A Chinese hand-pulled noodle chain with over 300 locations in China is soft opening its first North American restaurant in Richmond on September 28.
Mr. Noodle Chen has taken over the old Pepper Lunch unit at Central at Garden City, the one that held Canada’s last Pepper Lunch.
The signature Classic Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup is $12.99, and most of the other noodle bowls still come in under $16.
With the economy the way it is, that’s a big deal, if you ask me.
We were given an exclusive first peek of the store, the items and the process.
When we reported the gold “Guess Who’s Coming” wrap on the windows back in August, there was no opening date.
The franchise owner told us the shop was actually finished in August, but they spent the extra weeks testing flour and meat suppliers until the taste and operations were ready.
He met the owner of Mr. Noodle Chen while previously working in Shanghai, fell for the brand, and wanted to bring it to North America.
Inside, it’s all modern wood, with bundles of real wheat as a decorative divider and symbolic of their emphasis on quality ingredients.
Walk in, and you’re facing the open kitchen, where the cooks knead and hand pull the dough into whichever of the eight noodle sizes you picked, from extra thin to extra wide.
A wall of nine gold plaques in the corner lists the chain’s brand awards, and the shop seats 62.
We tried the Classic Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup with regular noodles, the Chili Oil Braised Beef in wide noodles, the Sesame Chicken Cold Noodles in thin noodles, skewers and the crispy burger.
The wide noodles came out as long flat ribbons under chilli flakes, chunks of braised beef, greens and bean sprouts.
The noodles were well made, with a nice chew and bounce.
The meat was a step up too, and you can see it in the portions.
The Sesame Chicken Cold Noodles were the surprise hit.
We’re usually not big fans of strong peanutty or sesame flavours, but this one was milder.
The crispy burger was flaky, with ample filling and a bit of spice from the peppers inside.
Regular is the HIGHEST spice level, and even we, with terrible spice tolerance, weren’t fazed.
It’s more of a slight numbing than a fiery burn, and it pushes the flavour along.
One warning: the noodles are pulled fresh on the spot, so they clump up if they sit.
We know the camera eats first, but be quick!
The brand says its beef is halal, skewers, the burger, and small cold sides fill out the rest of the menu.
The team shared with us that their ambition is to open more Mr. Noodle Chen shops around Metro Vancouver after this one.
I’d go regular spice on your first bowl, and pick a wider noodle for the dry chilli oil ones, since it grabs more of the seasoning, just with a tighter chew.
With the colder temperatures arriving, Mr. Noodle Chen’s well priced noodles and comforting decor is a great replacement for Pepper Lunch.
Mr. Noodle Chen will be joining other new Richmond food spots like Spice & Sea, Dolan and Meeting in Chang’an.
For more new and upcoming food spots in Metro Vancouver, take a peek at our tracker here, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
Address: 1625-4791 McClelland Road, Richmond (Central at Garden City)
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