Northeast Chinese Restaurant II is one of my favorite local Chinese restaurants. All of my favs are northern Chinese. That means they can serve up some deliciously spicy dishes. But if you're looking for something milder, they're great at that, too. I think the large menu has been updated since my last visit. The first few pages include dishes that I would describe as "soul food." There's frog, beef tripe and pork intestine-- you get the picture. I never really got into that. On this visit, my friend and I picked Stir Fried Spicy Squid, Crispy Chicken with Crunchy Red Pepper and Bok Choy with Garlic. We were hungry. The veggies came out of the kitchen almost immediately. Crazy fast. We were grateful. The other two dishes took a bit more time. When you see all of the ingredients in those dishes and how finely sliced they are, it's no wonder. I loved the chicken dish. The chicken was a little crunchy but the red peppers were super crunchy. It was a bit spicy but deliciously so. I liked the peanuts and what looked like slivers of jalapeño peppers, too. The squid was also great. Here, I think they used more jalapeño peppers and spices. There was more heat to this dish but it was deceptive. The more I ate, the more I could gradually feel the burn. By the time we were full, I could feel my face starting to sweat a little. That was fun. The restaurant is clean and attractive with a remarkable amount of seating. The back portion is reserved for hot pots which I have yet to try there. The staff is friendly, helpful and bilingual. They will make suggestions if you'd like. This restaurant generally gets a bit noisy because it's where large Chinese families gather when they want to go on the town. That's a good thing. There's also a large screen tv that plays cooking shows. With so much going on, the customers seemed pretty happy. read more

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Been here a bunch of times now and they never disappoint. The review is really that simple. It's going to be really good every time. Order something spicy and get excited. Also get the ribs!!! read more

Amazingly clean dining area. Fairly well lit with a good feel. Portions were very large and the food tasted very good! Staff was quick and polite! Definitely recommend and will definitely be back!!! read more

Northeast Chinese Restaurant II - Vegetable fried rice, steamed vegetables, spicy Clams with Spicy Sc., Spicy Beef Noodle Soup - Szechuan Near Me - Albany, New York

Meh, at best. For Christmas Eve, I wanted to do something easy. I picked up some tenderloin steaks from the Market32, and thought I would just grab some fried rice from the Northeast Chinese Restaurant nearby. I ordered a large pork fried rice and fried wontons. Stupid Me: As I waited for my food, I began to read the reviews. Should have done that before ordering lol. Not just one, but several reviews claim finding roaches in the food, with photos. I was instantly grossed out about my choice. In my head, I was convinced that I too would find roaches in my food. The Good: I slowly dumped the rice into a large bowl, inspecting every bit of it for roaches. I did not find any LOL. The Bad: The fried rice was Meh at best. The only real flavor was SALT. The Ugly: The fried wontons were missing just one thing: Flavor. Like, there was absolutely none. You taste the grease they were fried in, and nothing else. read more

Over the years I have formed three opinions of Chinese food: I really like "American Chinese" food and don't look down on it; Chinese food usually doesn't survive well in plastic takeout containers; and there are very few "traditional" sit-down Chinese restaurants anymore. With that in mind, we rarely order take-out anymore because the sauces break and the fried coatings turn to mush in during their travel. I think if everyone went back to those white paper boxes with red lettering and wire handled it would improve things, but plastic is deemed an improvement. As such, when I do get Chinese food it is at a restaurant and I really want to enjoy the experience as much as the food. I want Asian artwork and music, attentive service, a relaxed atmosphere, AND good food. My favorite place has been take-out only for several years and I have been casting a net for a new favorite place. This might be it. We recently ordered takeout from here and while the food was okay, the interior of this place was really nice. They have been here for about 11 years, and a recent remodel has resulted in what I consider perfect: a nice quiet restaurant where tables aren't crammed together, pleasing wood carvings, soft Asian music, and the many people I talked to while I waited for my food were really friendly. YES! Our food was a mixed bag. My General Tso chicken was good but not very spicy. The sauce was pleasantly sweet and sour, the broccoli wasn't overcooked, and there was lots of chicken. But it got soggy in the car. My wife's sweet and sour chicken was also good and she really enjoyed the sauce, which wasn't the typical thick red good you get at buffets. The "House fried rice" didn't seem to have much flavor despite being loaded with proteins and veggies. Hmmm. And we both enjoyed the wonton soup. People love this place based on the reviews here, and I think it probably is very good. Had we eaten in the restaurant, the food would have been better. I hope to try it out in person soon. read more

Food is great. The place is clean. The only criticism is once the wait staff drops your food, they never come back to check on you.

