Strands of Bliss

DUN HUANG LOU LANZHOU LA MIAN | 敦煌楼兰州拉面 
Address: 436 Changning Road, Changning District (near Jiangsu Rd.) |长宁区 长宁路436号(近江苏路)
Telephone: 021-6034-3618
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 – 14:00, 16:30 – 22:00 | Sat-Sun 8:00 – 22:00
Price: 15 -30 RMB/person
Cuisine: Chinese – Lanzhou
Rating: 4/5

 

Looking for Lanzhou la mian?

You can find it on any street corner and most of them are pretty solid (if you don’t mind the dirtiness.) But if you want to try the next level Lanzhou la mian, hop on over to Dun Huang Lou Lanzhou La Mian for their hand-pulled noodles with beef. This place makes those corner shops look like luxury.

 

Walking in I noticed the large restaurant space, compared to your average Lanzhou la mian shop. This spot is even backed by the Lanzhou government. They have proudly hung official plaques on the wall. When you order at the front, you’ll see that the beef noodle soup is the main noodle dish. But the differentiating factor here is how thick or thin you want your noodles. There’s a glass display case with a sample of each type. Sadly, I didn’t snap a photo of this. You can choose between eight types from thinnest to thickest:

Thinnest, think angel hair (毛细)
Thin (细)
#3 Thin (三细)
#2 Thin (二细)
Somewhere in the middle (三棱)
Thin and flat (韭叶)
Thick (宽)
Thickest, practically lasagna sheets (大宽)

 

Lanzhou Pulled Noodles with Beef (牛肉兰州拉面) | 15 RMB 

Regardless of the noodle thickness, the broth is the same, and it’s delicious. It tastes a lot lighter and cleaner than the usual Lanzhou noodle soups. Downfall is there’s definitely a hint of MSG and very few pieces of beef.

 

Thinnest (毛细)

If you like Angel Hair pasta then I would recommend this one. These strands are pulled so finely that really absorb the soup flavor and almost melt in your mouth. Recommended.

 

#2 Thin (二细)

I personally prefer more of a bite to my noodles and really enjoyed a slightly thicker noodle. Since the noodles continue to cook in the hot broth, these strands hold up better as you eat. Strongly recommended.

 

Lamb Skewer (羊肉串) | 12 RMB / skewer

These lamb skewers were very tasty with all kinds of spices like cumin, chili and more. The lamb chunks are big and juicy. A great side to the soup noodles. Recommended.

 

Hezhou Baozi (河州包子) | 6 RMB / two baozi 

Unfortunately, this was a disappointment. These large overly steamed dry buns are filled with a mushy filling of carrots and meat. Not recommended.

 

Bliss Tips:

• If you have an allergies or don’t take well to MSG, perhaps you should skip the noodles.
• Remember that this place closes lunch at 14:00 so be sure to get there before! Otherwise they re-open at 16:30 for dinner.
• If you need something sweet afterwards,  I’ve been told the Fermented Barley dessert is very good!