Take it to jalopnik!
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Sorry to kind of horn in on this awesome discussion.
I actually had the opportunity to drop in and try out the bowl of beef soup at Popcorn Chicken on Sawtelle the other day, really great, addictive broth, so many noodles I couldn’t finish all of them, so really good size as well.
My bowl even contained pieces of what seemed to be tendon, though there wasn’t a ton of it.
Tendon/beef shot:
I was wondering, though, does liang mian exist anywhere in Los Angeles? The cold Taiwanese street noodles with like peanut/sesame, but sometimes also some type of red sauce?
Or is that the same thing as zha jiang mian?
Any Sichuan place or Taiwanese-Sichuan place should have it.
Cold Sesame Noodles are pretty easy to make. It is a pain in the butt to slice up the veggies though.
Yes.
Huh? Dan Dan Mian? Or do you mean spaghetti?
You can get dan dan mian at northern cafe. It has outposts in westwood and weho.
I just tried Popcorn Chicken’s beef noodle soup and while I thought it was ok but I did not have a transcendent experience that many FTCer’s had 
. I didn’t feel like the broth had a great depth of flavor I mostly tasted soy sauce and chinese herbal medicine. I got all beef shank and no tendon, some pieces were very soft while others were a bit chewy (definitely a generous portion) and crappy wilted spinach as the vegetable accompaniment. Noodles were pretty solid, nice chew but nothing to write home about. Didn’t give me any suan cai on the side to put in my soup and their chili oil was subpar. I would definitely recommend 
ROC’s oxtail noodle soup (only had it at the weho location) over popcorn chicken’s.
On the plus side I did do a bang bang with Popcorn chicken beef noodle soup and the Karage chicken from Anzu Gourmet which is delicious.
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Sorry to hear that your experience wasn’t good. I do think that the broth has some consistency issues (although I’ve generally enjoyed the food there). 
Went to popcorn chicken tonight. Broth and noodles for the beef noodle soup were good. The beef itself was just gnarly.
Corner Beef Noodle House
Started with seaweed. Mostly sesame oil, needs more vinegar.
Half Meat and Half Tendon.
Of course I am going to compare to my Grandma!!!
Broth. Deep rich flavor. The downside to me is I am not a fan of a little chili oil on top. Makes it slightly more greasy than it needs to be.
Grandma JeetKuneBao would use a few chili peppers in the broth to get a little spice and warmth without the oil slick.
Noodles were good and QQ. It held up and absorb the broth well. No complaints.
Tendon and Meat were well cooked.
Pickled Veg. More can be given by request FYI.
This is a damn good bowl overall.
XO Sauce Noodles.
Damn who else is making their own XO sauce in the 626? Most of the Canto seafood palaces are probably not.
XO Sauce here is a bomb of umami. The bland noodles serves as a vehicle for this seafood essence.
Definitely give this a try!
Black Sesame and Peanut Mochi.
This was a nice way to cap it off. It came warm.
Consider me a fan now.
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Hi @JeetKuneBao,
So glad you liked Corner Beef Noodle House! 
Thanks for the perspective when comparing to (what must be an amazing bowl from) your Grandma’s homemade bowl of Beef Noodle Soup.
It’s one of our favorites, and yes, that Housemade X.O. Sauce Noodles are amazing, right? 
So much flavor! (Thanks again @ipsedixit)
The Black Sesame and Peanut Mochi Dessert is great as well.
Don’t forget you still have to go back to Cindy’s Kitchen for the Ground Pork & Mushroom over Rice dish, the Hometown Braised Pork Belly, and some more of those small plate appetizers. 
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I think Chendu Taste owns Mian.
I’ve skimmed through this 95 comment thread trying to figure out if there are condiments to use with beef noodle soup. I’m still not sure, any guidance would be appreciated.
P.S. We do tend to go off topic, don’t we?
Owns, in a corporate entity sense? Or rather that the taste at Chengdu far outcompetes that of Mian?
