Nü Kids on the Block

Posted on 01/03/19 in Greater Circle Business Alliance

University Circle Inc. recently sat down with Lindsey and Bowen, the co-owners of Nüjoy, Chinese Restaurant & Bar (11311 Euclid Avenue), which opened just a few months ago in Uptown! We talked about the business, their authentic menu and offerings, and what the public can expect when dining at one of Uptown's newest restaurants!


University Circle Inc.: Tell us the Nüjoy story!

Nüjoy, Lindsey: Myself and Bowen met when we were students at Case Western Reserve University, so we’re familiar with the area and knew that there was an opportunity to fill the void of authentic Chinese food. So, years after we graduated and got married, we wanted to start a business in Uptown! As with the space, specifically, we really lucked out in that Ninja City was the previous tenant – the aesthetic and vibe of the space is exactly what we wanted and what we were looking for, so we didn’t have to do too many changes to the interior.

Nüjoy, Bowen: As far as the name, Lindsey came up with that! The original thought for the name was ‘Nü Wa’, which is a sort-of Chinese god. We couldn’t license the name, though, so we kept 'Nü', and went with 'joy', because everyone likes happiness! The symbol we use in our logo (minus the kabob and the bao, haha), is a depiction of the god, who is said to bring happiness and a 'family-feeling'.

UCI: What’s it like owning a business near a college campus?

NJ, Lindsey: It’s great. Again, we’re very familiar with the student base of CWRU, so we know that there’s an abundance of students from abroad that are looking for what we’re offering – the really authentic Chinese food.
NJ, Bowen: Like she mentioned, being right next to CWRU, a lot of our returning customers are international Chinese students – we offer them food that they’re used to eating at home. A lot of what we offer can’t be found elsewhere in Cleveland, including most of our bubble teas. We’ve imported the cups we serve them in, the tea leaves, and many of the ingredients that make it really authentic.

UCI: Let’s push the map out a bit more and talk about your thoughts on owning a business in Uptown/University Circle?

NJ, Lindsey: It’s been great so far, but we think it’s definitely a transition. The CWRU students that are familiar with traditional Chinese food understand what we provide. That might not always be the case for the public, so it’s a learning curve for everyone. We’re learning how to present our menu to the public, who may be more accustomed to their local fast-Chinese restaurant, and it’s also an opportunity for those new customers to learn about really authentic Chinese food. We always, always, always want people to come in and try. A lot of what we serve isn’t too far off from what the public might be used to!
NJ, Bowen: For me, it’s a little different, because I’m from Cleveland, whereas Lindsey's move here from China was more recent. We moved here from China when I was younger, and I grew up in Solon. I love Cleveland, and really enjoyed going to CWRU. Since I’ve lived here for quite a while, and went to school at Case for a number of years, I knew that there was an opportunity for more authentic Chinese cuisine closer to Case’s campus, to cater to those students that might be missing a little bit of home. Not only that, I really love and believe in this cuisine, and want to show people that aren’t familiar with it, that it’s great food, for everyone to enjoy.

UCI: So, noting that the difference between Americanized Chinese food and the Nüjoy menu is quite different, what are some of the main differences customers would see between the two?

NJ, Lindsey: It varies – most of the time, in my opinion, those local restaurants are adapting to the local flavors and what their customers are looking for. They’re also trying to control costs – for instance, they pre-make their sauces (sweet & sour, for example) then, they can put anything into the sauce (meats, fish, etc). That’s not how we cook. For authentic Chinese, we don’t pre-make sauce. The timing of the sauce, how it’s made, and how it’s incorporated, is very important to the overall dish and its quality.

UCI: What’s your personal favorite menu item here?

NJ, Lindsey: I really love and stand behind all the menu items we have here, but my two favorites would have to be the beef noodle soup and the dumplings – simply because those are the two things I’d have every day when I lived in China. The dumplings are really special to me, because it’s something my family really enjoys, and we make and eat them every day when we’re together.

NJ, Bowen: My personal favorite would be any of the chili pots. They’re made with the ingredients from Szechuan, which is a provenance in China. I also really love our kebabs, and the way we season and fry them! Lastly, I have to agree with Lindsey – the beef noodle soup is one of my favorites, too. The difference between the beef noodle soup and the chili pots is the origin, though. Most of my favorites are from Szechuan, while the beef noodle soup is from Beijing, the capitol of China. Our beef noodle soup is especially authentic, because we bought the recipe from a large restaurant in Beijing, and went there to learn exactly how they make it. Being said, you’re guaranteed to enjoy something truly authentic to China when you eat here!

UCI: Wow! So you purchased a recipe from a reputably large restaurant in China, to bring that delicious dish here? Between that, and importing so many of your other ingredients, you really are serving authentic Chinese cuisine!

NJ, Bowen: We are – it really means a lot to us. Before I forget, we also went back to China to import a couple machines to manufacture our dumplings!

UCI: You really weren’t kidding when you said it was authentic! So, do you frequently run student specials for CWRU students?

NJ, Lindsey: We’ve been running some specials for the Case students – some have been successful, and some not, but we’re going to keep running monthly specials to see what our customers like!

UCI: Tell us what we can expect to see from Nüjoy in the future! Do you change or add to your menu frequently?

NJ, Lindsey: Sure – while we have a menu that stays pretty consistent, we’re always looking to improve and provide our customers with what they like. Being said, we usually always have a list of specials, or things we’re trying out, to see if we should add them as permanent menu items. We’re also looking to mirror some of the more popular menu items that people outside of the Chinese culture are familiar with, similar to the sweet & sour chicken, to make our menu a little more easy-to-navigate, for those that might not be familiar with our authentic cuisine. Of course, we still plan to make our dishes 100% authentic, but maybe just something more familiar to people that aren’t Chinese.

NJ, Bowen: To piggyback on that, we changed the menu a lot when we first started – testing menu items out to see what our customers liked and wanted to eat on a regular basis. Our kitchen is quite small, so we needed to see what our customers needed from us, to create a good flow that would work for everyone. Right now, we’ve got a really strong menu of diverse offerings, while offering those specials Lindsey mentioned, to keep evolving and improving.





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