Based on the recommendations in this thread and having eaten at Nan Cafe and at several of the dim sum takeout shops that have been on that corner over the last couple of decades, I couldn’t resist a solo lunch there this afternoon.
At about noon, there were 15 - 18 patrons using most of the tables and it seemed like a knowledgeable crowd in that I got the impression that they mostly were familiar with the cuisine and knew what they wanted.
A seat next to the west windows, the first one on the right as you enter the front door, gave a panoramic view of foot traffic along 8th Street, Webster Street and the pedestrian traffic in the crosswalk scramble that crisscrosses the intersection.
I have no complaints about the service. A menu, hot tea in a plastic cup and instructions for the self-serve kimchi bar were presented quickly. The server spoke English and explained that the Chongqing Noodles ($8.89 plus tax) had certain differences from the photo in the menu. A huge noodle bowl arrived 10 or 15 minutes later.
The broth was rich with a milkiness that I liked but couldn’t place: soy or the noodles? The peppers and the ground meat tasted as if they had been roasted and that smokiness along with the milky broth was, I thought , remarkable and new to me.
I didn’t see the style of peppercorns like those in the boiled fish in chili oil at Z&Y in San Francisco but instead toasted flakes that didn’t have the burning bite of Z&Y but rather a more herbal taste with a long finish.
The noodles did have an irregular edge but were a tad off in the chewiness department compared to the hand-shaved round Shanghai noodles I remember from Shan Dong in Oakland. Maybe they missed a bit in the cooking time or I need some more noodle education.
There was so much in the bowl that I struggled to finish it. A pretty impressive lunch.
Chongqing Street Noodle $8.89 plus tax = $9.71
