Best noodle soups in San Gabriel Valley?

[chowchow12345678]

Where are some of your favorite noodle soup places? Here are my favorites:

Mandarin Noodle's beef stew noodle soup
Kingburg Kitchen's noodle soup with pork and snow cabbage (#17, whatever that is)
Santouka Ramen
Pho from Vietnam Restaurant (the little one on Las Tunas in San Gabriel)

I'm always looking for good noodle soups, regardless of what type, so I'd love to hear your favorites.

[bhungry]

Ding Garden's beef stew is better than the Mandarin Noodle IMHO. I like them spicy, so I requested extra spicy.
Best Pho in SGV is probably at Pho Ha in Industry/Rowland Heights, but it's not comparable to Pho 79 in Westminster. I used to live in San Jose, so I think I am a little spoiled when it comes to Pho. I think most Pho places in San Jose were better than the ones here.

[Peripatetic]

Did Ding's reopen, or have more than one location? They closed at their San Gabriel location in 2010, now replaced by Lucky Noodle King.

[bhungry]

There's a Ding in Rowland Heights, near Coconut Bay

[poggibonzzi]

Dai Ho on Las Tunas Blvd serves up amazing sesame sauce noodles and spicy beef noodle soup. IMHO the best in California. Open only between 11 and 3 PM.

[kevin]

I love this place. Though it may be too commercial and pricey compared to the new crop of joints that are opening up in the area.

[poggibonzzi]

It used to be on Valley Rd. and it had an incredible take out braised duck too. Then it disappeared. I was so happy to find it again after years had passed. Braised duck is no longer on the menu but their spicy beef noodle is, so I make the pilgrimage from the westside to bf Temple City to get my fix. Their side dishes are mediocre but. I willingly shell out the extra shekels and put up with plastic spoons for their beef noodle soup because it seems they must use a ton of bones to make their soup and there are enough pieces of beef shank for to slurp down their huge bowl of noodles. I used to think AJ out in Irvine had the best beef noodle soup but AJ's branch in Temple City was a huge disappointment. The one in Irvine remains quite good.

[ipsedixit]

The problem with Dai Ho is their noodles. Given their prices, it's a crime that they use commercial pre-packaged noodles. Broth and fixins are fantastic, as is the lu-wei.

[kevin]

what's lu-wei?

thanks.

[ipsedixit]

http://www.mycitycuisine.org/wiki/Lu_...

[odub]

Apropos: http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/20...

[odub]

Since last summer, I've been steadily adding more spots to my noodle soup tumblr: http://bowlingfornoodles.tumblr.com/

Thought I'd update here too, starting with my current "best of both worlds" NRM:

Tasty Garden (288 W Valley Blvd, Alhambra
)Hand-cut noodles (from what I can tell, but you have to specify you want to the wide/kwan noodles/mien) and a pretty decent "big spicy" broth that isn't quite as aggro as Mama's Kitchen but is still plenty flavorful. Great, tender beef too. It's my current favorite in terms of somewhere with strong broth and strong noodles. I had a good experience at A&J in Arcadia but that's inconvenient enough to get to (for me) that I haven't bothered to run back there since.

Tasty Garden also has very good meat pies. I can't say if they're better or worse than Beijing Pie House but bottomline: they're very good. And a ridiculous serving; if you can finish off a single plate on your own, you're a (literally) bigger man than me.

I've also been on a total pho ga kick, mostly b/c I'm deluding myself into thinking that it's a healthier option than constant bowls of beef noodles or ramen. I still think Nha Trang pulls this dish off lovely BUT based on the additional component of convenience, I'd have to give a strong nod to Pho Ga, which is located at the corner of Valley and San Gabriel. It won't blow your mind but it's consistently good (except for the one time I went there after opening and the broth was practically flavorless) and I prefer to get the chicken shredded vs. cut (but that's me).

In general, my morning routine a few days a week has been to start the day with a pho ga + iced coffee but to be honest, given that my options are limited by restaurants actually open for breakfast, there's no place I'd really recommend on general merit. There's a couple of places off the 10 which are open by 9 but none of them turn out a particularly memorable pho ga.

Not in the SGV, but I did finally try Tsujita, twice. I liked the ramen > tsukemen but I thought everything there was well-executed. Still need to get my ass back to Santouka to try their #7 (which didn't exist last time I was there, I don't think)

[TonyC]

I've been on a pho ga "kick" myself, but it's just cuz Banh Mi Che Cali's $3 (50% off) bowl is really really hard to resist.

Bumpin' for your tumblr odub. It's been fascinating. You have the chance to hit all the SGV joints during lunch, and I'm envious.

[odub]

Tony: I've had to fall back this semester (b/c of my teaching schedule). That's one reason I've moved my noodle eating from lunch to breakfast instead. I mostly have been doing this place: http://www.yelp.com/biz/pho-ga-bac-ni...

It's perfectly acceptable, especially for a place open at 8am and serves $6 pho ga. But I didn't know about Banh Mi Che Cali's $3 special! They're actually a tad closer to where I live too so maybe I'll try them tomorrow.

I do wish Fujin Ramen was closer; I'd be killing their Lanzhou beef noodle soup on the regular if that were the case.

[TonyC]

Pho Ly Thuong Kiet is also open ungodly early for pho ga (8am), making it pretty freakin' "authentic" Vietnamese. I believe they used to also have a branch in SF that has since shuttered.

FWIW, the $3 pho ga is only avail at BMCC Monterey Park (aka, McDonalds of Vietnamese food).

