in several (what seemed to be cookie-cutter) Chinese restaurants throughout NYC that advertised as "authentic" cuisine, and have often left dissapointed and increasingly hopeless in being able to find food even halfway comparable to what I've experienced in the East. My search came to an end this past Monday at the modest unassuming C&F Restaurant on the narrow Hester St. just east of Little Italy. What first distinguished C&F from the others for me was that the restaurant did not have the loud display of roasted duck and chicken at the front window, which is fairly typical of many restaurants in Chinatown. Upon sitting down I noticed that the patron demographic enjoying the food was surprisingly mixed (with obviously more Chinese given the location). Although, admittedly, sitting down with little expectation after having been dissapointed by so many other Chinese restaurants (many surprisingly have even established big names), C&F continued to surprise me with its menu offerings and service. Our friendly waiter spoke English very well and was very helpful in making recommendations on what to order. We watched the chefs at work in the brightly lit kitchen from our seats. Now most importantly, I found our dishes to be creative and uncompromising. The rich sauce, the stir fry, the diverse contrast of flavor and texture that is the essence of Cantonese cuisine were captured in the few noodle, meat, and vegetable dishes that we ordered. I couldn't help but to feel a bit nostalgic of my time in the far East while practically inhaling our food at C&F. I would definitely recommend C&F Restaurant to anybody who thought that they've already experienced good authentic Chinese food, and those who are sick of the same Chinese menus. Ask the waiters for reco

As a former New Yorker who has been living in NJ the last 15 years I look forward to trips into Chinatown. However, over the years many of my favorite restaurants have closed, so it was with great enthusiasm that I went to try a new restaurant that was so highly rated in the MenuPages. What a disappointment. The food was thoroughly mediocre, nothing that I couldn't have had in a decent Chinese restaurant in NJ! The vegetable dumplings were tasty but very doughy. Chicken dumplings had a much better, lighter dough, but they were bland. A chicken dish I ordered has several gristly chunks. A vegetarian tofu dish was good. To top things off, after such a disappointing meal they added a tip onto the check for a party of three. I will not be going back there again, and I really don't understand the high MenuPages ratings that this restaurant has received.

Living in nearby Nolita, I have frequent many of the neighboring restaurants in Chinatown. I always come back and look foward to eating at C & F. This favorite among locals serves the real deal. Be daring, try ordering from one of the many dishes from the wall, they're all good and you get to try everything.