Extremely disappointed -- the chicken and broccoli was overly salty and left me with no desire for a second bite.

This restaurant is located in a banal and seemingly empty strip mall, but don't let that fool you. The food is actually quite good and staff are friendly and attentive. I ordered the homemade dumplings with chives, and hot and sour soup-- both were delicious and authentic-tasting! read more

There aren't too many quality Chinese restaurants around in Albany, considering the predominantly Caucasian demographic, but this is one of them! Very good quality and value for the price. It's a casual home-style restaurant (compared to more upscale decor places like Ala Shanghai and Rain) with very friendly staff and quick services that serves mostly Northeastern and Szechuan dishes. They also offer hotpot, but I haven't tried it yet. They have the stamp of approval from my parents, which says a lot, and we frequently see Chinese exchange students eating here as well so you know it's authentic :) The menu is long with lots of mouthwatering photos, but my favorite dishes so far have been: Five color salad Green beans Eggplant with minced pork Mapo Tofu Spicy fish soup with mustard greens Salted egg yolk pumpkin Sweet and sour pork *Tip: paying in cash is 10% cheaper! read more

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Food was quite tasty. If you are into spicy you will be happy. Service was excellent the right blend of attention without being pushy.Restaurant is large and open, conversation was there but never too loud. We shall return! read more

We visited during an odd hour of the day so the restaurant was pretty empty. However, the attentive service and ample spacing between tables were appreciated in these times. While the beef dish lacked a bit of seasoning, everything else on the menu was delightful. The servings were generous, leaving us happily satisfied. The cleanliness of the place was commendable, adding to the overall pleasant dining experience. read more

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Ever since we first ate here in 2023, my family and I have made sure to stop here every time we travel upstate! We always get the deep fried pork tenderloin and the pork intestines with green peppers. The food tastes very authentic to northeastern Chinese cuisine, and we haven't found a dish we dislike. The service is friendly and attentive, and the food is always pretty quick to come out, with good portions for the price. The restaurant is clean and spacious and has hand sanitizer on the table. This is one of our favourite restaurants and we always love taking the guava candies at the front! read more

Delicious, authentic food, great service from staff, and well worth the trip from Glens Falls.

I've ordered takeout a couple times from here and found the food flavorless. The staff are quick to assist and the place looks nice but I won't be going back. read more

I'm really disappointed this time. The first time I went to Northeastern with my friends I really enjoyed it and would've rated for a 4-5 star. The food and service were great initially; thought I cannot say the same this time. I went prior to Chinese New Year with a couple of my friends hoping to eat out before the big day. Arrived at the restaurant and got seated at 5:15pm. Took our order around 5:20-25pm, and we waited like anyone else would. Please note that the restaurant was not busy at the moment. Around 30 minutes we asked about the wait on our food and the waiter said he'd check on it. Now it was 6:00 and we asked again, we were told "It's Chinese New Year so we're busy." This doesn't make sense since people that came AFTER us got their dishes before us (?). It wasn't just appetizers but, they were getting their main entrees. We left the restaurant hungry and disappointed. This is absolutely ridiculous. Over an hour wait for 4 dishes (water spinach, bbq cumin lamb, pan fried dumplings, and spicy beef noodle soup) and we were waiting patiently. read more

Tried the spicy tofu this time- really not good. Stick with a dry pot version. And they should get rid of the bugs flying around- pretty annoying. read more

Northeast Chinese Restaurant II - Spicy tofu- way too greasy. Bad texture. Tofu should be made crispy first then add sauce. This tastes like boiled in oil. - Szechuan Near Me - Albany, New York