[JAB]

I thought that Lee's was the McDonalds of Vietnamese food?

[odub]

I hit this spot up too, looking for morning places. I wasn't all that impressed; wasn't better than Pho Ga Bac Ninh and it's also further for me to get to (which makes a diff. in the morning since I stop at these places before I head off to work).

[odub]

Went to BMCC today for breakfast but didn't see a 50% off bowl. Only certain days?

[TonyC]

This is ONLY at the BMCC Monterey Park location on Garvey Ave, across the new Nha Trang. There is a permanent window banner touting 50% Pho Ga, as of April 14. I did not take a pix, but certainly it is there.

[odub]

Ah...I see. I went to the one closer to me, which is the BMCC on Valley. Thanks

[odub]

Hit BMCC for $3 pho ga the last two mornings. All said, that's a pretty insanely good deal. Worth the extra 1-2 miles to roll through before the morning commute.

But yo: what new noodle soup spots should I be looking for? My summer writing sojourn is about to kick off in a few weeks and I need to start prepping my wish list.

[TonyC]

sorry for the delayed response odub. I've been avoiding carbs like the plague recently.

As I mentioned in the other noodle post: H&H's Lanzhou style hand-pulled la mian is very impressive. You're no your own regarding their soup bases. I'd avoid soups there all together. But the noodles are really top notch, IMO. Dare I say: toothy? *gag*

The other hit I've had recently is probably way, WAY too far for your summer session: Monja's new beef "rice stick" noodle soup is provacative. I prefer it over nearly all pho's in the hood.

Also, I don't know if you've been hitting Hoy Ka. They can basically tailor any noodle (kuay tieu!) in any soup base to your liking (just like Pa Ord). The Thai's are still NOT unconvinced by this "franchised" joint run by an ex-singer, but the locals are grateful.

Surely you've seen the Nha Trang across BMCC Monterey Park? More seats, smaller menu. It's depressing NT decided to stay dumb after they expanded to MPK. Not impressed.

Finally, Tay Do Quan Hy remains the better Vietnamese noodle house over every crappy Chiu Chao $5 joint in WSGV. I don't know it's accessible to you, I don't know if you've been, but I freaking love it.

[WildSwede]

Hi Tony, I am adding your places to my list of places to try - I have not been to any of them. I googled Tay Do Quan Hy to see where it is and yelp (I know, but hold on) came up. I like to look at the pics of offerings. However, I noticed that the recent reviews were indicating that there have been changes and that it is not as good as it once was. How recently have you been and have you noted any changes as these people have? Thanks!

[TonyC]

Thanks to WildSwede's yelp work (who says it's useless?), I contacted the family, and found out the Tay Dao Quan Hy was sold first week of April, 2012.

I haven't been since beginning of the year. No news if they will re-open.

Good Vietnamese home-style cooking keeps disappearing (Quan Mien Trung, Bun Rieu Quan, now Quan Hy), but hey, Spice Table is STILL selling that Hainan chicken.

[WildSwede]

Thank you for checking! And thank you for your recs!

[TonyC]

FWIW, confirmed ex-owners of Tay Do Quan Hy will NOT re-open elsewhere.

I know no one cares, but to this day, I wonder where Pho Le Loi boys went.

[WildSwede]

Thank you! BTW, I care! ;-)

[Peripatetic]

> I know no one cares, but to this day, I wonder where Pho Le Loi boys went.

My missing-in-action list:
- Eric Lam of Pho Minh
- Linda of Noodle House (at 46 Las Tunas, TC -- replaced by the inferior Doe Jon Station).
- Johnny and Richard of Pho Le Loi
- The Tianjin ladies from DSW
- The proprietors of Bun Rieu Quan
- Nina from Breed Street "Food Fair"

Maybe we should start a "missed connections" thread.

[TonyC]

Mrs. He of DSW, the Tianjin lady that I got to know best at DSW, has returned to China. Monterey Park is the new Dongguan. IIRC, her son was having a hard time finding employment, and life was generally rather difficult.

I've sent a note to someone who might know Eric Lam's whereabouts, but haven't heard back.

Also, can we talk about how absolutely horrid Doe Jon Station has become? I mean, that stuff is just despicable, with Garage Restaurant being the only Chinese breakfast place serving food that is more vile.

[Peripatetic]

Was Doe Jon Station ever any good? I only remember hearing bad reports from the start.

Speaking of which . . . can any info be revealed about developments at Huge Tree yet?

[Ciao Bob]

WS - no need to apologize for using yelp for navigation and foto-porn - it is great for that! I spend half the time (when I am driving - it's the whole time when I am not driving) on the way to a new place using the yelp app for pics and zeroing in.

[WildSwede]

;-) Thanks! I would love to arrange a group to go around and try some of these places.

[kevin]

Well, definitely let me know too. I have no clue about noodle soups.

save for the one at dai ho kitchen.

[odub]

I hit up the new Nha Trang the other week. I actually like the limited menu and I still think they execute on everything they do really well (which is made easier by the fact that they only serve *4 dishes* there.

H & H sounds interesting; might be worth a visit. Either that or Sweethome Grill today.

[odub]

Went to Sweet home today, toting along two friends to help with the portion control (as I found out the other day, I'm both prediabetic and have high cholesterol. My days of 3-4 noodles/week = over). SHG serves very very very long handmade noodles. Almost annoying long. But they have great texture.

The beef noodle soup was solid. Decent broth. The dish did include glass noodles which I found to be distracting; didn't need 'em. We also tried cold noodles with sesame sauce and that was also quite good, especially with the tang of vinegar hanging off them. Their cold cucumber was quite good and their cumin lamb skewers were also good, but nothing mind-blowing.

