Grayson and I have been craving Northern Chinese food lately and where better than to satisfy it by heading over to Legendary Noodle?. Chili wonton: Not the best wontons we’ve ever had because they were oddly dry to bite into. Yes to the chili sauce on them but we would probably go for the dumplings instead next time.

Best Chinese noodles in Vancouver? Try the West End’s Legendary Noodles. Voted #1 Best Noodles 2017 in The Georgia Straight’s annual poll, this restaurant’s name is more than just clever. We visited on a Friday evening and I couldn’t have imagined a more atmospheric restaurant. I felt as if I had been magically transported to a mysterious back alley in China - a secret place that only the locals know about. The small space is dimly lit and there are wooden antiques imported from China everywhere. It feels incredibly authentic. I found myself looking around everywhere, wondering if I was still in Canada. I’ll keep coming here for the mini vacation to Asia alone!

Our server was prompt, if not slightly curt. This wasn’t a problem, as they run an efficient restaurant and there was friendliness underneath it all. I was curious about the House Tea ($3.50) and ordered that to drink. I had no idea what “house tea” meant, and what it meant was: Bits of all sorts of stuff floating in a tall glass. And it was incredible!!! I beyond loved this tea! There were flowers and pieces of fruit, some kind of a nut, and who knows what else in there... And it all came together to create this deliciously warm, comforting, sweet, spicy, aromatic blend. It kinda tasted like Christmas. I would almost pop into this place to see if I could grab a cup of tea to go. And they give you such a big glass that your happiness lasts a long time!

Obviously, we were there for the noodles. Speaking of the amazing atmosphere, they have an open kitchen toward the back where the chef is making the noodles the entire time while you eat. There is so much stretching, twirling and slicing of dough going on back there, that it’s an entire entertaining show to behold in itself! The level of expertise is incredible.

There is quite a lot to choose from, so we began with the section which featured “Tang Mian & Hand Stretched Noodles in Soups.” We prefer a bit of spice and selected the Hot & Sour Soup (Drizzled egg, mushrooms, bamboo strips - $11.25). They also ask you to select the thickness of noodles that you would like (thin, thick, flat), and we chose the thin ones for this soup. More than enough to share, this brightly-coloured bowl contained all sorts of things, tofu cubes included. I loved the long, long noodles (their length represents long life), but the broth itself could have packed a bigger punch. I wanted to be assaulted by giant flavours and spices, but unfortunately it was pretty lackluster. I found myself searching to understand the composition of this soup.

Never fear, the “Hit Me with Dao Xiao Mian” (stir fry dishes with sliced noodles) are here! From this section, we chose the Beef Brisket (Finely sliced noodles from a flour dough, stir fried green & red pepper, celery, bean sprouts, dark bean soy sauce - $12.75) and it was AMAZING. We loved this!! This dish packed the flavour that we had been looking for. The stir fried noodles were incredibly toothsome and packed a delicious bite. But most of all, the brisket was to die for. It was melt-in-your-mouth tender and tasted perfect without too much fat. This is the kind of special dish that we had hoped to find. The vegetables were fresh and every component created a perfect harmony. So very good!

We also ordered from the “Grandmom’s Dumplings” section, because how could we not? (If a section on a menu is called that, you order from it.) We picked the Xiao Long Bao (6 steamed juicy pork dumplings - $7.50). These were simple, perfectly made, and tasty. We were given the option to have them steamed or fried, to which we chose steamed. The dipping sauce was ultra vinegary, which I loved - the acidic hit worked so well with the sweet dough and savoury pork. Can’t go wrong with a dumpling! (Well, you probably can. But these ones were good.)

While it wasn’t a perfect experience, overall I really enjoyed my visit to Legendary Noodle. There are many more things that I would love to try on their menu and the noodles themselves are completely legit. The prices are reasonable and if nothing else, come to sit in their awesome restaurant and drink their magical tea.