I visited Pittsburgh for the weekend and strangely had a craving for beef noodle soup. I guess it really shows that I can't go without soup and noodles for more than a few days. My buddy told me about Rose Tea Cafe in Squirrel Hill and so I checked it out.
It was my mid-afternoon snack, so I stuck with the beef noodle soup and a jasmine bubble tea. Both were surprisingly good. Being from Toronto, I am spoiled with high-quality Chinese food. Compared to my favorite Toronto restaurants, the dish was just average. However compared to where I am situated now, in Rochester, it was good.
$8.50 gets you a generous portion of soup and noodles. While other reviewers found the beef portions to be small, I thought otherwise (see attached pictures). There were 5-6 generously sized pieces. They were well-tenderized, but still slightly chewy.
The broth was flavorful without being overly salty. However, it lacked spice and I was eager to get my hands on some hot sauce. I also thought the soup could be a bit more "beefy".
The noodles were al dente and cooked well. It was served with suan cai (Chinese sauerkraut) and Chinese Kai-lan vegetables. The one vegetable that I missed from dish was Chinese Bok Cho.
The bubble tea was good. The tapioca was not excessively chewy or hard. The ambiance and service were pretty average. If this place were in Toronto, I would give it a 3/5. But compared to Rochester, NY and most likely other places in Pittsburgh, I will give it a 4/5.