Beijing Pulled Noodle

We finally went back to Beijing Pulled Noodle in San Juan…I think the last time we were here was almost a year ago. I decided to not write about this a year ago since the place was newly opened and it looked like the chef was still getting his bearings on the place. The main reason why we went here was that Serenitea again ran out of pearl, just as we decided to line up…so we had to wait and it was a good thing that there were noodles just across the street. It was a pretty great idea!

Fried Siopao: These cute little things were a little greasy (I’m not sure if there was anything else that could’ve been done about the greasiness since it was FRIED). When you bite into this cute thing, a  sweet and savory flavor, and fabulous crisp and soft texture comes into your mouth. This made me think twice about whether the greasiness bothered me as much. I dipped mine in the dumpling sauce aptly labeled in the condiment tray with a little hint of the chili oil. It gave the entire dumpling a great new layer of sour, sweet and salty aside from the sweet-savory I described during the sauce-less bite.

The Cha Chang Noodles: This dish showcased the hand pulled noodles’ chewiness, there is a very big difference between fresh and those commercial stuff you get where everything was dried in order to get preserved. The sauce of the noodles had pork and was quite spicy. It had a very prominent smokey slash “labuyo” flavor. The sauce also used dark soy sauce, which made it more “manly” than anything. The garlic added a very strong and yet interesting touch that brought the pork and dark soy together.

Braised Pork Pata with Soup: I love trying out new items! And this was fresh on the cartolina next to the wall. This braised pork pata noodle had a delicious mix of coriander that married into the broth. The pata was tender but it wasn’t that gelatinous (I was dreaming of something in the likes of a pata tim kind of softness). The broth was subtle but properly salted, and most of the flavors that were prominent came from the braising liquid from the pata. The flavor of the pata was pleasant and delicate and it had a wonderful mix of Asian spices like 5-spice and something that was smokey. The noodles in all these “pulled noodle” places are always overflowing. The portions were good in this place and it didn’t cost us much to get stuffed.

The aftermath usually of eating in a fresh noodle place is that a few minutes after you stop eating, the noodles begin expanding in your stomach…and this causes you to feel sleepy. Hehe, or at least that’s what happens to me. I think this place is value-for-money. The items are cheap and the portions are pretty good for the price and location in San Juan. The food is pretty good for the price and it is quite honest (yes that’s what I like in restos!).

Beijing Pulled Noodle is in Unit 4 Citiplace Building #8001 J. Abad Santos St., San Juan City