After the snowstorm finally settled, Steve and I walked down toward Chinatown. We had had enough of sitting around at the hotel, and all we wanted was a big bowl of hot noodle soup. So we headed straight for 1915 Lanzhou Hand Pulled Noodles and Dumplings, a place we had been wanting to try for a long time.
When we arrived there was already a line outside, and inside the small restaurant every table was full. The line moved quickly though, and it didn’t take more than 15 to 20 minutes before there was a table for us.
From our table we could see straight into the kitchen, where they were making the noodles by hand. The dough was slammed hard onto the counter and then pulled and stretched into long strands before going straight into the boiling water. It’s quite fascinating to watch, and it really does make a difference in the taste. The noodles come out incredibly fresh with that slightly chewy texture that is hard to get any other way.
We looked through the menu and felt like ordering everything, but in the end we decided on one bowl each. I ordered their signature Lanzhou beef noodles, and Steve ordered the Oil Spill Noodles with braised beef. Oil Spill Noodles are served without broth. Instead, hot chili oil is poured over the noodles together with garlic and spices, and they can be quite spicy. My noodle soup also looked pretty fiery with that bright red flavor as you can see in the photos, but the flavor was round and mild and absolutely delicious.
When you order, you can choose the thickness and shape of the noodles. Round or flat, thick or thin. The waiter suggested that I go with thick regular noodles, the slightly thicker round ones, and it turned out to be a really good choice. They worked perfectly with the soup and had just the right bounce and bite.
We also tried a rou jia mo, mostly because Steve was curious. On the menu it is listed as Chinese hamburger and it is a kind of Chinese bread stuffed with meat. We had one with beef and it was okay, but also a little dry, and probably not something I would order again.
The noodles, on the other hand, are hard to beat, so if you find yourself in Chinatown on a cold winter day, now you know where to go.
Read my blog post about citizenM Bowery, where we stayed during the snowstorm
1915 Lanzhou Hand Pulled Noodles & Dumplings, 76 Mott St, New York, NY 10013, United States