[Ciao Bob]

Tony, what is H&H?

[TonyC]

http://www.yelp.com/biz/h-and-h-monte...
429 W Garvey Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91754

It was a Sichuan style restaurant late last year, then it switched to Dong Bei cuisine, then it added Lanzhou noodles & skewers (but still apparently kept the Sichuan menu).

All kinds of schizo fo sho, but the hand pulled "pasta" would impress even the most ardent Italian noodle freaks.

If they can throw these actual "ramen" into a bowl of Jidaiya's tonkotsu miso , I wouldn't have to eat another bowl of noodles again in '12.

[Ciao Bob]

Very cool. Thanks.
MaLan does an OK job with Lanzhou...will be really nice to try these.

[kevin]

I'm going to have to try this hand pulled pasta at H and H in Monterey Park.

But what sauce does it arrive with if not of course, in a jidaiya miso broth?

Thanks a bunch.

Btw, this thread is getting out of hand and I can't quite keep up, sadly.

[odub]

Tony: Wrote about this in the dedicatee H&H thread but went there today: their noodle is Chinese only. Still managed to talk it out and order a chicken fried noodle which was good but what other noodle dishes would you recommend?

[Johnny L]

What do you mean by "stay dumb"? Have not been to new branch yet so not sure...

[TonyC]

Re: Nha Trang staying dumb...

Nha Trang removed all the chicken dishes from her menu after the proprietress returned from Vietnam. She just decided she no longer wanted to cook chicken (the restaurant manager's words, not mine). The original menu was already rather paltry, but the chickens added depth. I think the move was dumb (and lazy). The second branch stayed dumb by not re-adding the Hainam chix + pho ga back to the menu.

[Johnny L]

OMGWTFBBQ!

[odub]

Oops: not Tasty Garden. FLAVOR Garden. Same mall as Noodle Guy (or was that Noodle Boy)?

[jigsawlogic]

Nobody has mentioned Wing Wa. I've been hooked on beef noodle soup ever since my first go of it in China, and have been seeking it's best state-side incarnation ever since. Not to chase that flavor, but to BETTER it. And not surprisingly, I have. Several times over.

But what a man likes in a good bowl of NRM is as subjective as what a man likes in a woman. Just as there are ass men, tits men, and legs men, the noodle world equivalents are meat men, noodle men, and broth men.

I used to think I was a noodle man. After my first taste of knife-cut noodles, it was all over for me. I chased after them in China, and then after my return to the states, chased after them twice as hard. I moved to the SGV, over 20 miles away from my job, to plant my face in the crotch of exile Chinese cookery. And I found those noodles, in such places as JTYH and Kam Hong Garden. Even so, something was missing. I realized that noodles were the garter belts of a good NRM; filled with erotic suggestion, but whose fulfillment was requisite on other factors that were somehow lacking in either establishment.

The texture of those noodles was perfection itself...what was missing was the FLAVOR. The promise in each bowl was a ticket to Nirvana, but the taste was a stopover in Phoenix.

What I've ended up with is a compromise; the most singularly thrilling broth of NRM I've ever encountered as the star, backed up with a contingent of second-rate co-stars; noodles that have a good toothiness, but aren't on the same par as knife-cut; beef that is amazingly tender and flavorful, but small in abundance and too small in ratio to tendon. But with a thrilling co-star; the veggies. Singular to this establishment, and honestly make you wonder why no other place in the SGV...or China...has caught on.

So even with only passable (though better than average) noodles and beef offerings, Ming Wa is my NRM fave right now.

Just kinda surprised, given the level of knowledge here, that it hasn't been mentioned yet.

[TonyC]

Ming Wa's been covered elsewhere: http://su.pr/2O3DMo

Personally, the conclusions were opposite. Ming Wa's noodles are exemplary in the fact they're unique in WSGV, but the broth is so lacking it's not even worth slurping. This, after 3 visits in 2 months span, though it was over 3 years ago.

Nicely written though. China has so much bad Chinese food, it's unsurprising that NRM, even in LA, can surpass the halal beef noodle soups in say, Shanghai streets.

[Jerome]

has it been covered here? of course places are covered elsewhere. Still, i'm interested in reading both without having to click over to another site.
Will probably try ming wa in any case... thanksfor the reviews.

[kevin]

not too digress on this thread, but the Hu's Szeuchwuan on National and motor, you mentioned they have a good chinese beef jerky dishe on the menu, do you happen to remember the name of it?

thanks.

[Jerome]

it's ok - it's "gan shao niu rou" - don't remember how they translate it on the menu...

here are the chinese characters - bring them if you like...

乾燒牛肉

[Ciao Bob]

Why don't chinese characters actually come "up" in ch posts? I just see squares... Maybe I am doing something wrong, is it possible to see them?

[ipsedixit]

That's an issue with your browser. Are you using IE? An older version perhaps?

[Ciao Bob]

Ahhhh, that's it.
Thanks for the the it, id!

[kevin]

I can see the Chinese characters but I can't read them.

[Jerome]

copy them and print them out and bring them or say "gan shao niu rou" to the server slowly.

