In Search of Chinese Beef Noodle Soup - Bull Demon King, Dai Ho, Popcorn Chicken and Corner Beef Noodle House!

I wonder if it’s any relation to a dish I’ve seen now in a couple of ramen places up here in BC, Maze Soba, which seems not to be soba (buckwheat noodles), but ramen noodles with a miso/pork topping and a raw egg yolk.

@Chowseeker1999 try Mian in sgv. They have a really tasty bowl of Zha jiang mian, i believe it’s owned by the guy who owns Szechuan impression. They mostly focus on noodle dishes and dumplings. Also try the red chili oil wontons while you’re there.

If you’re looking for the Korean version jja jjung myun try young king or lees noodles in ktown.

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I swear, I just give up. Tree falling in the forest :cry:

To give credit where it’s due, TonyC mentioned the Henan chef and menu switch, which led me to write about it.

Is your friend sure it said 炸酱面 ? Because I see nothing on the menu in Chinese that’s called that …

and we all jumped on the bandwagon.

liang’s has actually become one of my favorites.

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I’m pretty sure (but not 100% sure) that it’s menu item 6 which @Chowseeker1999 is referring to which means zha jiang mian (see picture). Menu

The traditional characters for zzm are 炸醬麵 where the characters for yours are simplified 炸酱面 specifically the last two words. Meaning the owners of corner beef noodle house are probably taiwanese or possibly, but less likely, cantonese.

I thought they spoke mandarin in both Taiwan and the P.R.

Hi @ipsedixit,

Thanks. I just got an email back from my friend for menu pics, I think it’s this image of the menu that refers to it?

Maybe it’s a new addition to the menu?

Thanks!

Hi @lectroid,

Interesting. Although ramen noodles might be more of an untraditional usage for a zha jiang mian. How was the taste of that dish?

Sorry my bad.

I was looking at another restaurant’s menu. Major brain fart on my part.

But back to the Minced Pork noodle at Corner Beef Noodle. I really enjoyed their XO Sauce Noodles.

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Both Taiwan and China speak mandarin but they write it differently and to some degree speak it differently.

Taiwan they still use traditional writing while in China they use simplified chinese. For example “horse” in traditional is written as 馬 while it is written as 马 in simplified. That’s why if you see traditional characters in menus it’s probably a Taiwanese or Cantonese restaurant as they both still write traditional characters.

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http://www.laweekly.com/restaurants/1987-beedle-house-in-walnut-serves-chinese-soup-and-sandwiches-8224164

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Nice article you wrote @chandavkl. :slight_smile: Thanks for the info.

Sounds delicious. Although the pics show a clear type broth… is this like China Tasty (serving Lanzhou-style Beef Noodle Soup)? Or would you say it’s more akin to a lighter, cleaner version of Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup? (Soy Sauce based)

As ipsedixit indicated below, it’s a clear Tianjin style broth.

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Delicious! It’s like a soupless ramen, so really nice for warmer weather where you don’t want a big steaming bowl of soup, and a little lighter, since you’re probably not drinking a 1/4 cup of pork fat… I was neglectful and didn’t take a pictures, but I did find this entry:
Mazesoba

and it’s definitely the same thing I’ve eaten. It’s a neat variation, like tsukemen and other semi-deconstructions.

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So which restaurant’s menu was it? Is their 炸酱面 any good?

Hi @fallingleaves,

The menu I linked? It was for Corner Beef Noodle House. And I haven’t tried their zha jiang mian yet, so that’s why I was asking everyone here. :wink:

But from @ipsedixit’s answer I think that’s not their specialty. :smile:

Thanks for the description @lectroid. Sounds delicious. :slight_smile: I’ll keep an eye out for this locally.

A pity the mainlanders who do not learn the traditional characters cannot appreciate works of classical Chinese literature in their full original glory. Anyways, back to food… Is anyone serving basashi in L.A.?

Hi @J_L,

Is that even legal in the U.S.? :open_mouth: :smile: