One of the Kind

Pretty darn good sechuan style food. You get to choose from all kinds of different proteins. And add a small or large basket of veggies. Then they’re tossed in a pot with your level of spiciness. 5 min later you have a plate of heaven in front of you. Along with a bowl of white rice.
Addictive. Love the concept and super tasty!

I didn’t usually go to the super88, perhaps once a quarter or even less frequently, until this summer when I accidentally passed through the food connection, stopped by this place, looked up at their menu board and found the Beijing style noodle on the list. Whereas nowadays it is easy to find restaurants that serve Chinese food in Cantonese and Szechanese flavors, I was more than surprised to have this «reunion» with Beijing noodle. The dish itself was simply cooked and simply dressed with cucumber wires, just like what it was supposed to be, and the sauce tasted really authentic. The noodle may never become a popular choice on the menu, but to me, and I believe to many others who own a memory of the taste of Beijing, it won’t take a second to feel at home.
It seems, unfortunately, that my review comes too late. This weekend I found they were gone and replaced by a new restaurant serving Hunan-​style spicy pot. I will miss One of the Kind. Hopefully their leaving is just a relocation around, hopefully.

I’ve been craving spicy Sichuan food and this place has some really great, authentic, and cheap dishes. Service was fast and you get a good amount for what you pay. I also got a container of free rice with my meal which I didn’t expect. I ordered the Water Boiled Beef and it was amazing. One thing to note is that they close their kitchen for a period of time in the afternoon during the weekend, which is when I went. They’ll make lamb skewers but I had to wait about 10, 15 minutes before I could order entrees.

I came here knowing exactly what I wanted (from reading the reviews) and then placed my order. It came out very quickly (not surprising). I got two dishes, one was the Ma Po Tofu and the Chongking Chicken. They were both wonderful and full of flavor (very spicy though, especially the tofu!) If you like spicy food, I recommend that tofu. It came to around $ 15 for both dishes and was a fair amount of food. Not ginormous. There was no charge for the large white rice too which was a nice surprise.
The only downside is the parking lot is pretty small and tight. Usually packed.

Though located in Super 88 food court, this place is surprisingly authentic and offers many traditional chinese dishes (not americanized chinese fast food).
Although this place is quite pricey compared to the other food vendors ($ 9 – 15), the food is delicious and great for these nostalgic for their favorite dishes.
The lamb with cumin powder is one of my favorites here since I am a huge fan of cumin seasoned dishes, though quite oily, you get a lot of lamb cooked and seasoned perfectly over a bed of lettuce.

Are you looking for an inexpensive place that serves Chinese food with some spicy flavors? This place is actually not a bad choice, especially if the temperature is below 18 degrees Celsius.
For some strange reason, I have been coming to place often for Chinese food in the 88 Food Court. It’s mainly because of the Xiang La Yang Rou Chuan that they have here. Yang Rou Chuan is a popular Chinese street food which are these lamb skewers doused with some spice. Here, it’s covered with cumin spices, and each stick is about $ 1.50. I really liked the tenderness and flavor, and they can serve as a great complement to any noodle dish they have here.
One noodle dish I had a few times is the Zha Jiang Mian, also known as the Beijing Style Noodle. This is a bowl of noodles with ground pork mixed with bean sprouts, sliced raw cucumbers and mixed with a soybean sauce. I really liked the flavor of the sauce, mixed with the cool cucumbers and the soft noodles. One bowl of these noodles should be enough for a decent meal for a grown man along with a couple skewers of Yang Rou Chuan. The Shandong Style Noodle they have here is a pretty good alternative with a great tomato gravy like flavor. Their Beef Noodle Soup dish, Niu Rou Mian, had a pretty strong spice, but it’s an excellent choice when the temperature is below 18 degrees Celsius. The broth had a nice richness.
Their Sichuan style dishes are also pretty good. I had the Sichuan Fish Fillet and their Ma Po Tofu, and they are pretty spicy but tasty dishes. The fish had a nice softness combined with the spiced flavor of the sauce. Mixing all these dishes with a lot of rice made these dishes some of the tastiest this place has to offer. If these two dishes with a lot of rice were shared with 3 people, it should be enough to feed them for a good meal. Make sure that you have some good beverages with your meal as well. All of the dishes should be under $ 10.
Overall, I think this restaurant can live up to its name, «One of the Kind», because I thought the flavors were fairly unique and shows that they can make some really spicy Chinese food. If I really want some spicy Chinese food at the 88 Food Court, I would most likely come to this place. If I am also tired of Cantonese Chinese food, I would also come to this place.

