Alleyway Gourmet: Ling Er Jiu Noodles, Xingfucun Zhonglu

For weeks now the Shaanxi-style noodle bar Ling Er Jiu Noodles has been attracting large crowds. Even in the freezing cold of winter, people huddle up outside patiently waiting to get in for one of the mammoth bowls of noodles that are being sucked up by the lucky ones inside. Surely with such numbers swarming nightly it must be good.

The reality, however, was below our expectations. Service was rough and perfunctory, and the tight squeeze of bodies and tables left us feeling irritable rather than cheerful. The size of the noodle bowls were reduced to a gimmick when we discovered how shallow they were inside and as they became obstacles to sharing and side dishes.

The food itself, though, was acceptable. What they did do well in particular was the bite of the noodles. Unlike what often turns up as a sloppy expression of flour, the noodles here were al dente, deftly treading the fine line between undercooked and cooked.

We ordered the signature dishes, the wide belt-like you po che mian (often also known as biang biang mian), on the menu translated as noodle with spicy oil and pork (RMB 25), and the finer, softer gun gun noodles with spicy oil (RMB 25). The first were thick and had a great hand-made artisanal texture to them, and were dressed in a pungent spicy sauce. The second were delicate and came in a more subtle fragrant soup. On the side we had rou jia mo, (sauced lean pork burger, RMB 12), which had a rather subdued flavor.

The restaurant itself has a quaint, appealing design, with everything themed in the style of blue and white chinaware, even down to the embroidered chefs’ jackets. Unfortunately it’s a little hard to take in due to the squeeze. Once the crowds die down, we imagine we’ll go back again for another try.

Ling Er Jiu Noodles
Daily 10am-4am. Xingfucun Zhonglu, near the crossroads with Chunxiu Lu (5745 4029)
零贰玖油泼面：幸福村中路（靠近春秀路十字路口）
1.2km northeast of Dongsishitao station (Line 2)
 

Photos: Ken