In Taiwan, some noodle joints will have chopped pickled vegetables (gai choy) on the table to mix with your soup. The piquant/spicy/sour flavor is a nice foil to the rich beef/soup.
Pics from the web.
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hmm. seems to me that one goes to _______ for their beef noodle soup because they make it the way you like it. it’s not a dish like hainan chicken rice, where everyone spices it to their taste. the only thing i would imagine would be adding chili to a spicy beef noodle that isn’t spicy enough for one’s own personal tastes.
@Google_Gourmet Thanks, the noodle soup I had this morning was good, but with a strong sweet/anise flavor. I liked it, but I felt it was missing a tart component. The pickled veg would work just fine.
@secretasianman I never considered beef noodle soup as spicy, is that only with certain regions?
Beef noodle soup at Little Fatty.
The meat is excellently cooked and the broth is very good, but I think I will bring some ya cai with me next time, and ask for extra chilies, just to send it over the top. 
In the corporate sense.
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some places offer a spicy version. bull demon offers four levels. i’ve had level four, mainly to say that i had.
Beef Noodle Soup, Northern Cafe, Westwood
So good. I’ve always liked the broth here, it’s not overly herbaceous as some other Westside places. Sometimes I like fat noodles, and these are nice and chewy.
My son eats the beef and an order of “juicy pork” dumplings, plus a couple slices of pizza from Lamonicas next door. We are a good eating team.
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Family bangbang. Nice.
Update 2:
It had been too long since we had Corner Beef Noodle House’s wonderfully complex, fragrant Chinese Beef Noodle Soup. Time for a revisit!
Beef Noodle Soup (Half Meat / Half Tendon Beef Stew):
The first sip is an immediate reminder of the goodness: Fragrant, herbally, complex, it tastes like the result of years of cooking. Delicious! 
The Beef Shank is meaty and just barely tender, and in our last couple of visits, they are served in thick, large slabs, a sign of laziness. With no knife provided, you have to lift up these large cuts of Beef and rip off a bite of the Beef Shank to eat with your Noodles. It’s rather unpleasant and a couple pieces were really firm. it remains the weak point at Corner Beef Noodle House.
The Beef Tendon is much better: Gelatinous, but still having some density; quite supple and delicious. 
Their Noodles are a thicker variety and hold up well in the complex Beef Soup.
One minor annoyance: They now only provide a small thimble-size container of Pickled Vegetables to eat with their Beef Noodle Soup. 
And the actual Pickled Vegetables are nowhere near as revelatory as Cindy’s Kitchen’s version.
X.O. Sauce on Noodles (Dry):
One of the surprising gems of Corner Beef Noodle House is their X.O. Sauce Noodles. They make their own X.O. Sauce in-house and it is spectacular!
There’s a real burst of beautiful oceanic flavors from their Housemade X.O. Sauce, with Shrimp and Scallops and other seasonings coming through. Delicious! (Thanks again @ipsedixit!)
Large Wenzhou Wonton Soup:
Corner Beef Noodle House also serves a great Handmade Wenzhou Wonton: It’s much more engaging and flavorful than the usual Wontons found at many shops around the SGV. First, as the menu states, these are indeed large: Probably 4 - 5 times the size of a standard Hong Kong-style Wonton! 
The Wonton Soup itself is also a step above the typical flavors: It’s more clarified, light, but still aromatic with generous usage of Ginger and Green Onions and Fried Garlic.
Corner Beef Noodle House remains one of the standout places for Chinese Beef Noodle Soup locally, with arguably the most complex and distinct Beef Soup. The Beef Shank is their weak point, though, too inconsistent and in big, unwieldy slabs that are often not cooked long enough. However, the bowl is still delicious enough, especially with their tender Beef Tendon and that amazing Beef Soup, their stunning X.O. Sauce Dry Noodles, and the Large Wenzhou Wonton Soup, which is one of our favorite Handmade Wontons in the area at this point.
(Cash Only)
Corner Beef Noodle House
3948 Peck Rd.
El Monte, CA 91732
Tel: (626) 453-8865
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