Excellent Chongqing Chicken, Noodles and Dumplings Arrive at Best Noodle House! [Review]

Make sure you don’t mix it up with throat mucous chicken. Very different dish. The sauce is… an acquired taste.

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well, that’s very interesting–and promising!

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Since TonyC doesn’t post here any longer, I hope he doesn’t mind me channelling him and saying, if it’s the owner, I strongly suggest getting to this place quickly or making as many visits as quickly as possible before it’s flipped to something else :wink:

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Thought the shredded potato appetizer and shredded potato with vinegar and chiles was great too. Chicken cubes felt like more batter than chicken, but good texture and not too greasy. Saliva chicken was the best dish by far. Congenial service. Can’t wait to go back and try more dishes.

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Thanks for the tip on the shredded potato appetizer; I was wondering about that, but we didn’t get a chance to order it last time. :slight_smile:

Glad you liked both Chicken dishes! :slight_smile:

Is this the place that used to be on Gold’s LA Weekly list?

Thanks for the great review and recs. Went today and had the Chongqing Mouth Water Chicken, Pig ears in chili oil and the Chongking Dan Dan Noodles. All of which were the best versions of each item I’ve ever had. Can’t wait to go back!

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Hi @Bob_Brooks,

Great to hear! :slight_smile: We can’t wait to go back either.

There is an unclear (to me) relationship between that Chung King (and it’s predecessor on Garfield) and this place, according to the older woman who was running the joint last Saturday.

Chung King was JGold’s favorite, but then the chef left for San Diego (c. 2009) and there was a bit of a downhill at the San Gabriel Chung King. The Monterey Park Chung King was sold yet continued on for a while with the same name, the San Gabriel location was sold, then the Artesia location (where they had set up), then a short-lived Arcadia branch…

I was told the chef from CK’s more noted period that went to San Diego had returned to China, but I have no idea what has happened since.

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The original Chung King on Garfield was excellent. Its reputation might have suffered in some quarters because after the original owners moved to the new location the people who bought the old one kept it going with the same name, same menu and even the same press clippings on the walls and tables. They weren’t bad either but they weren’t as good. We’d been going there (the original) since the early 2000s. The best of the new Sichuan places are better, probably, than thy were at their height, but I think people forget (and some may have come to L.A too late to know) how good the original Chung King was.

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I loved the original CK.
And whoever is cooking at this place knows what they are doing.

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I am sad I never made it to that original Chung King, but glad I got to try this place. It is a fairly pleasant place to eat indeed =)

My post and MyAnnoyingOpinions following post sum up the Chung King situation quite nicely. I didn’t mean for my post to be a diss, as I quite liked Chung King too, though it was by then the one on San Gabriel. Really though, while still good, it had declined and was living on past glories towards the latter part of its run. Yet, folks kept going there and overlooking better Sichuan options at the time.

Update:

Ended up visiting a friend in the area, and we stopped by for a visit.

We noticed the table next to us had a dish we’d never seen before, so we asked for a plate. Turns out they just added a new menu item / Appetizer:

Szechuan Pickled Vegetables:

This looked rather simple, but these were delicious Pickled Cabbage leaves, lightly spicy, with some numbing qualities from the Szechuan Peppercorns.

Cucumber Salad:

As refreshing as last time: Garlic, Sesame Oil and crisp Cucumbers.

Pig Ear with Chili Oil:

Their Housemade Chili Oil Marinade is as addictive as ever! Fragrant, light, with a subtle heat, and the Stewed Pig Ears (chilled then sliced) are wonderful. :slight_smile:

Cabbage & Pork Dumplings:

Listed simply as “Cabbage Dumplings” on the menu, these are fresh, handmade in-house Dumplings, with Marinated Ground Pork & Napa Cabbage. The Dumpling skin has a nice thick heft to them, with a toothsome quality. The Marinated Ground Pork and Napa Cabbage is OK. It’s not bad, but rather simple.

We like their Wonton with Spicy Sauce more (thinner skin, also made in-house) and the Szechuan Peppercorn Sauce is amazing in that dish! :slight_smile:

Youpo Noodles:

And the dish that continues to defy belief, their Youpo Noodles are still as delicious as ever! This seemingly simple concoction of amazing Handmade Noodles (thick like a Pappardelle Pasta), Green Onions, fresh-smashed Garlic, Chili Oil Vegetable Broth and Spice mixture when mixed together creates something that shouldn’t taste as awesome as it does! :open_mouth:

But it does. And it’s so tasty: Fragrant Garlic, lightly spicy with their nice blend of Chili Oil and other spices, Green Onions and that Vegetable Broth. It’s lightly tart and salty and delicious, with fantastic Handmade Noodles. :blush:

(Cash Only)

Best Noodle House
9329 Valley Blvd.
Rosemead, CA 91770
Tel: (626) 782-7432

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They are experimenting making a cumin lamb noodle dish using their you-po noodles (or their version of 裤带面). I hope it makes a permanent appearance on the menu.

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Wow! :slight_smile: Thanks for the info @ipsedixit. I hope we see it on the menu next time we’re there. Thanks.

I stopped in about 1 on Sat. to pick up an order of cold spicy chicken to go for the misses. It was great. Wish I grabbed some more stuff but I was already stuffed from Beijing Pie house.

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Stopped in yesterday around noon as the midpoint of a 3 SGV Chinese restaurant crawl. Easily the best of the three. Based upon prior recs here, got the youpo noodles, gele mountain chicken (good heat), cucumbers and one other dish. Great recommendations.

Hope they stay around because of the 3 places we visited, this was the least crowded.

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Great Valentine’s :heart: Dinner with friends last night. Take special note: the CHEF’S DAY OFF IS TUESDAY. None of the House Specials were available, but last trip those were less remarkable dishes.

Thanks for the tip on the pickled veggie. Excellent. Spicy wonton (pictured), peanuts and seaweed salad also good. Pig ear was cut a little thick.

Made for a very SPICY :hot_pepper: Valentine’s :heart: Dinner.

This place should be busier.

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