Dian Noodles
| Cuisine | Chinese |
|---|---|
| Price | $$ (16-30) |
| Rating | 6/10 |
| Last Visit | May 26, 2019 |
| Location | New York: East Village |
General Notes
A small Chinese restaurant that specializes in Yunnan rice noodles and miscellaneous small dishes. Somehow, this restaurant has maintained a 5-star almost since its opening, over 137 ratings. That in of itself is pretty amazing - I've literally never seen that before. The food did not disappoint. The menu is concise but each dish is made very well, just the way I like it. I don't even like Yunnan rice noodles that much but I was very impressed by the food. I would highly recommend giving this place a try!
Positives
> The food is excellent. I tried Yunnan food for the first time when I was in Shanghai, and I was thoroughly disappointed by the flavor profile and the texture. But this food truly flipped my perception of that. To be fair, mouthwatering chicken is not really a Yunnan dish. But still amazing.
Negatives
> Except in some specific situations, I'm not really a fan of the cramped, small restaurant aesthetic. Getting a seat here was pretty tricky. The tables seat around 12, and there are 6 countertop seats.
> As I mentioned, I'm not a huge fan of Yunnan rice noodles. Although I think they work reasonably well in this context, I found the rice noodles to be ever so slightly overcooked.
> The beef was incredible, but there wasn't much of it. I would have definitely liked for there to be a bit more beef in the noodle dish that I ordered. Portions as a whole were relatively small.
Dishes Tasted
- ★★★★ Mouthwatering Chicken -- Incredible. Served over a bed of bean sprouts with chili oil and crushed peanuts. Out of all the Chinese restaurants I've been to, this is by far the best chicken in terms of texture - juicy, moist, and tender. The chili sauce was just the right consistency, and the peanuts/bean sprouts added an excellent textural component.
- ★★★☆ Kunming Tender Beef Rice Noodle -- The beef is so incredibly tender, though I would have liked for there to be more beef. The flavor is excellent - medium is just the right level of spiciness, and the herbs are a nice touch. I didn't really like the pickled vegetables too much, and the rice noodles were ever so slightly overcooked. But otherwise an incredible noodle soup dish.
