fair questions.
We cook differently than the takeout place down the street, so people have questions. Here are the honest answers.
Is anything cooked before I order it?
No. At our The Bronx partner restaurant every plate is blanched the moment the order comes in — your vegetables go into the water right then, the protein is velveted to order, and the plate is assembled fresh. Nothing is pre-cooked and nothing sits in a warming tray.
So how long does it take?
A few minutes — longer than scooping something out of a tray, because your food is being cooked rather than reheated. Placing your order on Uber Eats ahead of peak lunch hour is the move.
Is there any oil at all?
Yes — a little, and we'd rather say so plainly. We add salt and a spoon of oil to the blanching water, which is how Chinese kitchens have always blanched greens: it seasons them and keeps them glossy. The difference from stir-frying isn't that oil is absent, it's that your food is cooking in water rather than sitting in fat and absorbing it. Nothing here is fried, battered, or finished in a pan of oil.
Is blanching actually healthier than stir-frying?
On fat, yes — a stir-fry cooks in oil and the food soaks it up, while a spoonful dispersed through a pot of blanching water barely lands on any one portion. Quick blanching also holds onto vegetable texture and water-soluble vitamins better than long cooking does. And because the sauce comes separately, you control the part of the meal where the sugar and sodium actually live.
How much food is in a plate?
Around 200g of vegetables and 150g of protein, plus your choice of base. Every plate is generously portioned by hand and blanched fresh to order so it's hearty and balanced.
So it's just boiled vegetables?
Blanching is a timer, not a pot you forget about. Snow peas come out in seconds, carrots take longer, and each one is pulled at its own moment so it stays crisp-tender instead of going soft. Then the flavor arrives in a sauce you pour yourself — that's the part people actually crave about takeout anyway.
Why is the sauce on the side?
Because sauce is where nearly all of the sugar and sodium in Chinese takeout lives. When it's cooked into the dish you have no say in how much you get. In a cup, you do — use all of it, half of it, or skip it.
Why up to 4 vegetables?
Up to 4 gives you great variety while ensuring generous ~50g portions of each vegetable without turning the plate into an overcrowded mash. You can choose from all 12 fresh options on the bar.
Can I get extra vegetables or a second protein?
Yes — extra protein and extra sauce are available as add-ons directly in your Uber Eats order.
Can I pick up my order in person at the Bronx partner restaurant?
Not right now. To ensure high-quality fulfillment and maintain the kitchen's blanched-to-order rhythm, CHOY in The Bronx is delivery-only via Uber Eats. In-store counter pickup and dine-in will open with our Manhattan storefront.
Is there a vegetarian option?
Right now our 5 proteins are all meat or seafood, so the fully plant-based build is an Extra Veg plate with up to 4 vegetables, or a rice/corn plate with up to 4 and no protein. Most sauces are vegetarian but a few are not, so check before you pick. We're working on a tofu option.
What about allergies?
Most allergens on our menu live in the sauces — gluten, soy, sesame, fish, and shellfish — and because sauce is served separately, asking for your plate without it genuinely removes them. Two caveats worth stating: the blanching water is seasoned with salt and a small amount of cooking oil, and shrimp is blanched in the same kitchen as everything else. Tell us your allergy when you order and we'll tell you honestly what we can and can't guarantee.
Why am I ordering from The Bronx?
Because that's where CHOY is actually being cooked today. We developed the whole menu inside a traditional Chinese restaurant that's been open in The Bronx for over 20 years — a real neighborhood fixture, not a ghost kitchen. While our Manhattan storefront is under construction, they're the ones cooking and packing your plate for delivery via Uber Eats.
When does the Manhattan shop open?
It's in build-out now. We haven't announced a date because we'd rather open late than open badly — when we have one, it'll be on the Locations page and our Instagram first.
Will the Manhattan shop work the same way?
Same menu, same water-based cooking, different service. The storefront is built around a different service model: vegetables blanched and chilled in small batches through the day, the whole bar in front of you, and your plate finished in a flash steamer in about 30 seconds. Same water-based cooking, far shorter wait. The The Bronx restaurant will keep cooking plates one at a time to order.
Do you have calorie and nutrition information?
Per-ingredient nutrition and allergen sheets are being finalized with our partner restaurant. We'd rather post numbers we've actually verified than estimates, so they'll go up on the menu page as soon as they're confirmed.