Lao Shan Dong

Recently, we went out with Ana and Kay again for lunch, and we chose Lao Shan Dong noodle house because neither of them had been there before. Shane and I had eaten here many times because it's usually our pre-movie meal anytime we go to Metrotown to catch a movie. Lots of people have written reviews about this place (as you can see here), but I first learned about it from I'm Only Here for the Food blog.

The restaurant is on the corner of Nelson and Kingsway, right across the street from the Metrotown mall parking lot. There is not much to be said of the ambiance, except to say that the focus is really on the food.

First, we shared the homemade dumplings (15 for $7.95). These arrived steaming hot; the dumplings tasted fresh and the dough was nice and springy. We were given a small dish with a bit of sesame oil, as well as vinegar and soy to make a dipping sauce. We enjoyed this very much.

Kay ordered the dry Beijing style noodles, and he seemed to like this a lot.

The rest of us ordered variations of the noodle soup; both Ana and Shane had the small #1 Beef Brisket noodles ($7.95), and I opted for the pork and beef ball version. You have a choice of spicy or non-spicy. We usually go for the 'spicy', because it's not spicy at all. The soup was delicious, and had a deep, dark brown beefy flavour. There is a slight sweetness to the broth, and the addition of sour pickled mustard gave the soup a necessary tang. The meat was tender and generously portioned; the meat balls also were great, with that slight rubbery texture that I actually love. But the best part was definitely the handmade noodles, which were slightly chewy and which had absorbed the flavour of the soup.

We love coming here. The dishes are consistently good, and we have never left disappointed (or hungry!).