Cumin spiced lamb skewers are very good and authentic!

A Szechuan place that actually uses Szechuan peppercorns.

Decided to finally try this place today after seeing all the great reviews it received…
Very disappointed to say the least… just okay food in small portions at substantially higher than expected prices for a food court setting…
Had the pan fried dumplings, fish fillet in sichuan sauce, and mao’s pork… the pan fried dumplings were standard leek & pork dumplings but in a rectangular shape… very, very bland… had absolutely no taste and was actually partially burnt as well…
The popular fish fillet in sichuan sauce that everyone gets that is supposed to be spicy wasn’t even spicy at all! Out of all 3 things… this tasted the best, but really was nothing special… just standard compared to other places…
Lastly, I decided to try the Mao’s pork dish under their house specials… tried getting a description of what it was from the staff, but he had a hard time explaining it… the entrée turned out to be stewed pig’s feet, which was just okay… it really could’ve used some more ginger… my mom makes the dish all the time at home and def does it better…
All in all… there are def better options in the Super 88 food court than this one… i would stick w/​the korean, thai, or even the vietnamese sandwich/​fro yo stand… One of the Kind is way too expensive for the standard food it has in small portions in a food court type setting… honestly for the prices, you might as well go to any sit down Sichuan restaurant… def felt like i wasted a lot of money here

WOOHOO the best place in the Super 88 food court.
Things that are delicious here:
— Anything Szechuan – very spicy and flavorful (like water boiled beef and ma po tofu)
— Cumin spiced lamb skewers are THE BEST – so tender and juicy, very authentic
— If you need something not spicy, pot stickers and shredded pork with dried bean curd are pretty tasty here.
I would stick to ordering the Szechuanese food (anything with chilis in it) since that’s the specialty. For those people who wrote bad reviews about the xiao long bao (small soup dumplings): well DUH, this is not a soup dumpling place. That kind of food is Shanghai-​nese so it’s like ordering Southern fried chicken at a French restaurant and being disappointed.

I love Super 88 and am kicking myself for not eating here more often. We had their cumin lamb skewers and the dumplings and both were fantastic. The lamb was cooked just right and very well seasoned. The dumplings weren’t uniquely seasoned, but somehow the ingredients tasted incredibly fresh. I think I’ve found a new fave.

This place is located in the Super 88 center in Allston, and is the best Szechuan cuisine I’ve had in a long wine. It’s nothing fancy, as you have to sit in the somewhat dirty looking plastic chairs in the food court, but the food is mouthwatering.
I am addicted to the lamb skewers, spicy. They taste like my childhood in China where street vendors used to make them on the streets. Right amount of lamb and fat. Perfectly seasoned.
I’m also a huge fan of their water boiled fish, which btw, is NOT water boiled. It is extremely spicy, but delicious. It is a szechuan speciality, and they make it very well. The fish is tender and the spices are just right. The key is in the red peppers, which they cut by hand and use a ton (and do not resued!)
Also recommend the cumin lamb (larger portion version of the skewers), and the ma po tofu. All very well seasoned and made. If you’re in the mood for a simple meal, try the beef noodle soup. Same yummy spices, one hot bowl of noodle goodness.

First of all, the only thing I’ve eaten here so far is the ma poh tofu. Oh my god, it is the spiciest ma poh tofu I’ve ever had and it’s awesome! You can’t get this level of heat anywhere else in Boston. As another reviewer said, they’re not afraid to use lots of pepper in their dishes. The first time I had it, I was sweating because I didn’t want to waste it and also didn’t want to carry it home because I ride a scooter (and it would spill all over the place as soon as I hit the first pot hole…). Since then, I get a large order to go (and not in the combo because it’s served in a styrofoam container). The large is in a round plastic box with a good cover on it. It still spills a bit but not as much. Stupid Boston pot holes! :)
Anyway, if you’ve never had authentic ma poh tofu, this might be the only place you can find it in Boston. Just make sure you get a drink too.

