Kanzhu Hand-Pulled Noodles: It’s All About the Noodle

A great piece of carb can really be as sexy as a great slab of meat.  Fresh, pure, firm. Well, you get the picture. But the point is, a really high quality carb, whether it’s a noodle, spaghetti, rice, or a risotto, can really make or break a dish.  It’s a dish in itself regardless of the sauce or topping.

So I was craving for a noodle dish and I thought I’d try this Kanzhu Hand-Pulled Noodle shop that’s recently opened up.  And frankly, it’s become one of my go-to places whenever I need a quick fix.

They serve you a small dish of peanuts covered with sesame.  Was OK I guess.  More of a sales pitch because they sell the nuts for you to take out.  Thing is, there are times when they don’t¹.

We ordered Special Lamb Dumplings².  For 7 pieces of lamb, I guess this wasn’t bad.  Lamb dishes are not as common as I would like so I was really happy seeing this on the menu.  Dish was good, but they scrimp a bit on the fillings.  Dumplings were air-y, but I still loved the after-taste of lamb. Some might call lamb an acquired taste, I call it food porn!

If lamb isn’t your thing, go for the Pork and Chive Dumplings. I prefer lamb.

There are other items on the menu, but definitely go for the noodles. You can have it 3 different ways: fried, soup, or dry.

We went for the Lamb Fried Noodle.  Strong lamb flavor taste here but too many vegetables. You don’t get the noodle all that much and there’s a bitter component to this that I can’t fully place.

The Braised Beef Noodle Soup is pretty good, though. Beef is tender and the soup is stocky and pungent, although it wreaks of MSG during my latter visits. Still pretty hearty and comfort-y with the awesome noodle.

My favorite (and go-to) dish is the Braised Beef Special Dry Noodles³ The noodles were firm and al dente.  Usually I avoid ordering beef in small places because they tend to ruin the beef.  But this was surprisingly tender and flavorful, with a little hint of heat.  The sauce brought it all together.  A pretty awesome plate of noodles here.

It’s like a great late-night snack place.  Price-wise, this is in San Juan so prices tend to be a bit higher.  I’m cheap, but I’d pay for noodles with these prices.  OK, now I’m craving for some noodles again!

Kanzhu Hand-Pulled Noodles: It’s All About the Noodle 2011-07-06

great piece of carb can really be as sexy as a great slab of meat.  Fresh, pure, firm. Well, you get the picture. But the point is, a really high quality carb, whether it’s a noodle, spaghetti, rice, or a risotto, can really make or break a dish.  It’s a dish in itself regardless of …