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| - Growing up having a lot of Northern-style noodles, I went to Shang's Artisan Noodle certainly with expectations. The truth is, nostalgia in the taste palate is hard to surpass, or even match. With that in mind, Shang's northern-style noodles come close to my childhood memories.
I got the knife-shaved Shang beef noodle. What I looked for were tender meat, chewy noodle, and flavorful broth. The meat knocks it out of the park--it was tender, flavorful, and required little effort to chew. The rich flavor gets even more potent when accompanied by a spoonful of the delicious soup. The only thing missing the mark were the knifed-shaved noodles; they were thick and chewy but lacked the beef flavor. I am not an expert but may be the noodles needed to be immersed in the broth a littler longer. Nevertheless, the experience was still a pleasant one.
We also got Pork & Cabbage Boiled Dumpling and Beef pancake. Both were quite good but short of amazing. To me, they tasted a little bland even when dipped in the sauce that is on every table. Also, I think both dishes use the same fillings because the tasted similarly. While each side dish can be a good complement to your noodle soup, you shouldn't get them both at the same time.
The service didn't comply with my childhood memory at all, which is certainly a good thing. Our server was very attentive and frequently checked on us to see if we were okay. Overall, Shang Artisan Noodle is definitely a place for a satisfying northern-noodle experience.
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