Peaceful Restaurant

Last week we headed into Vancouver to see the movie Bright Star, and stopped by for lunch at Peaceful Restaurant, at 532 Broadway. It happens to be along a row of noodle restaurants, including Shao Lin Noodle House.

Like a lot of noodle places, the look of the restaurant is functional. Aside from pink walls, light pink tables, and red lanterns, there wasn't much to the restaurant. The seating was mostly banquette seating along one wall, and in the middle of the restaurant there is a glass partition in which you can watch the noodle chefs at work.

It was a litle difficult deciding what to order, because there were many kinds of noodles, but Shane opted for the Dan Dan Noodles ($6.95). The noodles came really promptly, but we were both confused by this dish because it seemed more soupy than we expected. However, it turned out that Shane didn't stir the dish vigorously enough, because by the end, it was pretty thick and peanut-y. The noodles were excellent, long, with a good chewy bite to it. The flavour was pretty good too, though pretty standard.

I opted for a noodle dish I'd never tried before, the Shan-Xi Tangy Noodles ($6.95). To be honest, when this first arrived on the table, I thought the waitress had made a mistake. It looked like a stew to me. The dish was described as tangy and spicy, so I was expecting something along that vein. The noodles were again, very good, but it just tasted like a cornstarch-based stew, without any spicy or tangy flavors. Plus, it's a small thing, but I didn't like how uniformly the ingredients were cut for some reason. I was disappointed by this dish, because I had an intense craving for something sour and hot at the time. Do you ever had cravings for a particular flavour like that? Nothing else can satiate it.

My last hope were the Szechuan Hot Chili Wonton ($5.95), which I'd had at other restaurants and which usually contain a vinegar component. However, the wontons just appeared to be flavored with chili oil and soy. Again, I was a little disappointed. However, the dish tasted good, though the wontons tasted a little soft.

All in all, I would come back to Peaceful restaurant. The noodles were good, but it seems like I just ordered the wrong things (other dishes on nearby tables looked so much better!). I'd be curious to try their other dishes, for sure. It is definitely good value--good quality and cheap prices!