Noodles through the LENS – June 2007 Update

For an explanation of the LENS, please read: Noodles through the LENS

THREE STARS: At Taiwan Beef Noodle House in Vancouver, the beef noodles taste good, but the service is lacking. The wait for food is long, and the number of servers is few. No. 1 Noodle House in Burnaby keeps its 3* rating, and ranks slightly higher than Taiwan Beef.

FOUR STARS: Hanju Hot-Pot in Burnaby retains its 4* rating, even though it has been charging the same price for less soup. There is now not enough soup to accompany the bowl of rice. Because of its popularity, the small size of the restaurant is more noticeable than before.

Lao Shan Dong in Burnaby now accompanies the list of 4* restaurants. My first visit benefited from the 'first taste bump', allowing it to achieve 5*. On a following visit, the noodles tasted the same, yet did not evoke the feeling of excellence.

Huang's Beef Noodle Shop in Vancouver is a consistent 4* restaurant. The bean thread noodles are tender and chewy, and the unique soup base has not been duplicated elsewhere. The main drawback is the small number of tables available.

FIVE STARS: Sasaya Bistro in Burnaby receives 5* for their Taiwanese style hotpot noodles and customer service. Future visits will determine whether they can keep their rating after benefiting from the 'first taste bump'.