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

I must admit that I was a bit taken aback at how, er, FORTHCOMING you were about her hormonal status… :wink:

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I think it’s a fact of life. She hasn’t been shy about it. And she’s been a real trooper dealing with the changes.

Pointe Reyes/Tomales Bay in the summer can be relatively frigid (to Angelenos) from sunset to sun up. We were driving along the bay heading into town for breakfast just after the sun started to rise. It must have been around 50 degrees out - and the car windows were down and the a/c was going. I knew what was going on and really couldn’t’ complain. The kids and I did ribbed her about it and still do. It’s all in fun. But women have a tough row to hoe - we guys have it relatively easy - really easy.

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Tried to order the cumin lamb youpo at Best Noodle House tonight, but the young server had no idea what I was talking about even though I tried showing him @ipsedixit 's i post above.

I was, however, able to get the youpo ordered with some minced pork, but only after showing @blimpbinge 's photo.

Ipse, could you help us out with a little more info RE this cumin lamb-youpo dish? Maybe some Chinese to pull up on my phone and point to? Thanks!

Reread my original post. Excerpted below

Yes, I showed the young waiter your post, and he didn’t seem to understand any better than when I said “cumin lamb.” Certainly didn’t help me when Google Translate delivered “Trousers” as the translation for your characters, either :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

I tried! I guess I’ll have to go back with someone who’s tongue is as Chinese as my stomach…

I’m not ipse, but so long as he doesm’t mind a lao wai giving advice, you could alternately say: “Yang rou” (yong row) while pointing to the noodles.

It’s not much, but I once picked up a mixed order of pies at Beijing Pie House, delivering then to my brother. He said: “Great how am I supposed to tell which are the lamb?” I took a quick look at what was written on the foil and pointed out which were the lamb :slight_smile:

You were asking them to make something that’s not on the menu. Why would they oblige?

I finally managed to stop in and was told the owner and chef was from Chung King. Or mrore precisely, Chongqing, the city, not the restaurant formerly of Monterey Park, San Gabriel, Artesia and Arcadia.

No, I actually was asking if it was something they were still trying out and if it could be possible, but the waiter had no idea what I was talking about, and I could tell the language barrier was playing a factor.

As to why I might have the audacity to even inquire, well, your own post, for one, and secondly, for the same reason I was successfully able to get minced pork on my youpo noodle this time like @blimpbinge was able to previously: they’re clearly a lot friendlier and more accommodating than you are! Yikes!

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Hi @JThur01,

Actually when we went on our… 2nd visit I think, our friend who spoke Mandarin was chatting with the owner, who said she did have a restaurant in Arcadia, Monterey Park and Artesia. And they were from Chongqing the city as well. :slight_smile:

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Thanks Chowseeker, I guess it fell somewhere between my Chinese and their English, even though I did ask about previous restaurant(s) and Monterey Park :slight_smile:

Update 2:

We were craving Best Noodle House again, so it was time for another visit. :slight_smile: (7th and 8th visits.)

New menu items have appeared! :slight_smile:

We started with some old favorites and some dishes we hadn’t tried before.

Cucumber Salad:

Still a nice balance of Garlic, Sesame Oil and fresh Cucumbers. Crisp, yet softened enough from the quick pickling. Refreshing. :slight_smile:

Quick Fried Cabbage:

LOL, their English translated menu names need to be spiced up I think, as “Quick Fried Cabbage” sounds a bit too simple / boring perhaps? :sweat_smile: Either way, this was a pleasant surprise: When our veteran posters talked about “Wok Hei” on our old board, I think they meant this. Utilizing super high heat, Cabbage is wok-fried and quickly softened and completely cooked through. There’s this fantastic, pure taste that is simply delicious! :slight_smile: The addition of Garlic and Chili Peppers gives it a nice fragrant and lightly spicy edge.

Fish with Spicy Sauce:

Another rather simply-named dish in English, our friend who speaks Mandarin says the more ideal translation is “Fragrant Spicy Fish,” but either way, this was an interesting item we hadn’t tried before. Grey Sole Fillet are battered and deep-fried, and then they wok-fry the Fried Grey Sole Fillet pieces, with Chinese Celery and Dried Red Chilies.

The flavors are interesting, it’s more of an immediate heat that hits you, and the Celery and Dried Chilies give it a nice aromatic aspect. The downside is that the Deep Fried Grey Sole pieces lose their crispiness being wok-fried with the other ingredients, so it felt a bit soft in parts.

Fish Fillet with Szechuan Pepper:

I think it was @paranoidgarliclover who might’ve been asking about the other type of “Water Boiled Fish” (the non-red inferno version ;)), and we like the one from Szechuan Impression, but it turns out Best Noodle House makes a version as well. :slight_smile:

They use Grey Sole Fillet for this dish as well, lightly cooked through, still tender, and bathed in this surprisingly light broth. The Szechuan Peppercorns are in full effect here, giving you a numbing “spicy” feeling in each bite and sip, while the fresh Jalapeno Chilies add a more common type of heat. This was quite good! :slight_smile:

Cold Steamed Chicken with Hot Sauce (Chongqing “Mouth Water Chicken”):

It had been too long! One of our favorites, it didn’t let us down: The Sauce on this Cold Steamed Chicken with Hot Sauce is as beguiling, enticing and stunning as ever! It’s not as insanely hot as it looks (that deep, crimson, inferno hell red color is startling, but thankfully it’s nowhere near as hot as it looks :sweat_smile:).

