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| - I Have To Try This Again. Loved the Hand Pulled Noodles! Hated the Dumplings."
I visited China Magic Noodle House with mixed expectations, but an open mind. The reviews are on the spotty side, but I really wanted to try their hand pulled noodles.
Once I found the restaurant (on the back side of the building) I was immediately pointed to a nice booth by a smiling server and brought water and a menu. I had heard that the lemon tea was good, so I ordered it and settled in to consider the menu.
I had brought a few suggestions from the reviews I had read, and after some consideration, although I knew it was too much food, I decided on the dumplings (pot stickers) and the #34 XO Sauce Beef Noodle Stir Fry so that I could try more than one thing. I only had to wait a couple of minutes for the server to return with my lemon tea (wonderful!), and to take my order. When asked about the heat level of the heat of the XO sauce, the friendly server indicated that it was a little hot for her, but that they can tone it down to be sure it was not to hot for me. I agreed to that.
The dumplings came out first, and fairly quickly, but were a huge disappointment. They didn't look very good and I could tell without touching them that the wrap was dry. The wrap was tough, and where it wasn't tough it was hard. I initially tried to use chop sticks to pick one up, but it was large, heavy and awkwardly shaped. I tried to cut it with a fork I had been brought, but in was too hard to cut. I gave up and picked it up and took a bite. Even that was a bit of a challenge because along with the toughness of the wrap, the meat inside was very densely packed. I tried dipping it in the accompanying sauce, but it wouldn't absorb any of it. Granted, it was a large serving (8 dumplings) but inedible and not very tasty. I didn't even finish the first one. This was starting to look like a bad idea.
As I decided to give up on the first dumpling, my #34 was brought to my table. It smelled great, and was a HUGE portion. As I blended the ingredients together, it felt to me that the dish needed a bit more moisture to keep the ingredients from sticking together. I also realized that the noodles were extremely long and that I had forgotten to order them shaved (easier to eat), but that was my bad.
The dish was, however, delicious. The meat was tender and tasty, I really liked the noodles, and that they still had a slight chewiness. Per my request, the dish was spiced to a perfect heat level for me. The heat was present, but not overwhelming. My HUGE serving had a nice balance of noodles, meat, bean sprouts, carrots, etc. Eating the unshaved noodles was awkward, but I didn't let it slow me down. I only managed to eat about 1/3 of the dish.
I was provided take-out boxes and a plastic bag (helpful), and for what reason I don't know, I took even the awful dumplings with me. I later tossed the dumplings, but found the noodle dish reheated well in the microwave given several minutes at power level 4 in a covered microwave dish.
Overall, I'm glad I came and plan to return again because I loved the hand pulled noodles and lemon tea. I will not be having the dumplings. I still want to try the Ox Tail Soup, and the Noodles with Minced Pork.
I rated this as 4 stars instead of 3 because it is interesting to see the noodles made while you eat, my main dish was REALLY good, and I received prompt friendly service.
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