China Station opens in Stony Brook

Barely a month old and already mobbed, China Station takes up residence right next door to another authentic Chinese restaurant in Stony Brook, Green Tea.

The newcomer is raucous, with patrons, many of them students at the nearby university, eating in and taking out. In the bustling open kitchen, woks sizzle, cauldrons bubble and a chef makes hand-pulled noodles (you can see him through the front window).

The large menu is focused on the gutsy cuisine of Northern China and includes almost two dozen boiled dumplings (such as pork and leek, pork and dill, and pork and cabbage) and almost three dozen hand-pulled noodle soups (among them, shredded pork, wonton and fish ball, beef tendon, lamb chop, honeycomb tripe).

(Yes, this is the second hand-pulled noodle restaurant to open on Long Island this year; it follows Splendid Noodle, also in Stony Brook, about 10 minutes south.)

In addition to noodles and dumplings, China Station serves buns, pancakes, pan-fried noodles, congee and cold dishes. Nothing is more than $10.

China Station is at 1015 Route 25A, Stony Brook, 631-751-6888.