Hand-cut noodles at Legendary Noodle
A week or so ago, the plan was to check out Lin Chinese. Benzie, already there, called with the news that they were closed for two weeks. Grrrrr! On to Plan B…Thai Basil. Closed on Sunday. Double grrrrr! Whilst cruising down Denman on the way to our third option, Gyoza King, I called an audible and we wound up at Legendary Noodle.
Legendary Noodle has been on my wish list for some time. Any place that takes the time and effort to create their own noodles is always worth a visit or five. It turns out, at least in our case, that they make noodles to order!
We arrived to an empty, very decorative, small room. As soon as we ordered, the head chef/La Mian Master sprung into action.
It’s always fascinating to see hand-pulled noodles being created. Yes, a lot of it is about show, but seeing your noodles being made before your eyes is always a novelty…it never gets old. When a noodle-maker puts himself on display, you know right away he takes pride in his work. You’ve just got to admire that.
Green Bamboo, Re-visited
Way back in September 2009, I wrote a post on Green Bamboo Vietnamese Cuisine. Since then the owner/chef has been continually tweaking his menu with new and delicious items. As Green Bamboo has become my favorite local, I thought it deserved an updated post.
Green Bamboo is located on Willingdon Avenue, just south of Kingsway in Burnaby. They are street-level next to the ever popular Han Ju Tofu Hot Pot. The room is quite small, usually steamy and plastered with droolworthy photos of their dishes. Last summer while I was outside checking out the pics, the owner came out and promptly recommended the Grilled Pork Vermicelli Rice Bowl. Turned out to be a fantastic dish. For the last year or so I’ve slowly been making my way through the quite large and varied menu. I have my standbys, but there’s so much more…
Lao Shan Dong
There’s a small, somewhat humid spot on the corner of Kingsway and Nelson in Burnaby that puts out some fantastic food. For the past several years I’ve been visiting Lao Shan Dong Homemade Noodle House and have developed a major affection for their Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup.
Lao Shan Dong is an offshoot of a Taipei restaurant that originated in 1949. The way I figure it, if a place is going to go ahead and mention a 60-year-old history of beef-noodle-making, they’re probably going to make a pretty decent bowl.
They offer a compact menu of hand-cut noodle dishes, soups, dumplings as well as a variety of traditional cold appetizers. Although the appies on display look appetizing, on this day, we’re here for the noodles.
The One Restaurant
After reading Ben from Chowtimes post on The One Restaurant this past Wednesday, this week’s Friday lunch selection was a no-brainer.
The One is a spin-off of Lao Shan Dong. LSD is the king of Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup in Burnaby. There are other TBN shops, but as far as I know, they’re the only ones who make their own hand-cut noodles. Green Bamboo has recently started serving hand-cut noodles in their House Special Beef Noodle Soup. Stay tuned for a Green Bamboo updated post! Their noodles are fantastic, by the way!
Whereas Lao Shan Dong is situated in a small, non-descript room, The One is the polar opposite. After entering through automatic sliding doors, you are greeted with a sleek, very modern decor. It’s not exactly what one expects in this part of Burnaby.
More often than not, when I enter a room this visually stunning, I naturally worry that the food is an afterthought. Knowing that the kitchen here is a by-product of Lao Shan Dong, I was giddy with anticipation.
Tony’s Beef Noodle
This is a post I’ve had on the back-burner for quite awhile now (since last October, actually). I’d read nothing but exemplary reviews of Tony’s Beef Noodle and was left scratching my head wondering what I’d missed. My experience of Taiwanese Beef Noodle soup is limited to Lao Shan Dong and No. 1 Beef Noodle House…both outstanding bowls. The TBN I had at Tony’s Beef Noodle didn’t even come close.
For an appetizer, I got a bowl of Wontons in Chili Sauce.
Not quite what I’d expected. The dumplings, themselves, are very good. It’s just that sauce wasn’t exactly “chili sauce”. It was more of a sweetened soy. Not exactly bland but nowhere near enough chili. But, hey, that’s just my taste.
On to the soup…
Peaceful Restaurant
I’ve often wondered why you’d name your restaurant Peaceful. After several visits I’ve realized it’s a perfect name for a place that makes really good food. And it’s a perfect description of how you feel eating really good food.
This is one of very few Chinese restaurants that takes the time and effort to make authentic, hand-crafted, pulled noodles. If you get there early enough, you can see it for yourself in their open kitchen. If you get there at four in the afternoon, it’s some dude in a backwards hat and t-shirt using those noodles to fix you dinner. Either way, good eats.
The Friday Lunch 
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