[catbert]

surprisingly, i had really good pho at tay ho in sg on valley not too long ago. i never tried their pho when they introduced it eons ago, afterall, that's not what they specialize in. except for their steamed rice sheet , everything they're known for has been not up to par. overcooked, very microwaved, and very hard to eat too. not just this branch, i tried another in little saigon recently, and it was even worse. big downer.

hopefully not tmi, but i've actually been doing a really weird experiment. ordering just the soup water for to-go and making the completed pho at home (i use my own noodles and meat). yes, i get some odd looks when i ask, mainly because they don't know what to charge, but so far so good.
it's surprising to see how different the broths are at each restaurant. some are dark and have stronger star anise and/or clover taste. some are really salty too. i liked tay ho's because it was very light and clear.

for the record, the above, i did eat the pho at tay ho (the lil pieces of ginger were nice). i also took home an order of broth too.

[Jerome]

hmmm i like the beef and tendon soup at 101 noodle express.
I like the shanghai noodle soup at Giang-nan and at mei long village.
I like the lamb noode soup and the Pao mo (not really straight noodle, more like farinaceous dumplings in the soup) at China Islamic.

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China Islamic Restaurant
7727 Garvey Ave, Rosemead, CA 91770

[odub]

Thread bump.

I need some more recommendations. My summer routine has been to write in the mornings and then treat myself to a noodle soup lunch. Here's where I've been so far:

•Nha Trang (4 times; I basically tried every noodle soup on their menu. All of it was uniformly good but I'm not trying to go back again for a while!)

•Tasty Noodle (beef noodle soup)

•Ton Chan (shio ramen. It's not Gardena good. But not bad).

•Mama's Kitchen (beef noodle soup)

•Olympic Noodles + Ma Dong Gook Soo (not in the SGV, obviously. Still good though!)

•Noodle Guy (pho filet)

Ok - I need new ideas for other noodle soups, preferably in the Alhambra/San Gabriel area.

Thanks!

[Chandavkl]

Janty Noodle in the food court adjacent to HK2 market in West Covina has terrific soup and non-soup noodles. Hand made noodles, my favorite being the Shanghai style noodles (even though Janty has an Indonesian bent).

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Janty Noodle
989 S Glendora Ave, West Covina, CA 91790

[TonyC]

Mi Quang @ Quan Mien Trung (sorta soupy, but delicious)
Bun Bo Hue at Bun Rieu Quan
Liang's Taiwanese beef noodle soup (hit n miss depending on location)
Viet/Chinese Beef Noodle Soup at Fresh Roast: http://sinosoul.com/2011/05/the-best-...
Lamb soup w/ knife shaved noodles @ JTYH.
"Assorted" Chiu Chao rice noodle Mien Nghia
.
.
.
how much writing do you have to do?

[WildSwede]

#37 - Chargrilled Pork Pho at Pho 79 on Garfield south of Main in Alhambra. You will moan in pleasure when you taste the fantastic flavorful broth!

[odub]

Tony: I have another 3.5 weeks worth of time.

Love JTYH, going there for lunch tomorrow.
Done Mien Nghia (not a fan). Same with Liang's NRM.

I'm most interested in Fresh Roast but will also add Quan Mien Trung and Bun Rieu Quan to the list. Thanks dude - your site is a godsend in this regard.

What happened with eatingvalleyblvd though? You get URL jacked?

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Fresh Roast
308 S San Gabriel Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91776

Mien Nghia Restaurant
406 W Valley Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91776

JTYH Restaurant
9425 Valley Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770

[odub]

BTW, Tony: you still ride for Kingburg?

[TonyC]

Thanks for reading odub. EVB was a nice thought but... I'd rather chow than "blog" so... eeennhh.. Further, Chandavkl + others here are doing a banging job covering the same.

From a NRM vantage, it's difficult to appreciate Mien Nghia's chiu chao noodles as it's rather.. cleansing (some suggests bland). With a hardy dousing of the house vinegar chili, I think the combo rice noodle dances. Either that, or I was high from an anti-carb diet. But I hear you.

If you're on a BBH tour, the other off-the-radar bowl would be at Banh Xeo Quan. Final entry for BBH would be from Kim Hoa Hue. Actual ingredient isn't the greatest, but the broth's damned pungent, and they have so many varieties of fermented seafood pastes (at 10am!?!)

I still like Kingburg, but it's been eons since I've visited.

Since it's getting "hot", I'd also stake my dink blog on a bowl of Chao (Korean) style cold noodle from Shenyang Restaurant. At $7, it will be that better bowl of naeng myeon you'll ever have in LA, for the rest of the your life.

G'luck w/ the writing project.

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Kim Hoa Hue
9813 Garvey Ave, El Monte, CA 91733

Banh Xeo Quan
8742 Garvey Ave, Rosemead, CA 91770

Mien Nghia Restaurant
406 W Valley Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91776

[odub]

Tony: went to Shen Yang. Cold noodles were pretty decent (better than what I had at JTYH last summer) though I found the broth almost too strong in seasoning to drink; it was better as a dipping sauce for the noodles.

The cumin chicken bones though? Incredible. I often done the poor man's version with this with by with chicken necks but it never occurred to me you could do a whole plate like that. GENIUS.

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JTYH Restaurant
9425 Valley Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770

[TonyC]

odub, in case you're still chasing the noodles, Bun Rieu Quan is sadly closed.

Interesting take on Shen Yang's cold noodles. Perhaps my taste buds are getting dense as we usually have no problem drinking (at least partial portions) of the soup base.

Cumin Chix Bones are a bit revelational. Imagine say... Bistro LQ serving that up? It's a shocker.

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Bistro LQ
8009 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048

[will47]

Not noodle soup, I know, so a bit OT, but I like their fen pi (cold mung bean noodles / sheets with sesame sauce and hot mustard). I get it without the egg and meat, but should be good either way.

