Street Eats: Feel at Home with Spicy Chengdu Noodles and Dumplings at Dengji Laomian
As Sanlitun Soho gradually becomes a food haven, save yourself the headache of choosing between all those lunch options, and just plump down for Chengdu-style noodles and dumplings; you can't go wrong. The destination for those top-notch eats: recently opened Dengji Laomian, on the third floor of building 3 at Sanlitun Soho, where it's dwarfed by the huge neighboring Rijin seafood restaurant.
The tables are squeezed together, and when the lunch crowd flocks in, the place feels even smaller, bringing that real Beijing street eat style to a space-age shopping mall. And the food? It's very good. The signature Dengji laomian (literally "aged noodles", RMB 20) use overnight proofed dough for the noodles, so there is always lactobacillus in the dough to give a slightly acidic flavor. The noodles are very al dente and springy, topped with minced pork and vegetables, along with red oil, red chili, peppercorn, and spices at the bottom. After a stir, the noodles were coated with a beautiful brown and oily glaze. The best part? You can add more noodles for free.
Zhongshuijiao (钟水饺, RMB 22) or dumplings in red oil, is a classic Chengdu dish which can be dated back to 1893. It's all about the sauce, which has insanely great flavors from a concoction of soy sauce, ginger, cilantro, brown sugar, chili powder, peppercorn, Sichuan pepper powder, and garlic. Each dumpling with sauce was like a taste bomb going off in the mouth, with sweet, spicy, hot, acidic, and savory flavors. We sampled the pork, but you can also upgrade to beef for RMB 28.
With just one bite of these spicy and hot noodles and dumplings, you'll feel like you've been welcomed into a charming southern Chinese abode, thanks to Dengji Laomian bringing these humble and authentic tastes from Sichuan.
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Dengji Laomian
Daily 11.30am-8pm. 305, 3/F, Bldg 3, Sanlitun Soho, 8 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District (5740 4956)
邓记老面： 朝阳区工体北路8号院三里屯SOHO3号商场3层305号
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Photos: Tracy Wang