If you want authentic Chinese food this is the place for you. Their food is fresh with flavors that are on point. The menu is huge but there are so many great options. My younger son loves the egg with chives and my oldest is a fan of the chicken with peppers. Their dumplings are house made and bursting with flavor. Their hot pot is really the jewel in their crown. The broth is mild to allow for the flavors of whatever you add to it. There are many options to try and it's all you can eat!!! A great value considering the incredible items you can add. The staff is wonderful. We asked questions and they were honest and very helpful. We've returned a few times and the food is on point every time! Check them out! read more

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Passing by Albany, yelped this traditional Chinese restaurant, wonderful surprise, recommended if you in the area. read more

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It's 3.5 star / B for the food here. Friendliness of the waiters: 4/5 The wait staffs are friendly but could have been more attentive to check how the food went, refill tea or iced water or napkins, etc Taste of the food we have ordered: 1) hot and sour soup 3/5 Ingredients were all there, slice of tofu, bamboo shoots, egg drop, wood ear mushrooms!! But the taste wasn't balanced. Too heavy on the vinegar side and too much white pepper in it!!! Kind of unbearably spicy! 2) stir fry water spinach with garlic 5/5 Totally devoured the whole dish!!! Great garlic flavor and veggie was still crunchy and green!!! Well done! Soooo delicious! 3) boiled beef cooked in chilli oil 5/5 Super flavorful! Lots of chunky sliced beef, bean sprouts, wood ear mushrooms and some corn, dried chilli in the dish! Beef is tender! Deliciously spicy! 4) salt and pepper squid 1/5 Didn't expect the squid would be soooo rubbery chewy! As the dish arrived, I already knew it wasn't right. I was expecting the salt and pepper squid to be deep fried and crispy like calamari. But no.... They were not chewable... sooo hard and rubbery. So I went up to the front desk and ask for the clarification what the dish supposed to be. Apparently they say when u order this dish ... u have to specify the "crispy kind"! The waitstaff was very nice about it but I mean I didn't even know ... the menu could have been more clear about the difference. As for a first timer to the restaurant, I wouldn't have known this. So that was a waste of money and food . Didn't enjoy the salt and pepper squid at all. Ambiance: 4/5 Causal dining/ lots of four seaters and big round tables/ super spacious. Clean overall! Service: 4/5 Fast and reliable. The food was piping hot when they arrived! read more

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Excellent food and really polite service. Kinda low on ambience but the food is the real deal

Came to this Albany Chinese restaurant. It was pretty authentic. Came around lunch time so not crowded but the other patrons were all Chinese. We ordered the Szechuan roasted whole fish in spicy sauce. The whole thing can serve as a meal- it had tofu, tree ears, potatoes, various vegetables as well as other ingredients. The dis was not too spicy but had a kick. It was as the Szechuan dishes run MaLa. The peppercorns were fragrant and numbing. That was my favorite part. The fish was flaky and meaty. Had to take the leftovers home. We also ordered another "meat" dish of cumin lamb. Then we ordered the water spinach stir-fried with garlic and the eggplant with minced pork. The eggplant was melting-in-your-mouth yummy. The service was prompt and friendly. I loved the space apart tables and the booths. I have to go back and try other dishes. read more

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This is a genuine Chinese restaurant. No Moo Goo Gai Pan or Chop Suey here! The menu is illustrated to help those of us who might be unfamiliar with all these authentic dishes. So many exotic (for Americans) ingredients to try! But have no fear, there are plenty of items on the menu with ingredients that will be familiar to most Americans so you can enjoy an authentic experience without having to venture too far outside your comfort zone on your first visit. The service was very good and the food was excellent. Sadly for us we were in town for a short period of time so we could only eat here once. But, we are regular visitors to the Albany area and we have definitely added this place to our list of "must visit" restaurants. read more

I did not like this restaurant at all. Food was too oily, all the dishes tasted like the chefs reuse the same cooking sauce... even the wonton soup I ordered didn't meet any of my expectations. Too doughy, and the pork filling tasted like the meat was several days old. Unfortunately, I would not recommend Northeast Chinese Bistro, even though the restaurant seems to be one of the few authentic Chinese places in Albany. read more