[TonyC]

Yes! the lian pi with the industrial Sysco mustard sauce at Shen Yang is rather tasty.. It is so unfortunate Lao Bian was sold. They did a stir fry lian pi that was second to none. Actually just "none", since no one else served it as such.

-----
Sysco
, Diamond Bar, CA 91765

[Rosiepigs]

I am totally intrigued by Shen Yang. However, I am confused by the cumin chicken bones--is this one of those "yes, you eat the bones" situations like the fried chicken cartilage of Korean restaurants, I think? Or is it that the cook up the bones from the soup with cumin?

[TonyC]

Rosiepigs,
check this link for exposition on Shen Yang:
http://sinosoul.com/2010/12/shenyang-...

You do not ingest the bones, though feel free to gnaw on the bones. There is little meat, but this dish is clearly meant as beer food; it's much too laborious (akin to Boiling Crab) for a sober soul. The plate nearly big enough to hold a paella for 2 and weighs 2+ pounds.

From what I gathered, the bones are deep fried, then quickly wok-tossed with a sugar / cumin / soy mix. This is a stand alone dish, not served as a second course to anything else.

Feedback much appreciated. The ultimate goal is to push this dish into JGold's top 99 of 2012.

[odub]

Tony: when I went, there was enough meat on each bone to minimize the labor. It's like eating wings, just with more bone.

[odub]

Still chasing noodles. Did Fresh Roast on Monday. I think their NRM was well made but not particularly memorable. Definitely not what you'd expect at an espresso house though!

Tomorrow, I'm hitting up that Thai noodle spot your wrote about in Monterey Park.

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Fresh Roast
308 S San Gabriel Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91776

[odub]

Update on Kingburg Kitchen: they don't do the thick/wide noodles anymore. Thin wheat noodles in a rather tepid broth. Good dumplings though.

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Kingburg Kitchen
715 W Las Tunas Dr, San Gabriel, CA 91776

[TonyC]

Thanks for the update odub. Chalk that one up as a downhill alert.

Seems like you still have plenty of time, which means it's time for Yoma's mohinga and oh no kway swe (khaut sway, khao swe - however you transliterate it). I believe will47 has visited as well.

These are 2 of my fave bowls of non-Vietnamese/Chinese noodles in all of WSGV and can only be found together on 3 restaurant menus in LA.

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Yoma Restaurant
713 E Garvey Ave, Monterey Park, CA

[odub]

Yoma sounds interesting; haven't had any kind of Burmese cuisine in a long time.

Meant to reply re: Hok-Ya. Decent Thai noodle soups but unmemorable. They don't spare the spicy, that's for sure! Rice plates look kind of proper; if I ever go back, I'm sampling that.

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Yoma Restaurant
713 E Garvey Ave, Monterey Park, CA

[odub]

Didn't go to Yoma today. Did do Mandarin Noodle House instead and remembered (after the meal) why I hadn't been back there in over a year: their hand-pulled noodles start out ok but somehow get soggy very quickly. Plus, rather tepid broth for a beef noodle soup. Oh well...

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Yoma Restaurant
713 E Garvey Ave, Monterey Park, CA

Mandarin Noodle House
701 W Garvey Ave, Monterey Park, CA 91754

[will47]

Yoma is a little depressing inside... rarely many people in there, and it seems like maybe it's declined even a bit more over the past few years. And somehow, despite always being empty, the service is pretty bad, even for an Asian hole in the wall type place. But it is one of the only Burmese places close by. Golden Triangle seems to have declined a bit as well over the past few years.

Pandanexpress likes the fish chowder http://www.runawaysquirrels.com/2009/...

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Golden Triangle
7011 Greenleaf Ave, Whittier, CA 90602

Yoma Restaurant
713 E Garvey Ave, Monterey Park, CA

[odub]

Tony/Will: *Loved* Yoma. I didn't find it that depressing (maybe it's all the pastels) and I thought the food was great. I had the fish stew, my wife had the garlic noodles, and we split a samusas plate and I found everything really really good. Very much looking forward to going back and sampling more from the menu.

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Yoma Restaurant
713 E Garvey Ave, Monterey Park, CA

[TonyC]

I am a huge freakin' Yoma fan. Yes, the Burmese still go for the mohinga lady on Del Mar, but no one else in LA is offering as wide (and rotating) of a Burmese menu as Yoma. Since Joan took over 3+ years ago, food has been consistent albeit rather slow.

Their fish cake curry and pong ye jyi pork are top notch (also un contested in LA), while the sour leaf stir fry & Chinese watercrest soup both punch you in the face (in the wrong way, but whatever).

Here's a group dinner circa 08 with 10+ courses at Yoma:
https://picasaweb.google.com/11122101...

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Yoma Restaurant
713 E Garvey Ave, Monterey Park, CA

Del Mar Cafe
712 S Del Mar Ave, San Gabriel, CA 91776

[TonyC]

MNH (HMN) is one of those places that makes you wonder: htf does it survive? And when is it going out of biz.

[Peripatetic]

"I'd also stake my dink blog on a bowl of Chao (Korean) style cold noodle from Shenyang Restaurant. At $7, it will be that better bowl of naeng myeon you'll ever have in LA, for the rest of the your life."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I tried the cold noodles at SY last Saturday and was really disappointed. I agree with Tony on most things, but I don't see the charm of this dish at all. I prefer the mool nengmyun at Ham Hung over Shen Yang's cold noodles by a mile. The broth for the cold noodles at SY just seemed to be one dimensional soy-and-garlic.

