it’s been years, but basically you pay $5 (and probably more now) for about 1/4 cup of broth inside the dumpling (which you are not supposed to eat) which IIRC was also on the sweet side (which some shanghaiese like).
went last month.
it’s as good as it looks, though my camera (yes, a flip phone) may not do it justice. it’s not a large portion, but as someone on FTC likened it to eating pork belly, that texture goes a long way.
this was the consensus favorite dish, reminiscent of laoxi noodle house’s shanxi binary version of this dish, which is a sort of trinary mix of tomato/egg, fried pork, and a third ingredient we did not identify.
our server recommended this as a shaanxi specialty (after i told him i’d already tried most of the other shaanxi restaurants in LA and wanted to try dishes i’d not had before) which reportedly used an ingredient (vinegar, perhaps?) which we could not discern in the flavor profile. maybe all it did was keep it from seeming too salty.
i believe this was a basic cumin meat noodle dish, which was good but not remarkable.
someone insisted on pig ear. difficult to prepare poorly.
i recommend dishes #1 & 2 and maybe you’ll find the other dishes more remarkable.
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Embassy Kitchen’s new ownership has already opened a second branch in the old Jasmine House space on Main Street Alhambra. No exterior signage though. Menu says Embassy Kitchen but I thought business license said Embassy House.
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Wen Hui Noodles, apparently another Shaanxi style restaurant, replaces Xiangji Cuisine, which despite is name was the only restaurant around with a broad Guangzhou style menu, at 644 W. Garvey. This is the third pandemic era restaurant to open up at this location, so there are enough restauranteurs out there eager to start their own places.
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Yelper indicates 101 Noodle Express branch in Arcadia has reopened. That would indeed be a return from the dead.
apparently xiangji cuisine and their deep fried sweet & sour eggs relocated to rosemead just south of marshall north of the 10.
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thx to eater for the lead. Not a lot of banh cuon players in the 626 so this is nice. BCTH not my favorite but certainly better than what I have around me.
San Gabriel— Little Saigon’s beloved Banh Cuon Tay Ho now has a LA location. Whereas the Orange County shops provide full service and mom-and-pop charm, this newest outlet is takeout-only, slickly packaged, and Instagram-ready. The restaurant’s signature Vietnamese banh cuon (rice rolls) come filled with traditional pork and woodear mushrooms or Beyond meat. 529 East Valley Boulevard, Suite 118B, San Gabriel.
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Been waiting for this!
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Just went. Dank. Review forthcoming.
UPDATE: Review posted.
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A bang bang with Kang Kang SJB would be perfect!
I really wanted to like Noodle Art. But for me, the rough usage of vinegar was way over the top. I realize that it’s a thing in certain parts of China, so this is truly a subjective take…
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Thanks for this heads up as I don’t tolerate overly vinegared dishes. I used to love Shaanxi Gourmet’s cold skin noodles, but for some reason, by the time they were in Arcadia they were doubling or tripling the amount of vinegar, which threw the whole dish out of balance and overwhelmed the other flavors.
Did they “tip the can”, so to speak, for all the dishes you tried?
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Actually the full name of the new Wen Hui Noodles restaurant is Wen Hui Noodle Hours, which makes absolutely no sense to me. Perhaps they got the words “hours” and “house” confused. Great selection of hand pulled noodle dishes as well as Shaanxi favorites. Hope it lasts longer than the last 5 or 6 restaurants at 644 W Garvey in Monterey Park.
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shaanxi is located between sichuan & shanxi, which both have their own vinegar making traditions. shanxi vinegars are much more refined resembling balsamic vinegars where the sour aspect is much more delicate. so i’m assuming any sour profile in shaanxi cooking comes from the sichuan influence & would be reflected most in hanzhong regional cuisine (SW corner of shaanxi) vs. what you’d be most likely to find in xi’an. if i go back anytime soon, i’ll try to remember to ask for clarification.
I need that Mapo Tofu at Chengdu Impression.
Not too sour for many of the dishes, but as for “the main event” (AKA my bowl of noodles), yeah, too brusque a use of vinegar for my taste. It was as if a half-gallon was poured over the bowl just before bringing it out from the kitchen. There was no “seeping” of the sourness into the bowl or nuance - just a last-second deluge of acetic acid over an otherwise very good bowl of Chinese noodles.
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My visit in September would speak differently. Maybe the Sergio effect at work here (sub-Sergio on my visit)?
p.s. Big plate of chicken also better executed by Northern Cafe Monterey Park than Noodle Art, IMHO.
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your visit was a couple of months before mine. perhaps they toned it down due to feedback?
the plate of chicken at northern is very good. had it during one of my few 2021 excursions a couple of months ago.
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