Thanks. Wow, I can’t get over the twists and turns with Liang’s.
I was under the impression it was “personnel” matters. I think you’ll have to ask ipsedixit about that 
let’s not forget to mention that the post-franchise liang’s expanded to two other locations, both called cindy’s noodle land with the name inherited from the previous tenant in arcadia (on baldwin just south of huntington, and that name was used at a third location in focus plaza at del mar and valley - i’ve eaten at both and they both also use the post franchise liang’s kitchen menu. as a matter of fact, i had the liang pi at the arcadia location earlier today.
i ate alone, so i didn’t order more dishes, but i saw no evidence of a decline at this location.
That Liang Pi looks fantastic. I love that dish but have only had it at Shaaxi Gourmet (if memory serves? Or a similar name to that?) and at a place in Irvine I think called Rainbow… something.
That bowl in your picture looks better than either. You can’t taste a picture, I know, but still. I’d give that place a shot based on that picture alone.
As for Korean-Chinese, wasn’t there a place everyone was raving about about a year ago for its jajangmyeon and a couple other dishes? Anyone remember the place I’m talking about? I feel like it was called “best noodle” or something like that?
i believe that was best noodle house in rosemead - more a chong qing specialist, IIRC they do a jjm version that chowseeker raved about.
the korean version supposed to be more… restrained, if that’s an adjective you’d use with korean cuisine. i’m not a big fan, so i’m not the best person to ask about it.
as for the liang pi, not too many places offer it. until i see evidence of a decline myself, i’d still recommend liang’s but i haven’t been to the MP or focus plaza locations since last december.
Actually, that picture of liang pi looks like shit. Taste-wise, dunno. But it looks just awful.
In that particular photo, the noodles are mostly buried underneath the toppings, but you can see a bit of the wide rice noodles at the 3-4 o’clock positions. The noodles look look like thin-sliced ika sashimi.
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good thing i didn’t step in it
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Shaanxi liang pi refer to a noodle made by soaking wheat flour in water so as to isolate the starches, separating the starchy water from the proteins etc., steaming the starch water, and slicing the wobbly result into noodles. The noodles are closer to rice noodles than wheat noodles in texture, and less jellylike than Sichuan (mung) bean jello.
In the Bay Area, I’ve seen a few different preparations of Liang pi. The most common is like in the above pic, with a chili oil and vinegar dressing, chunks of wheat gluten (they look like spongy frozen tofu), and bean sprouts.
I’m not sure what @ipsedixit’s issue is with the pic. Looks good to me! (Except the sprouts, but that’s a personal preference)
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I wouldn’t read too much into it. They prolly had a surplus or procured a bunch of tofu by mistake and thought customers would appreciate a freebie. This comfort food is like Brazilians making feijoada at home on the weekends - toss whatever leftovers you want into the mix.
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It’s not tofu, it’s wheat gluten.
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That might be the worst liang pi I’ve seen in quite some time. Even for Westwood.
Shit looks like Zha Jiang Mian masquerading as liang pi. WTF.
what should it look like?
That picture from @secretasianman is more gan mian pi than liang pi. Besides the prolific use of wheat gluten, the noodles (or pi) are usually wheat, not rice.
The wheat gluten is standard in the Bay Area too. It sure seems in abundance in that photo above.
I’ve wondered whether the gluten is made separately or is the by-product of the liang pi— kind of like curds and whey. The gluten has been super fresh when I’ve had it, and more delicate than the kaufu (“wheat bran”, deep fried I think) at Shanghainese places (heh, these are horrible photos, but the dishes taste good. ETA: @ipsedixit, after seeing the delicious looking photos you posted, I understand your comments!)
Terra Cotta Warrior’s version (sesame sauce variety)
Wild Ginger in Alameda
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No. Just no.
That top one looks like the Qin West after I mixed it up. If that’s a crappy version I’m looking forward to trying a better one.
this site says: "As a popular street food in north-west regions of China, Liang Pi has numerous versions in terms of flour type (wheat or rice), preparation method and sauce. You could easily find two different types of Liang Pi in two neighbouring towns. "
not true?
True.
Not saying wheat versions of liang pi are bad, but just not de rigueur.