Shen Yang's sweet and sour pork is outstanding, though!

[JR90021]

The crab, shrimp and pork soup (#16a) with soup broth separate at the Golden Deli. And get a cafe sua da- you got yourself and incredible meal.

-----
Golden Deli
815 W Las Tunas Dr, San Gabriel, CA 91776

[TonyC]

How timely.

Just had the Ham Hung bibim (& mul) naeng myeon last weekend. They dropped the prices down the $8 after the move, finally.

Soy + Garlic + noodles is just... my comfort circle. I will prefer that, over any other flavor base, probably for the rest of my life. Can't force it on anyone else I suppose.

The price is right though, and the SY bowl is rather filling, whereas the K-town vesions are not.

-----
Ham Hung Restaurant
809 S Ardmore Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90005

[PandanExpress]

I just had a bowl of the SY noodles for lunch the other day and I concur that the broth is not beefy, but that's not really a complaint because I too am a fan of soy + garlic + sour. It is definitely a giant bowl of noodles. I also like that it's actually burn-my-lips spicy whereas when I get ktown naeng myeon it's just "Oh, it's kinda red, okay" spicy.

[Peripatetic]

Haven't been back to Ham Hung since they moved. I'll sort of miss that bizarre tunnel of a dining room. The photos of the new place make it look like just another branch of Yu Chun.

> Soy + Garlic + noodles is just... my comfort circle. I will prefer
> that, over any other flavor base, probably for the rest of my life

Understand completely. But don't you think someone could do the SY version so much better? Eating SY's version reminded me of eating nengmung in Boston in the late 80's -- I didn't get it at all. It wasn't until I had excellent nengmyun (at Dae Dong in Woodside, Queens) that I developed my longstanding addiction.

[TonyC]

odub,
getting back to your "Demand" of Xi'an FF's wide hand pulled noodles, besides Kam Hong's wide knife cut, hand knead --

NT Dumpling House has a hand pulled wide noodle that's very "toothy", but still not as irregular as knife shaved.

Malan also has medium flat (I forget which #) which is also hand pulled.

Bottom line, whatever XFF offers (save for the "burgers) is available in LA.

-----
Dumpling House Restaurant
5612 Rosemead Blvd, Temple City, CA 91780

[odub]

TonyC: Thumbs up on NT Dumpling House. The broth for their beef noodle soup could have been better (like with many spots around town, I want it to be more aggressive) but the noodles were fantastic - they held up to the very end and had that kind of chewy al dente-ness that I love about hand-pulled noodles. I'm now curious how this would hold up as a dan dan or jia jia mien base.

Dare I say, I might even have liked it better than the knife-cut at JYTH which, despite my normal starch obsessions, is sometimes a bit too much, even for me.

Any other dishes you'd recommend here ?

[odub]

I double-downed and lost; went back to NTDH and got the lamb noodle soup this time. Bad move.

Super-bland broth and they didn't use the wide noodles either. Really disappointing.

In contrast, they also have Chao-style cold noodles there and I thought did a really good job with them. My wife ordered those and she thought they were better than what she had at Shen Yang the other week. I liked them better here too since I found Shen Yang's soup too aggressive, even for me.

[JThur01]

Tony, speaking of NT Dumpling House, what about the beef noodle soup of the former tenant at that spot, Dragon Mark? (now relocated to Monterey Park with English signage still reading P.P. Pop). Is that still worth checking out?

[TonyC]

odub, you're hilarious..
NB: you can specify wide noodles for every dish (even when it is offered in combo form). Isn't your writing project finished by now? If not, it's going to turn you into a carbwhore.

Of note: Due to lack of demand, JTYH has stopped serving naeng myeon (the shame) and NTDH has stepped up to fill the void.

Again, I prefer Shen Yang for its gentle massaging of the balls, but the chickie insists NTDH is home for this summer.

JThur: have not experienced the new Dragon Mark. Suffered Supreme Dragon (Rowland) for years during which I had no power of the purse & I vowed not to return thereafter.

-----
Supreme Dragon
18406 Colima Rd, Rowland Heights, CA 91748

JTYH Restaurant
9425 Valley Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770

Dragon Mark
127 Garfield Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90068

[odub]

Tony: This is the last week I have to work on the writing project full-time; starting next week, I'll be at USC at least 4 days a week for the next month. Mo-Chica, here I come!

As for NTDH, I'll keep that in mind for the future but man, that lamb soup was weak.

-----
Mo-Chica
3655 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007

[Peripatetic]

> Of note: Due to lack of demand, JTYH has stopped serving
> naeng myeon (the shame) and NTDH has stepped up to
> fill the void.

Shame. How does NTDH's version compare with JTYH's?

-----
JTYH Restaurant
9425 Valley Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770

[Jerome]

JTYH the shanxi noodle house on valley served korean style cold noodles? when was this? surprised.

-----
noodle house
46 W Las Tunas Drive, Arcadia, CA 91007

JTYH Restaurant
9425 Valley Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770

[odub]

I was in the minority of folks who didn't like JTYH's...but I think I just got a weak bowl. It wasn't very cold and that soup - near room temperature - just is not a pleasant thing to eat. Plus, I found the soup rather one dimensional.

I thought the NTDH bowl was very solid; they even serve it in a dark bowl, which accents the color of the soup well (whereas their other soups, from what I saw, usually come in white).

[TonyC]

New Taste Dumpling House's naeng myeon is rather demure. The noodles cooked to death, broth tame, though cold. It is, alas, also not very "beefy". I prefer JTYH, but The Other Mouth says "it's basically the same". I think The Other Mouth is off her rockers.

