Toronto Review 4/Many: I went to this excellent Lanzhou spot with another person as one of my…read moreearlier meals. Our server, Sophia, was bubbly and friendly, giving suggestions and helping with the ordering process for the other person who wasn't as sure what they wanted. We eventually went with two appetizers and two entrees, which was more than enough food, and honestly, we could have only ordered one appetizer.
The better of the two appetizers was the CAD 8.95 Hand Shredded Pepper Chicken/手撕椒麻雞/Shou Si Ji. The dish consists of cold chicken in a flavorful sauce, topped with some greens. The chicken was tender, with a mild, pleasant spice and a bit of numbingness from the Sichuan peppercorns, along with some fragrance, presumably from sesame oil. It reminded me a bit of salivating chicken you find in some Szechuan spots, but it was more aromatic and a bit less spicy.
The other appetizer was the Steamed Edamame/岩鹽毛豆 with Himalayan pink salt for CAD 5.95. The other person chose between this and the vegetable dumplings, as he avoids pork, and it was, of course, lighter than the other appetizer. The decent portion of edamame was topped with some pickled carrots as a garnish.
My main dish was the Braised Beef Noodles/紅燒牛肉面/Hong Shao Niu Rou Mian. The dish included several options, including size, noodle style, and spice level. I chose the large for CAD $20.95, medium spice, and for the noodle style, I chose flat/宽面, as it was closest to the prism style I like at Lanzhou spots in the States. Along with these, I also added a tea egg for an extra CAD 2.95. Outside the add-on, the dish also had a couple of large slices of radish. Compared to some spots in NYC, I slightly preferred the QQ/bouncy texture of the noodles at a spot near me. However, the broth was better here with a balanced amount of mala, though I would likely order spicy next time, as I tend to add chili oil to the relatively lighter Lanzhou broths. The beef was also much better, being tender with a mild chew regardless of whether it was tendon or other cuts. The tea egg was flavorful and worth the add-on, especially when the inside was dipped further into the broth. I can see why others order this.
The other person went with the Signature Stir-fried Noodles/招牌炒面/Chao Tatiaozi. There was an option of protein, and he went with Chicken for $17.95 and added the same egg. I tried a bit, and there was a pleasant pepperiness with a bit of numbing flavor, but less than my dish. The noodles had a good bounciness and overall had a slightly better chewiness than mine. This was lighter overall, but also tasty.
This spot has apparently come to the US already at the Mall of America, and I would love it if there were a location closer to me. Good place.