Manila's Dao Shao Mian Connection

It's been almost ten years since we last lived in China, and seven since I last visited. Still, there's something about Chinatowns that always say 'home'.

So, when we travel to Southeast Asian cities we invariably find ourselves in one. It's curiosity, partly - how does Binondo (Manila's Chinatown) compare to Yaowarot (Bangkok's)? How does it compare to China? Sometimes it's the caffeine factor - Chinatown coffee shops often have the best coffee. And there's that matter of feeling at home, like we always did in China, even when living there seemed like a royal pain. When we're overwhelmed by an unfamiliar city it's comforting to spend a couple of hours in an area where everything looks familiar, sounds familiar, and tastes - with variations country to country, of course - familiar. If, when we're wandering, we find authentic versions of our favorite Chinese dishes, so much the better.

Like dao shao mian, 'knife-cut' noodles. Hands down, our favorite Chinese noodle. We stumbled across the dish a year ago at Binondo's Lanzhou La Mien, a little shop dedicated to northern Chinese doughy specialties. A couple of weeks ago we returned. This place does dao shao mian right, down to the bowls of chopped scallions and cilantro, the tin of Sichuan peppercorn-tinged, red-oil la jiao (hot sauce), and the bottles of soy sauce, and black vinegar on every table. 

The noodles are cut to order in the tiny kitchen by a sturdy, smiling Lanzhou native. She wields her knife like a pro, shaving strips of dough and, with a slight flick of wrist, sending them flying into a pot of boiling water. Her lump of flour and water (and nothing else save for a bit of salt) is firmer and more elastic than most, making for a noodle with a lovely chew.

The shop serves a few versions of dao shao mian (chicken, beef). We go for the classic, noodles in a bowl of rich pork broth studded with tender pieces of meat and bok choy.

We've asked for it spicy, but of course we add more of that lusty la jiao at the table - drop drop, plop plop. Yeah, we're addicted, all right.

This may be the best bowl of dao shao mian south of the mainland. It's certainly outdoes versions we've eaten in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and Phnom Penh.

It's the noodles, and thus the dough, that make or break this dish, and the Lanzhou lass's are beyond reproach, silky-soft yet toothsome, uneven jagged edges grabbing bits of scallion and la jiao en route to mouth.

There are a few other delightful northern specialties on offer here, like shui jiao (boiled dumplings, 15 to an order),

substantial but not-too-thick wrappers enclosing a filling appropriately light on pork and heavy on pungent Chinese chives. Served with shredded ginger in black vinegar, to which we add soy and - of course - la jiao.

The place is not called Lanzhou La Mien for nothing and if you order the specialty (choices include beef, pork, chicken, seafood, and pork chop or rib) you can watch the cook work her magic, turning a lump of dough into a skein of supple pasta with nothing more than a few bounces of the arm and twists of the wrist, through the window that divides the kitchen from the dining room.

Though we didn't opt for la mian this visit, we did enjoy a couple of bowls last year.

If you're a Chinese noodle and/or dumpling-loving Manilan get thyself to Binondo pronto. You don't have to adore la jiao like we do to enjoy the northern specialties at this place.

Lan Xhou La Mien, 819 Benavidez Street, Binondo, Manila.

Comments

[renato]

I marvel at the way you come across these hidden treasures in an area as big as Metro Manila. Kudos to Dave especially on the first picture...those droplets are pefectly proportioned!

[AppetiteforChina]

Mmm...this is also one of my favorite Chinese dishes. I'll never forget the hao shao mian I had a few years ago while wandering around Beijing's hutongs. A man was outside a tiny hole-in-the-wall, expertly shaving noodles into a huge metal vat of boiling water. He urged us to go in and eat, and so we pulled up stools next to "lao bai xing" who were obviously perplexed at the two 20-somethings with toting cameras. I was shocked that noodles so delicious was only 3 yuan. Flash forward to the present...hutongs are disappearing and I can't even find that place anymore.

[mycookinghut]

The first pic is amazing.. wow! I also like the the pic where the lady was cutting the noodles.. fantastic! Finally the bowl of noodles makes me drool. :P

[Chris]

How I wish u had posted this 2 years ago! I saw a woman in a restaurant in Xian who was standing over a huge boiling pot with a knife in her hand, much like in your pics. The window was very fogged up and I had no idea what she was doing. How I regret I didn't venture in!

[Robyn]

Hi Renato - we're generally pretty good at sniffing out northern Chinese food, no matter where we go, bec. it's a cuisine we love and can never get enough of!

Appetite - yes, what is it about this dish? It's the first street food I ever ate in China, back in Sichuan in the mid-80s. Served out of what looked like a garage, lots of thick, chewy noodles and minimal meat yet the broth was so rich, and floating pea tendrils instead of bok choy (also my first taste of pea greens). And plenty of la jiao. Bowls and bowls of dao shao mian got me through that cold, wet winter. And shui jiao served by the jin the likes of which I have never had since, half the size of my fist, garlic-green pungent and eaten with raw garlic cloves and dipped into straight la jiao, no soy or vinegar.

mycookinghut - thanks!

Chris - I think there is a lesson there. If you don't know what it is but it looks intriguing, give it a try. I bet dao shao mian in Xian are spectacular!

[Jennifer]

Wow! LOVE, love, love the pictures, and am so hungry! I love me some yummy dao xiao mian!

[Jenn]

I'd kill for some daoshao mian. Or Lanzhou lamian. Yum!

[Nate 2.0]

Wow. Excellent post. You made me so hungry!

[mila]

Holy cow! It's been 10 years since I lived in China, but I do get to go there every other year; la mian and jiaozi are burnt in my food memory banks and I miss them terribly. I've found decent jiaozi in Binondo, but never thought I'd find a good lamian place!!! Thanks Robyn and Dave (love those oil drops, a hint of the subtle heat in that oil). I'm going to drag me some friends to find this diner.

[cyn]

oh god. gimme gimme!!!!!

[rokh]

oh wow, when i saw the first picture my first reaction was there is water on my screen! i nearly move to wipe it off! wonderful photography!

[Nick Tan]

We've immediately tried eating here after I let my friends view this post of yours. Thanks very much!

[Tim Hori]

I am so happy to run across your blog. I've been craving some authentic dao shao mien for a while.

I lived in chengdu, a long time ago and ate dao shao mien at least 3 times a week.

Now its hard to find places that make it, and even harder to find places that make it right.

Thank you for your post. I'm checking it out this weekend.