There’s a real layering of multiple types of spices, some mashed Peanuts give it a nuttiness, the Green Onions, there’s even a subtle tinge of sweetness to round out the flavors. Thanks again @ipsedixit, it is indeed the best Mouth Water Chicken we’ve ever had! :blush:

Seaweed Salad:

On another visit, we started with their Seaweed Salad, served chilled and with just enough Garlic and a bit of heat from the Dried Red Chilies.

(New) Fire Noodle:

The first of the new items added on the menu, it’s actually only posted on the wall for now (until they print new menus). According to the owner (translated from our friend who speaks Mandarin), this is a popular dish in Szechuan right now, and they’ve made their version and brought it to the States. :slight_smile:

The name worried me - Fire Noodle - but thankfully this wasn’t that spicy. It’s a Non-Soup Noodle dish, so it’s Dry Noodles (still moist of course), with Marinated Ground Pork, Green Onions, Peanuts and a special Spice Mixture that is different from their Dan Dan Noodles and their Chungking Noodles.

Make sure to mix it well:

The result is a medium-spicy Noodle dish that’s almost like a Dan Dan Noodle, but less complex. It’s pretty good, and is more meaty, direct spicy with a slight burn than the Chungking or Dan Dan Noodles. We like their Dan Dan Noodles more though (that’s hard to beat!). :slight_smile:

Wonton with Spicy Sauce (“Chaoshou”):

Their Wontons in Spicy Sauce are another one of our favorites and they were fantastic again! :blush: The Handmade Wontons are soft, filled with a Marinated Ground Pork mixture, but it’s the amazing numbing Szechuan Peppercorn Sauce that makes this shine! Different from the Mouth Water Chicken, and different from their Dan Dan Noodles (and Water Boiled Fish), it’s pretty amazing that Best Noodle House can establish and maintain so many distinct, standout spicy flavor profiles. They are all unique.

This was even better than Szechuan Impressions’ version. A must order! :heart:

(New) Chicken Soup Rice with Peas:

Yet another rather simple-sounding English-translated name, but the owner said that this is the other really popular dish in Szechuan right now. She said families, young people, older people order this dish because it’s not spicy, but also for it’s light, pure flavors. She described multiple eateries where they serve this and around 20+ small dishes (pickles, pig ears, tripe, etc.) and people just eat a bit of those small plates and enjoy this Rice Soup as the base.

Taking a sip… WOW! It’s a really delicious Housemade Chicken Broth, really crave-worthy in its poultry flavors. It’s deeply Chicken-y, and the Bawan Peas add a slight thickening to the Broth, making it almost like a light Stew. :slight_smile:

But then there’s the Rice and Broth together. It’s really like a “Szechuan Congee” but thinner. There are bits of fresh Poached Chicken, and it’s just so warming and satisfying :blush: (plus it’s a rare non-spicy dish in a restaurant with most of their items being spicy).

We’d order this again for sure.

There are so many interesting, standout dishes at Best Noodle House, from the Cold Steamed Chicken with Hot Sauce (Mouth Water Chicken), to the outstanding Dan Dan Noodles, and Wontons with Spicy Sauce, Gele Mountain Style Fried Chicken Cubes and of course their Youpo Noodles! :slight_smile:

Add to that a new favorite, their Chicken Soup Rice with Peas, and we can’t wait to go back to this friendly, hole-in-the-wall Chongqing specialist.

(Cash Only)

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

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Hi @Srsly,

Sorry I just realized I never replied to your question. :sweat_smile: I have no idea if there’s a connection to the dish at Xi An Tasty, but it does look kind of similar. I might have to try it the next time we’re in the area. Thanks. :slight_smile:

Is the chicken a cold or hot dish?

The Mouth Water Chicken? That one is cold / chilled, but quite good as is.

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No, it’s not.

Best Noodle House serves Youpo noodles (or /油泼面), whereas Xi An Tasty makes a Halal version of Youpo Noodles more commonly called biang biang noodles, which is more properly a Shaanxi specialty.

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My god that looks amazing. All of it.

Semi-related, has anyone been to this 4.5* Corner Beef Noodle House below it?

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Just a few of us.

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Ooooooooh this place. Thanks for the refresher. I should get reacquainted with the search feature.

Thanks for the clarification @ipsedixit. :slight_smile:

@Ns1, I think you might like Best Noodle House; give it a try the next time you’re in the SGV. :wink:

Oh, and it’s only a few minutes away from HP Pho Ga Bac Ninh and that awesome Chicken Pho they have there! :grin:

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