Dandan Noodles: 7 Stars Pepper.
My first experience with these noodles was in China a few years back and I’d been looking to find them in the US ever since.
This place is classic….2nd floor space with multiple tables in the Little Saigon area of the International District. It’s about 7 blocks up Jackson from the light rail station. Interesting characters hanging out at the bus stop in front but the entrance is just past that. You take an elevator to the restaurant which isn’t that obvious so look around the corner of the building.
I started with the hot and sour soup which was good and followed that with what they call crab cheese. I’ve also seen a similar dish called crab angel. Again good but I didn’t come for soup or an appetizer. So, how about some dandan noodles? These are made of hand pulled flour dough that is also hand shaved…..just like I had in China. That makes each noodle unique and because they are flat and irregular in shape, flavor reservoirs for the spicy sauce. The dish comes in many variations but this is the most authentic I have found so far. Simply stated, the dish was perfect….spicy with a hint of sweet at the same time and, of course, the noodles made the dish. Classic Chinese street food.
Service was friendly and good.