But odub seems like like a cool soothing broth, so it might be your (Peripatetic) thing as well? It is the antithesis of Shen Yang.

-----
JTYH Restaurant
9425 Valley Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770

[Peripatetic]

I'd characterize my preferred style as a complex, refreshing, flavorful, tangy broth. Shen Yang's broth is more of a cudgel of simple, intense flavors. I didn't dislike it, but it just didn't scratch my nengmyun itch.

[odub]

I dunno; there's a real sweet spot for me between a broth that's too tame and one that's too aggressive. My usual complaint are too-tame broths (a cardinal sin for a soup-based dish) but with Shen Yang, much to my surprise, they just went too far in the other direction. It was like drinking a sauce. I actually don't like "soothing" broths at all - I like rich, savory, complex broths but Shen Yang felt like it was stabbing my tongue (too much vinegar perhaps?)

Anyways, today is the last day of the writing part of my summer. Six weeks, five chapters revised, 8000 words added. I think I had about 15-18 bowls of noodle between then. Trying to add up all the places I went to.

[JThur01]

Damn!, I was looking forward to trying the naeng myeon at JTYH this Summer.

Seems so much of what I either like or want to try out winds up being dropped from menus.

-----
JTYH Restaurant
9425 Valley Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770

[odub]

I was down by downtown...hit up Hoan Kiem for pho ga. Pretty darn good. I know some think they've fallen off but I thought it was comparable to the bowl of pho ga I had at Nha Trang the other week.

-----
Hoan Kiem
727 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Nha Trang
311 E Valley Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91776

[odub]

Final accounting (favorite spots marked by *)
*Nha Trang (x4)
*NT Dumpling House (x2)
*Yoma (x2)
*Olympic Noodle
Ton Chan
*Mama's Kitchen
Noodle Guy
Ma Dong Gook So
Shen Yang
*JTYH
Fresh Roast
*Tasty Noodle House
Kingburg Kitchen
Hok-Ya
Mandarin Noodle House
Hoan Kiem

-----
Hoan Kiem
727 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Dumpling House Restaurant
5612 Rosemead Blvd, Temple City, CA 91780

Kingburg Kitchen
715 W Las Tunas Dr, San Gabriel, CA 91776

Fresh Roast
308 S San Gabriel Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91776

Mandarin Noodle House
701 W Garvey Ave, Monterey Park, CA 91754

Noodle Guy
1257 E Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91801

[odub]

I started keeping a running track of where I've been since the beginning of summer (though not every spot is included): http://bowlingfornoodles.tumblr.com/

I need more recs! Since that July update, I've also been to:
House of Mandarin Noodle
King's Kitchen
Viet Noodle Bar
...and probably half a dozen other places (though almost none of them worth mentioning).

-----
Viet Noodle Bar
3133 1 2 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039

King's Kitchen
500 N Gilbert St, Fullerton, CA 92833

[TonyC]

odub, I know you probably won't enjoy Fujin's ridiculously gelatinous ramen broth (as well as it's equally ridiculous location), but just to throw it out there:
http://la.eater.com/archives/2011/09/...

Their shoyu + chicken stock based niou rou mian was rather intense as well. It's easy to argue the authenticity, but whatevers. The bowl of NRM with custom spec'd Myojyo noodles and savory caramelized beef is far superior to the $5 buckets of thinned soy sauce being hawked in WSGV. Fujin FTW.

-----
Fujin Ramen
1017 S Glendora Ave, West Covina, CA 91790

[odub]

Well, lesse...less than 30 min away? I can do that. Milky or clear broth?

[JThur01]

Nice job odub. Thanks for doing those. Hope to see more.

[monku]

Roast duck noodle soup at Sam Woo BBQ Monterey Park is probably their best seller.

[ipsedixit]

I actually prefer their Wonton Noodle soup for some reason. Really prefer it, in fact. Dunno why. Maybe the MSG.

[monku]

Roast duck won ton only for me.
Went the other day and notice at the take out section they call their duck "roast duck" and not "Peking duck" anymore.

[ipsedixit]

It was always "roast duck" in Chinese.

And with Sam Woo, I always wonder if those fans of the Yang Chow slippery shrimp would think twice about their favorite dish if they ever had a chance to try the honey walnut shrimp at Sam Woo (or an Canto restuarant). To me, it's about 10x better and 5x more refined.

[Jerome]

i prefer it.
because it has wonton.

and i like the interplay of textures.

[Clinton]

The won ton noodle soup at Sam Woo is probably one of my retro favorites. Especially the beef stew (gnau nam) won ton noodles. Roast duck (siu op) would my second choice. Golden City in LA Chinatown has been serving this since the 60s as I remember even after all of their management changes throughout the decades? Vietnamese PHO is OK but not high on my list. I guess I'm just old fashioned?

[kevin]

where's Sam Woo? I can always go for really tasty Roast Duck with crispy skin.

-----
Sam Woo Cafe
727 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012

[odub]

As part of my hunt for noodle soup greatness (in the SGV and beyond), I went and tried Kam Hong Garden's hand-pulled noodles (beef noodle soup style), especially having been encouraged by these reviews: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6560...

Verdict: Decent noodles but not a great beef noodle soup. Basically, the broth was way too bland, at least based on what came out of the kitchen. I got it to a more acceptable level with liberal additions of vinegar, soy sauce and chili paste but having been impressed by the "stock" broth that places like Mama's Kitchen, Mei Long Village and Tasty Noodle include, I thought KHG's was way too mild and dull.