I was pleased to experience this restaurant while I was living in the Boston area — during the handful of super cold days we had last winter, it warmed me up with good food and very friendly service. I loved their lamb with cumin and (I’m not sure how they write it on the menu) their water boiled fish. They aren’t afraid to use lots of Sichuan pepper in their dishes, despite how its numbing quality might freak out a few people who aren’t used to it. Definitely recommended.

After hearing rave reviews from friends about this place after it opened, I’m not that impressed. But, then I remember this is Boston, this is a food court place, and I adjust my ratings accordingly.
Why this place gets at at least 2 stars:
–Pleasantly surprised with the variety of offerings on the menu, especially the cold appetizers and the casserole hot pots. Lots of traditional, spicy Chinese food.
Why this place gets that third star:
–the cooks make most of the dishes on the spot (versus having the dishes pre-​prepared/​frozen and just warming them up like other ethnic «fast food» joints in a food court … *cough* dim sum chef *cough*).
Why this place gets no higher than 3 stars:
–With the exception of the noodle soups, portions for most of the dishes were on the smaller side. $ 6.99 for xiaolongbao seems $ 2 too steep when we’re talking about a food court place. Ditto with the $ 17.99 for a whole fish. These would be somewhat more reasonable prices if this was a nice, sit-​down restaurant like Jo Jo Taipei or something, but it’s not. You can’t charge that extra ambience premium when it’s cheap, plastic cafeteria chairs.
–In addition (and I know this is Boston, so standards have been lowered), our order of xiaolongbao was pretty bad. The skin’s thickness lacked consistently, and a third of our xiaolongbao had «bursted» while steaming. The filling itself was on the blander side and a bit too runny. After slurping up the broth, we couldn’t really find/​taste the pork.

After one or two months opening deal, the quality seems to be lowered a bit, the dishes are generally smaller than comarable chinese food restaurants, and takeout pack occasionally misses chopstick, napkins and other stuffs.
Yet overall it is a decent place to go and it makes original Chinese food.
I will add one star seeing an improvement.

I might be a little biased because I have an addiction to Xinjiang Lamb Chuanr, and this just so happens to be the only place in Boston I’ve come across that sells them. At $ 1.50 a piece, I can eat 10 of them without breaking bank and feel high as a kite. WARNING: Do not get them spicy unless you know wtf you’re doing. Also, they are fried, not grilled like the normal chuanr you see in Xinjiang. But honestly, who cares as long as I get my fix.
PS: Their other stuff are pretty good too, I’ve had their beef noodles and their cumin lamb. Another WARNING on the cumin lamb: Don’t order it if you can’t handle Ma-​La aka numbing spice. I was half crying, half laughing while eating it, because it hurt so good. Bit masochist I guess.
Shuang out.

After reading the review in the Boston Globe, we started our Saturday with lunch at One of the Kind.
We ordered juicy dumplings, the beef and scallions, meatballs and the szechuan whole fish. All of the food came out as it was ready, so although we ordered the juciy dumplings as an appetizer, they came out second. This was fine with us, as we took it as a sign that nothing was sitting around in the back under a heat lamp. In general, everything tasted rather authentically Chinese and delicious!
The juicy dumplings were definitely among the best I have tasted, although they were not amazing beyond belief. The beef and scallions were also the same — delicious and authentic. The beef was wonderfully tender, which is also great. The pork meatballs were served in a large bowl of broth. The meatballs themselves were similar to the filling of the juicy dumplings, but very good.
After getting nothing but dry and horrible rice at so many Chinese restaurants, I was prepared to forgo ever getting a decent bowl of such a staple outside of my own house. Surprisingly, One of the Kind actually has pretty good rice, and everyone at the table got a bowl.
Finally, what launched this place into 5-​star territory was the szechuan fish. It came in a sauce of oil, red peppers, ginger and garlic. That sauce was out of this world delicious, spicy and just a little bit sweet. The fish itself was properly cooked and easily flaked apart with our chopsticks. Only a little sadly, the eyes were already removed, so we could not eat them too.
It is worth noting that the atmosphere of the place is rather divey, and there is no table service. Its in a food court with many other indian and asian restaurants. Our bill for everything I listed above was ~$ 42 which includes the $ 17 whole fish.