“We are noodle folk. Broth runs through our veins.”Asians that just now how to take the marriage of noodle and soup to supreme heights. The other day I went to the Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles shop in Chinatown, Manhattan. This establishment is a must-go for anyone that loves noodle and soups, Chinese style.
Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodle Shop
Located on the narrow Doyers Street in Chinatown Manhattan lies a fantastic Chinese noodle soup joint. This establishment is a quick drive-by of a delicious food hit. The decor is not much, as in most ethnic restaurants that are truly great. Just jump in the place, grab a sit, and scour its menu.
At the end of the day, the menu stars are the noodles and broth. Having a view of the kitchen to watch the chef hand-pull the noodles to each order is a must. The noodles are available in hand-pulled and knife peeled forms. I am old school and prefer the ancient hand-pulled noodles. These noodles take on the shape of ramen and/or spaghetti noodles. The knife peeled noodles are cut from a lump of dough and are more doughy and chewy than its hand-pulled brethren – more like tagliatelle.
Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles menu: click here
The House Special at Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodle Shop
I went for the House Special hand-pulled noodles soup. I mean, it had me written all over it with its oxtail, beef tendon, tripe, beef and fried egg. I also ordered the pork & chive steamed dumplings, which were good, but clearly a second thought next to the noodle soup. As a side note, as proposed here, is beef tendon the new pork belly?
The noodles are out of this world. They are firm and chewy. Don’t forget to slurp, that is good manners and proper in Asian cultures. Needless to say, I was slurping away at these noodles in complete enjoyment. The noodles are served in an intoxicating beef broth, that is fatty (but not too fatty & oily) and full of flavor. On the table is chili oil, soy sauce, and vinegar for one to season the broth to one’s liking.
tasty hand pulled noodles house special from jw1976's flickr stream
Just go ahead and get your sweat on, it is inevitable with a dish this outstanding and comforting. To me it was like eating a Chinese hybrid of pho and ramen. Ingredients such as scallions, leafy Chinese greens, and pickled bamboo pieces bring additional depth and taste to the noodle broth. And one cannot forget the beefy goods in form of fatty tendon, tripe, and oxtail that float in the soup. The oxtails are served with the bone, which makes for awesome nibbling fun.
The hand-pulled noodles and broth reign supreme but everything works perfectly in harmony with one another to create a special bowl of noodle soup. Go check it out at the Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodle Shop. And all of this goodness for $6.50 is quite the steal.
Po: Wait, wait… it’s just plain old noodle soup? You don’t add some kind of special sauce or something?
Mr. Ping: Don’t have to. To make something special you just have to believe it’s special.