First time visiting this place. We moved from Cohoes to Albany recently and have been looking for a regular Chinese takeout place. Incredibly, it seems like we're spoiled for great choices in Albany and Colonie, and this is another one. Seems like this place specializes in Szechuan style, and some of the photos of dishes labeled "spicy" looked piled with peppers, so I stayed away from anything that looked too intimidating. We went with double cooked pork belly, fried tofu with spicy sauce, and Singapore rice noodles. Well the spicy tofu was a fine spicy level for me, and I'm Irish. I got the unmistakable tingles of Szechuan peppers. I might go for something spicier next time. The Singapore noodles reek of umami and I'm looking forward to the leftovers. And I loved the pork, but the only problem was the value proposition. The pork was the most expensive dish, but there was the least of it. read more

Northeast Chinese Restaurant II - Double cooked pork belly, fried tofu with spicy sauce, and Singapore rice noodles - Szechuan Near Me - Albany, New York

They're back with takeout, using a simple safety procedure that works well. Call when you arrive and they'll come to the door with a menu and take your order, then you can shop at Hannaford for the 15 minutes required to prepare it. DON'T order online with Yelp; not all items are included on that menu plus they probably have to pay a commission. If you have an old takeout menu you can order on the phone but be aware most items have gone up a buck, not surprising in these times of higher costs and lower sales for restaurants. I'm just glad they are there. Also, they were running a FABULOUS special: jajamien aka da da mien or DDM aka Szechuan noodles with bean sauce. I've had this dish many times and NE Chinese was the best ever. Big wads of dobujiang bean sauce, Szechuan peppercorns, lot of heat! Ask if it's available and get it if you can. read more

WHEN: Sunday @ 6pm If you're craving Szechuan/ northern Chinese food, this is the only spot in Albany that serves it authentically!!!! We're visiting family in the capital region, and we're craving spicy Szechuan food. Never doubt this is the best restaurant there is in the area. We've dined in several Szechuan restaurants in the Bay Area CA and Los Angeles in the past, we couldn't find any good szechuan spots quite like this one. Every time we come back to visit, we always have to stop in for Szechuan craving fix. Servers are friendly and welcoming. It wasn't busy on a Sunday evening, there were only 6 other parties dining there. We sat at the booth closest to the VIP room in the back. I'm assuming there's a karaoke in that room. WHAT WE ORDERED Spicy Dan Dan noodles Dan Dan noodles was spicy. Typically there are different variations of Dan Dan noodles, this northern style was holy spicy AF! Get ready to drink plenty of ice water or soda to down the spice. Lol. Szechuan spice fish It was absolutely delicious Szechuan food. Clearly can taste the hot pepper spiciness in the spicy fish that had a variety of veggies. I love the mushroom fungus, bean sprouts veggies that comes with the fish. We always had a difficult time finding this exact dish out in California. Eggplant minced pork It was so soft and tasty!! Very accommodating to ppl who can't chew hard foods. I love the stir fry spice. Chewchow fried rice The entrees didn't come with white rice, so we ordered chewchow fried rice to go with the entrees. So worth it, it became my sisters fav fried rice dish! Pan fried dumplings (8) It has thicken dumpling dough wrapped in meat fillings. A lil northern Chinese twist on typical dumpling wrappers. This one was a dough similar to scallion pancakes texture. It has a bit of chew to it. The total came out to be around $80 for 5 dishes. It was worth it for this much food to feed 4ppl. Will be returning next time. read more

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Authentic and delicious. Just discovered this place which was recommended by a colleague who lived in China. It's my new go-to even though it's an hour away. Celery and cashews - so good. My new favorite. Spicy tofu - delicious. Dry tofu and peppers was amazing as well as Kung pao tofu. Had to wait a while for the check and never got a water refill but I think it was the staff's lunch break time. read more

Decent environment and sittings, with authentic northeast Chinese cuisine. read more

