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| - After discovering Yunan/Crossing Bridge Noodle Soup this year, I have been on a Chinese noodle exploration for the last 6 months. I was thus highly anticipating the downtown opening of Dagu, a popular chain in China. My boyfriend had visited the Markham branch and he had nothing but positive things to say about the food. When we visited this downtown branch, my boyfriend concluded that it's almost as good as the branch up north. The only real difference would be the quality of the sides, which are saltier and smaller in portion size at the downtown location compared to what you would find at the Markham one. Fortunately, the flavour, content, and portion-size of the noodle soups are pretty much identical, so you're not losing much unless you really want to have sides on the periphery.
We've been to Fudao, another popular vendor of Yunan/Crossing Bridge Noodle Soup. Fudao pales in comparison to Dagu. Fudao's noodles are so soft that they could feel soggy and their broths are bland, whereas Dagu's broths are rich in flavour and filled with chewy, firm noodles. The one trump card Fudao holds, however, is their price point. Eating at Fudao will save you 2-3 dollars more, but remember it's at the cost of food quality.
Pros:
- Servers are fluent in English and Mandarin
- Broths are rich in flavour
- Wait times are minimal
- Unlimited noodles
- Noodles are firm and plentiful
- Booths are spacious and you can easily fit 6 people in them
- Clean
- Noodle soups stay hot for an extremely long time
- Walking distance from Eaton Centre
Cons:
- Very little protein in the broths
- Sides are saltier and small in portion size
- Drinks are well over-priced
- Stone bowls are 150 degrees celcius in temperature, so be mindful for children and company that is animated/clumsy
- More expensive than other Crossing Bridge/Yunan Noodle Soup vendors
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