Nothing satisfies a craving for Chinese food quite like a trip to the San Gabriel Valley. For the uninitiated, the SGV, which lies just northeast of downtown LA, is a mecca of Chinese cuisine, offering everything from bite-sized Cantonese dim sum to thick beef rolls hailing from the Shandong Province of eastern China. What inspired this trip, however, was a hankering for noodles. Undeterred by an apparent monthlong closure at our intended destination (I’m looking at you, Tasty Noodle House), we headed to Lucky Noodle King to get our noodle on.
Lucky Noodle King specializes in cuisine from the Sichuan Province, an area known for its liberal use of mouth-numbing, tingly chilis. For our inaugural visit, Justin and I gravitated towards the spot’s signature dishes. In fact, our smiling server correctly predicted our order, which was helpful given the language barrier. She even assured me that everything could be prepared with less heat since I’m a big wuss when it comes to spice.
First to hit the table was a bowl of Wontons in Chili Oil. The plump, meat-filled won tons were topped with crushed peanuts, a generous layer of minced garlic and a thankfully less generous serving of spicy chili oil.
Everything about these were just right. I particularly liked the crunch that the peanuts added to the silky won tons.
The Braised Beef Noodle Soup also impressed. Thick, chewy noodles swam in a spicy red broth and were accompanied by beef braised to falling-off-the-bone tenderness. Green veggies brightened up the bowl and added some crunch.
When we hit the bottom of the bowl, we ordered a side of rice to soak up the last bits of spicy goodness.
Noms Not Bombs 