Strands of Bliss

QIN HAN LAO WAN | 秦汉老碗
Address: 465 Changshou Road, Jing’an District (near Jiaozhou Rd.) |静安区 长寿路465号 (胶州路)
Telephone: N/A
Hours: Daily 10:00 – 23:00
Price: 15 – 30 RMB/person
Cuisine: Chinese – Shaanxi
Rating: 4/5

Searching for Shaanxi strands.

Ever since my beloved biang biang mian spot shut down, I’ve been on the search for solid Shaanxi (Xi’an style) mian. I feel like biang biang mian is the underdog of noodles and deserves more recognition. After a search on Dianping (China’s equivalent of Yelp), I found a place in north Jing’an district which looked clean enough to pay a visit.

To learn about biang biang mian, click here to get more noodle knowledge!

This restaurant is small but clean with Chinese style wooden tables and wood molding accents. The menu offers all your standard Xi’an style strands including: You Po Che Mian, Sao Zi Mian, Liang Pi, etc. Sadly you can’t see the noodle maker stretching and banging the wide pieces of dough, but I caught a glimpse through the small kitchen window – not to worry, these strands are pulled fresh on the spot.

While the prices were pretty cheap, we didn’t want to over order just for the sake of photos (also have to limit my noodle intake as to not nullify my morning gym work out!). We ordered two dishes and a side of Rou Jia Mo…and were eyeing other people’s dishes for next time.

 

You Po Che Mian – Hot Oil Noodles (油泼扯面) | 14 RMB

This is my favorite type of biang biang mian dish. It directly translates to ‘oil splash noodles’ as it’s simply biang biang noodles with chili, some soy sauce and vinegar, green leafy vegetables and bean sprouts, splashed with hot oil. The noodles were deliciously thick and al dente with the chili and oil adhering to the strands. The only challenge was that the noodle was so long it was hard to share…really not a big problem though. Strongly recommended.

 

Qishan Sao Zi Mian – Hot Sour Noodle Soup (岐山臊子面) | 16 RMB

This dish was # 3 on Dian Ping’s top ordered dishes, but unfortunately it missed the mark with us. Not sure if it was an off day, but compared to other Sao Zi Mian dishes I’ve had, I felt the soup was not as tasty. It had the sour flavor, but lacked the hot spice and depth that the dish should have. The noodles were pulled thin but still kept a chewy bite which was nice.  Not recommended.

 

La Zhi Rou Jia Mo – Pork Meat Sandwich (腊汁肉夹馍) |  9 RMB

I love a good rou jia mo alongside hand pulled noodles and this one did not disappoint. The bread was dense and crunchy without being dry and the pork was tender and juicy. Every person had an order, so that’s good proof that it’s worth ordering.  Strongly recommended.

 

Bliss Tips:

– Try to avoid the lunch peak between 12 – 1PM.

– On my list to try for next time is: liang pi (凉皮) in warm weather, beef pao mo (牛肉泡馍)