Midtown Lunch

There is a new hand drawn noodle shop in the hood. It had been ages since I had a decent freshly made noodle and I was hopeful that the new spot would be a new favorite. It would be easy to get this shop confused with Chinatown’s other beloved hand drawn noodle shop, they are around the corner from each other, they both have steps leading up to the restaurant, and they have similar names, Nan Zhou v. Lan Zhou.  But since this one is so new, the space is really clean. Orders are taken right away, though we had to ask for drinks. In the back you can see and hear the fresh noodles being made through the process of slamming dough down on the counter to break it up into strands of noodles. There can be no question about the freshness here.

Besides noodle soup, there aren’t too many other options on the menu. The barely oily, pan fried pork dumplings are a nice starter.

Quckly enough came 2 hot, red and black bowls, one  filled with roast duck soup and the other with beef brisket soup. Both were under $7. The duck soup’s broth was more complex, though both needed some vinegar from the table. The actual noodles were fabulously fresh, I could have even used them a little less cooked to showcase the texture. I appreciated the veggie add ins, there was pickled greens, spinach, and cilantro. The quality of the meat was just decent. The noodles are the star here, all that Lan Zhou has to do is cook them a little less and finesse the broth and I will be a happy slurping regular.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• A large bowl of fresh noodles, hot broth, and meat and veggies for well under $10
• So far, cleaner than your average noodle shop

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Not the best broth in all the land

Yummy Lan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House, 131 N 10th St, 215 923 2222