That also extended to the noodles. Great texture - firm and chewy - but the noodles and the soup felt like separate dishes, both bland. There was no integration between the two, unlike, say, when JYTH's lamb noodle soup is hitting on all cylinders (not guaranteed btw, but when it works, it really works).

-----
Mei Long Village
301 W Valley Blvd Ste 112, San Gabriel, CA 91776

Kam Hong Garden
848 E Garvey Ave, Monterey Park, CA

Mama's Kitchen
1718 New Ave, San Gabriel, CA 91776

Tasty Noodle House (Yi Pin
)827 W. Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel, CA 91776

[Chandavkl]

Salmon and tomato noodle soup at Tasty House Noodle by the 99 Ranch Market in Hacienda Heights.

-----
99 Ranch
17713 Pioneer Blvd, Artesia, CA

[Bradbury]

I'll risk the derision of the Hardcore SGV 'Hounds and recommend the satay beef soup with molokhia noodles at Green Zone. Yeah, it really is that good ...

-----
Green Zone
534 E Valley Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91776

[odub]

Ok, so this is what I was thinking about when I was having lunch at Mama's Kitchen the other day: I want to create a rubric for evaluating "the best noodle soup in LA". I fully confess, I started with what Rameniac uses and then adapted it:

Soup flavor/texture
Noodle texture
Soup/noodle ratio (Rameniac doesn't include this but to me, it's kind of fundamental and different from just evaluating soup and noodle individually)
Ingredients
"Etc." (Cutlery, ambiance)

I feel like this covers the most important parts though I'm still not sure if Etc. makes sense or not given how broad that may be. Rameniac calls his "intangibles" but that's a slightly different concept (and he puts Ambiance as its own category). Maybe I should make it a negative attribute, i.e. you don't get points for having good ambiance but you can lose points if it sucks.

Two questions:

1) What suggestions might folks make to the rubric?
2) Who wants to join me to putting this to the test? I figure...one spot a week for at least half a year to try 20 places, different kinds of noodle soups.

-----
Mama's Kitchen
1718 New Ave, San Gabriel, CA 91776

[raytamsgv]

My criteria would be simpler:

1. Is it tasty?
2. Do I get enough for the money?

But I'm not a noodle soup expert nor do I play one on TV.

[Ernie]

Current favorite is the phở thịt nướng (grilled pork pho) at Pho 79 in Alhambra. The grilled pork adds a delicious smokey flavor to the soup

[WildSwede]

THANK YOU! I have been singing that soup's praises on here for a few years and no one ever seems to try it. It is so much better than any of the other Phos! It is #36 or 37 (I can never remember which). Get it with one of their toasted baguettes and butter (not on the menu) for dipping. Sheer heaven!

[Ernie]

Yes, it is delicious and I have never seen grilled pork pho anywhere else. Great to have with the colder weather we have been having :)

[WildSwede]

Yeah, at Vietnam Restaurant on Baldwin south of Duarte, I get the Pho, no meat, and get a side of their grilled pork (which is AWESOME) and add it to the soup and it comes out okay (they are closer to me than Pho 79). I have tried this at Vietnam House on Las Tunas but their pork is so gross and flavorless that it does not work at all - it adds no flavor.
Pho 79 is amazing. I sit there eating it when it is 100+ degrees, sweating, nose running and in utter bliss!! ;-)

-----
Vietnam House
710 W Las Tunas Dr, San Gabriel, CA 91776

[ns1]

Pho Minh for their #1 (which is not a dac biet tho xe lua)

-----
Pho Minh
9646 Garvey Ave, South El Monte, CA 91733

[ns1]

ANY UPDATE TO PHO MINH!??!?!

LAM WHERE DID YOU GO

[odub]

I was just thinking about this very same question but um: how is Santouka in the SGV when the only two locations I know of are either on the Westside or the South Bay?

Also, on the beef noodle soup tip, I still think Mama's Kitchen comes with it. If only their beef was stewed just a touch better.

-----
Santouka
3760 S Centinela Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90066

Mama's Kitchen
1718 New Ave, San Gabriel, CA 91776

[ipsedixit]

Not sure if it is the "best" but recently just had the cold iced noodles at JTYH. Good stuff.

Go back in about 6 months when the weather turns warmer and see if they are still offering it.

[odub]

Let's also note that JTYH's lamb noodle soup is excellent. Still need to try the cold iced ones...I meant to go last week, during the heat wave but now it's rainy and cold. Meh.

-----
JTYH Restaurant
9425 Valley Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770

[odub]

Hate to have to say this but I found the ice noodles at JTYH to be underwhelming and pretty dull. I wrote up a longer review elsewhere but since I'm checking off different noodle soups in this thread, I thought it was relevant to note:

1) It wasn't that cold. I want my ice noodles icy-cold, not "sort of cool".

2) Their noodles were all clumped together, which meant that, in trying to eat them, you're cramming mouthfuls of noodles at a time since it's very hard to stream them off in a more manageable portions. I've had this happen in a few Korean places but the better ones I've been to, the noodles aren't as stuck together, let alone clumped in a big ball.

-----
JTYH Restaurant
9425 Valley Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770

[ipsedixit]

odub,

Sorry to hear, but I've never had that experience with the Ice Noodles at JTYH -- either warm or cold.

-----
JTYH Restaurant
9425 Valley Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770

[odub]

Could have been a one-time thing. As it is, with the weather turning cold, I'll probably stick with hot noodles for the next few.

[estone888]

Yi Mei Pastrie's shredded pork and preserved vegetable soup - YUM.