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Hot pot! Individual hot pot. I came with a group of friends to try out hot pot for the first time. I guess I made a mistake since I was unaware they were individual hot pots. And they were pricy. The restaurant itself is unimpressive, and was empty while we were here. I know from friends that they do great meals here, and I'm going to have to come back to try one. The back area is where the hot pot tables are so we were set up back there. We had seven in our group so we had to split to two separate tables, the max is 6 per table. We started our night with bottles of warm beer served with a glass of ice ... what? That was very odd and obviously not very good. We waited for quite a while for them to finally take our hot pot orders. Everyone ordered a hot pot. The choice was plain, spicy or both. I went with both. Caution - the spicy was VERY spicy. The price was $27 per person for a bowl of broth and unlimited accoutrement. The price was too high for what it was. It was enjoyable though. They set up a small buffet with veggies and some seafood. We ordered beef, pork, lamb and noodles. It was fun to dip and try all different things. Different sauces, mix and matching flavors. It was good, and an experience, but I wouldn't get it again here. It was just too expensive for what it essentially was, soup. If I return I would opt for an entree. read more

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If you order a double portion, it's Northfeast Chinese. If you go here for dinner with the devil (aka my Barbie) like I do, it's Northbeast Chinese. And if it's your least fave Chinese in Albany, then it's Northleast Chinese. But for me personally, it's my fave, or one of my faves, along with perhaps Taiwan Noodle. Not to be confused with the Southwest Korean Cafe. It's pretty damn good Chinese food and I enjoyed the Chongqing Spicy Chicken a lot. It's not too cheap though. And of course if it were on the West Coast, it'd be the Not-east Chinese Restaurant. This was the first of my two spectacular meals at authentic Chinese restaurants in Albany - both of which came as a complete surprise. So I was here at Northeast Chinese restaurant number 2 as it's known by some. They have a very extensive menu with all kinds of delights from the Szechuan region and other Chinese goodies, but very few items on the menu. I was thinking about the lamb cumin, but the server guy - who I couldn't really tell if he liked me very much and I'm not sure that he did - but he was cool enough and he directed me towards the spicy pepper chicken which is known as Chongqing Chicken at a lot of other restaurants. He told me if I wanted something spicy get that, so I gave it a go and it was extremely expensive - as the lamb would have been. But Lamb Cumin always is, and this chicken dish not so much. It's not often that I pay over $17 for this dish and there are some places where it pay under $10 for the same dish. However despite the extremely high price there are also extremely high taste levels and spice levels and quantity and satisfaction. This is one of the better versions of this dish that I've ever had. And they also get extra cool points for legitimately genuinely making possibly the spiciest Chinese dish I've ever had. I love spice and I've had a lot of very spicy dishes but I've never had one which blew my head off to the extent where I could only eat half of it at a time, like this did. Now if this were NYC or Houston I'd give 4 stars because of it being overpriced, but in Albany there's not much decent authentic ethnic food, and this is excellent quality especially for Albany, so it has to get 5. Yes, there is a complete overload of Sichuan spices - especially the little numbing peppercorns - and if you like them this will absolutely blow your mind. In most restaurants we go to Barbie asks for extra numbing spices and it still doesn't come out even half as spicy as this, often not even a quarter as spicy as this. She's going to love it when I bring her here. So in conclusion this was definitely $17 and change well spent as the meal was thoroughly spectacular, and I will be trying their Cumin Lamb and other dishes on the next trip to Albany. Who knew that Albany had good Chinese food? Well I do now. And if you get a nasty feeling down below while eating here, that's just a Northyeast infection. read more

Northeast Chinese Restaurant II - Coming here is all a blur - Szechuan Near Me - Albany, New York

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Probably the best Chinese food in Albany. Some of my favorites include egg tofu, string beans, and singapore noodles. Service is also fast and staff are friendly! read more

Really good! Food was nice Yummy Always A Pleasant Experience @ Northeast Chinese!Quality food & Service within a Pleasant Environment!!! read more

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I tried the restaurant for the first time tonight and I will definitely be back! The service was fast and staff were very friendly! The food is tasty and the portions were not skimpy! Tonight I ordered takeout but I enjoyed the ambience of the restaurant while I waited for my order. The restaurant is clean and very spacious. I plan go back to dine-in sometime soon. read more

