RESTAURANT Pot Stickers and Home Made Dipping Sauce Canton Sweet & Sour Chicken (Gluten Free Available) for an upcharge Wenyan’s own Chinese province of of only fifty cents. Alcoholic beverage Jiangxi. These noodles differ from offerings include several locally sourced other rice noodles because they are draft beers, bottled beers, red and white made using fresh spring water versus tap wines by the glass or bottle, and Sake water, and thus contain no chemicals. by the bottle. Non-alcoholic beverage Noodles Fresh is one of very few offerings include assorted sparkling restaurants in the Bay Area that serves juices and soft drinks, iced tea, and of Jiangxi noodles, and these are used in course, a selection of hot teas. The Red the preparation of about half of the Tea (also known as the “house tea”) dishes on their menu. is offered complimentary with meals; however, other teas native to various Chinese provinces, are offered at a nominal charge of $4.95 per pot. As an aside, Wenyan has an intense love of tea, hence the reference to Noodles Fresh as a “Tea House”. Wenyan offers five of the most common categories of Chinese Teas, and once a month on Sunday afternoons, Wenyan offers free tea tastings between 3:00 and 4:30 PM. Interested customers may also set up private tea tastings by appointment. After giving us time to review the menu, our very kind server, Lucky, arrived to take our order. She was happy to answer any questions we had about the menu, and pointed out the two Noodles Fresh House Specials-- Jiangxi Salad and Jiangxi Stir Fry. Each of these entrees is made with Jiangxi rice noodles, which are imported from 10042 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito | (510) 898-1710 | noodlesfresh.com 36 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM JANUARY 2017 Contrary to the name, the Jiangxi Salad is served as a warm dish and is made with rice noodles, pan-grilled chicken, house chili sauce, garlic, ginger, sweet pepper and scallions. I ordered the Jiangxi Stir Fry, which is rice noodles with beef flank steak, bell peppers, baby bok choy and spicy chilies. I was initially concerned about the spiciness of the dish; however, Lucky explained that I could choose my own spice level—mild, moderate, spicy, or very spicy—I chose moderately spicy. My guest ordered one of the rice dishes, the Canton Sweet & Sour Chicken, which included chicken, pink onion, bell peppers and oranges cooked in a house-made sweet and sour sauce. For starters, we ordered two appetizers—Pot Stickers and Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings, and I ordered a hot Red Tea to drink, and my guest ordered iced tea. Our food was prepared very quickly, and our entrees actually were served just slightly ahead of the appetizers. Everything was presented on beautiful blue and white porcelain dishes, imported from Jingdezhen. We started by sampling the pot stickers, which were filled with ground pork, scallions and Chinese cabbage. Although they were not as plump as other pot stickers I’ve eaten, the flavor was excellent, and the homemade dipping sauce was distinctive, made with garlic, vinegar, sesame seed oil, and chili sauce. The salt and pepper chicken wings were crisply fried, but lacked the salty and/or peppery flavor that we’d expected. Both entrees emitted enticing aromas and looked very appetizing, so we were eager to try our meals even before our appetizers had been completely devoured. My guest raved about the Sweet & Sour Chicken, which was served with a mound of steamed white rice, and a generous portion of lightly fried chicken pieces tossed with pieces of bell peppers, onions, and orange slices. The housemade sauce had a sweet yet citrusy flavor, and my guest commented that it is the best sweet and sour dish he’s ever eaten. The Jiangxi Stir Fry looked like long spaghetti noodles mixed with REVIEW
Contra Costa Marketplace - Jan 2017
To see the actual publication please follow the link above