Just found out about this restaurant a while ago and everything on there menu is delicious. My favorite would be the Japanese braised tofu and the sweet and sour pork. In groups we like to order a soup and share. The service is excellent and the vibe is great. It is relaxing to eat here because the food is good and the atmosphere is peaceful. On of my new favorite spots read more

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Plenty of seating and good service. Wish they put bbq back on menu soon. Foods are all pretty authentic, just the rib dish was a bit under seasoned last time. read more

Northeast Chinese Restaurant II - Szechuan Near Me - Albany, New York

Better than average Chinese for the area but the prices reflect it. The lunch special was around $10 and came packed with more white rice (fried rice was $2 more) than anything else and no extras like soup, egg roll, or soda. I got chicken and broccoli. The meat was a little sparse and more heavy on the broccoli but at least the broccoli was cooked perfectly. The sauce was rich and flavorful but a little on the salty side. They told me about 20-25 mins and when I got there my order was ready and waiting for me. read more

Excellent restaurant in Albany! We are a long drive from upstate but we make a point to stop by and enjoy the food at Northeast II whenever we're in the area. They have a well-run, friendly and spacious establishment in an outdoor mall and prepare a variety of Chinese dishes very well. Try the steamed dumplings, the salt and pepper spare ribs, the lamb and especially the casseroles (the beef stew with turnips is amazing)!- all are delicious. Well worth the prices, which are reasonable for this quality of cooking. Will be back as often as we can. Highly recommended! read more

I've been to this restaurant multiple times, but most recently ordered take-out. The location is a casual, family-style Chinese restaurant with plenty of seating. Though it's listed as a Szechuan place on Yelp (and it certainly does have Szechuan dishes), we more regularly order Northeastern dishes. Some of our favorite dishes include the Japanese style tofu, the chow fun, mapo tofu, eggplant dishes, and spicy fish soup with mustard greens. Really though, there hasn't been a dish we've ordered here that we haven't liked and the menu encompasses essentially all of the staples you'd expect of a Chinese place and more. The service is always excellent, and the taking the food out seemed to be just as good as eating in. We were told that there are a couple alternating chefs and as a result things might taste a little different each time you visit depending on who's cooking. Regardless, we keep coming back for more and think it's one of the best Chinese places you'll find in the Albany area. PS: pay in cash for a discount! read more

Northeast Chinese Restaurant II - Szechuan Near Me - Albany, New York

I got the beef and broccoli for takeout and it was way too oily. The dumplings were okay though.

Crispy shrimp with crunchy red pepper. If shrimp aren't your thing, a very similar dish can be made with chicken. But the shrimp version of this dish is so spectacular, I'm tempted to give Northeast Chinese five stars on the merits of that one plate alone. Some people might fall in love with this strip mall Szchuan place on first sight. And maybe years ago, I would have too. But the Capital Region has been lucky in the past few years to have increasingly good regional Chinese options. Whether this place or the slightly more polished Szechuan place across town is better, is immaterial. There is enough room in my heart for each of them. That said, it is important to know that Northeast Chinese is a bit rough around the edges. I can't tell if the physical space itself is dirty, or if it's just dark, dim, and old. However, there is nothing dark, dim, or old about the food. The food is about as vibrant as it comes. If you are with a crowd, get the boiled sliced fish filet in hot pepper. It's huge. And if you've never experienced the numbing sensation Szechuan peppercorns can delivery, you should try the hand peeled round cabbage with pork belly. Man, I love having a little bit of that on the side just to torment my tongue a tad. Even tried and true dishes like sauteed string beans with minced pork take on new life with a different flavor profile at Northeast Chinese. The staff is very friendly and are happy to translate the Chinese language special boards. My recommendation is to find a group of adventurous eaters and try as much of the menu as you can. Then let me know if you've made any amazing discoveries. Because when I return it's going to be tempting to simply order my favorites, but I would like to continue to branch out. Although one of those crunchy red pepper dishes will always make it onto my table. read more

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