Lamb Noodle Soup
“The noodles absorbs the flavors of the broth; chili oil, vinegar, etc. All very good.”
“For the golden mall and walk to the back upstairs….it even says lamb noodle soup in English on the sign.”
“I always go there, especially, during the winter; always get my bowl of hot lamb noodle soup!”
Lamb Noodle Soup
Take-out: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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I like to stick things in little books and make cute presentations. So when I came here, naturally, I ordered some lamb-n-ate-it. (Get it? Laminate it? Laminated? Awesome).
What to get: Lamb Noodle Soup, duh… with extra hot chili oil.
What else: Don't look at the Ark, Marian. Keep your eyes shut.
And what: I'm gonna blow up the Ark, Renée.
Lamb Noodle Soup exists for me in that grey area between 4 and 5 stars. I waited outside for a good 20 minutes in my car and still my food tour partner did not emerge with the order. So I left the car parked illegally right in front of the Golden Mall and went inside to see what the hold up was about.
It was so busy inside, which is why the orders were taking so long to come out. The people behind the counter weren't friendly at all, but that's okay. They don't provide any of the famous hot chili oil to go (at least they wouldn't, for me), so I opened up the food, sat at the table, and tried some of it (scalding hot) without the oil. Very bland… I would have never given it more than a 4 based on that.
Then I added a crapload of hot chili oil (which is my jam, really). It totally took the dish to another level. It brought out all the flavour and made my head explode. Not in a sexual way. But that too, I guess.
When I had the leftovers later, I was wishing for more hot chili oil. It floats on the surface when you add it, so sometimes it's nice to add more, as you go. The portion was absolutely huge. The noodles were great. The veggies were crunchy and enjoyable. The broth was very lightly flavoured, and a little bland without the oil. The meat wasn't so great… very grizzly, but I think that's the way it's supposed to be. And of course the oil: was the star of the show. Homemade I hope!?
So I'll give this very popular place a tentative five stars for the excellent star dish when oil is added. It's far from my fave Chinese meal in Flushing though. I can think of three or four places which are off-the-charts good, and none moreso than the Lamb Cumin Noodle at Xi'an just downstairs in the basement – one of the best meals I've ever had anywhere.
According to Garland, Richard Matt and David Sweat made noodle soup while on the lamb. Maybe it's the same recipe.
Still, give Lamb Noodle Soup a try. It's authentic and filling and well-made and yum with great noodles. If you're anything like me, though, you'll want to add a ton of hot oil.
Everything's better with oil, though, don't you think? Would you like me to show you what I mean by that? Later. I have friends cumin over in a few mins. I know, it's a bit lamb to make you wait. But you noodle this about me going into this relationship, so… oh, my friends are here. Hey bro! Wassoup?
True Flushing experts may pooh-pooh the scene as getting woefully gentrified as it gets more exposure from food shows and self-proclaimed foodies. As a relatively new New Yorker and someone who is completely unfamiliar with the area (and doesn't speak Chinese), though, the area's underground malls and unmarked, extremely low-key food stands still spark wonder in my mind and tummy.
This Lamb Noodle Soup spot is a perfect example of the adventure of eating here (for me). We were on a search to find this knowing only that it existed in one of the food malls in the area, and knowing what the sign looked like based on photos on the Yelp page. It was not an easy task! We had to ask several people – most of whom had no interest in helping us, and wind through endless narrow hallways and crowded spaces to finally find the small restaurant, tucked in a corner I believe hear a hair stylist.
The first thing I noticed was that there were literally piles of raw meat piled outside the place. Those who are more gemaphobic might have seen this and immediately turned around to leave, but I figured I'd take my chances and at least we knew the meat was fresh, right?
The ladies behind the counter spoke zero english but we could get across to them that we wanted the lamb noodle soup. How can you go to a place called Lamb Noodle Soup (at least in English) and not order the namesake dish? Plus it was cold outside and just perfect for a nice big hot bowl of soup. It comes in two sizes and as soon as I had my first taste I immediately wished I had gotten the larger one. The broth was perfectly flavorful, the lamb so wonderfully tender, and there were lots of noodles to dig into. I'm not a fan of gamey lamb but this was perfect – must be their special outdoor defrosting method that does it!
They have a super hot sauce available for you to put in there but I'm a wimp with spice and found it flavorful enough on its own. I looked around and saw that other more expert patrons also had other dishes but I didn't even know how to start trying to order something else so I focused on enjoying the bowl in front of me.
It's cash only, of course, so come prepared. I saw in other reviews that the large cost under $7 and it makes me wonder if I got the gringo pricing because I remember paying more than that…so you may want to double check with the staff, especially if you have the benefit of speaking Chinese!
Truly authentic Chinese lamb noodle soup. This place is situated deep within a small shopping mall where you can get your hair cut and buy computers all in one place.
Definitely get the spicy lamb noodles it has some of the most flavorful broth I've ever had. If you want to explore the rest of the mall there are a few food stands I ate at along the way (not listed on yelp and to be honest I'm not even sure if they have names since I couldn't find one on the menu or in the store) that have some of the most authentic Shanghainese food I've had outside of shanghai
Nestled inside the Golden Mall, you can go and find this Lamb Noodle Soup joint. It's a tiny little hole in the wall that can seat maybe…12, but more will try to squeeze in and sit on top of you.
This place is uber awesome though! Their lamb noodle soup is amazing. The broth is delicious and has a distinct lamb flavor. It has the perfect amount of flavor, mixed with hand pulled noodles AND glass noodles, with a decent amount of that succulent, Lamb meat. Topped off with some cilantro, the large bowl is a good meal!
I'll definitely be back…and if you don't like Lamb Noodle Soup, they do have a beef option.
Basically the definition of a hole in the wall. It's in the back of the Golden Mall and this place really has zero decor and zero appeal except for the food. If you don't mind going just for tasty food, you will be fine. After you are done with your soup, there is a side container to throw out the remaining broth and food bits.
The food:
Lamb Noodle Soup- The noodle soup is perfect for a cold ass day. The soup is so warming and hearty. The noodles are hand pulled and have a great chewy texture while the lamb is cut into cubes. The lamb has a good mouth feel but doesn't have the strongest lamb flavor. The table side hot sauce/oil is a must and the small, which is filling, is only $5.50. yelp.com/user_local_phot…
Food: 3.5/5.0
Service: 2.5/5.0
Value: 3.0/5.0
Decor: 1.0/5.0
Overall: 3.5/5.0
I'm about to commit Yelp blasphemy so I might as well fess up and say that I just left the New World Mall location of this shop rather than Golden Mall so am driving part of my assessment off that. But I've been to both, they're the same thing, and I've tried to normalize the assessment for location based on memory so get over it.
The lamb noodle soup is okay but honestly not good enough to warrant so many Yelp stars on its own, and not cheap enough to warrant getting its rating inflated due to hole-in-the-wall-ness/cheapness. I also think they need to dial down the MSG. Severely overrated.
For people who reminisces about the delicious hand pulled langzhou la mian as I do, this restaurant will fulfill your fantasies. For $5.50, you will have the fully authentic, handpulled beef noodles with delicious broth. Having eaten these noodles alot as a child, a bowl of lanzhou handle pulled noodles brings back childhood memories.
The hand pulled noodles gives the noodles a chewy texture, signature for the dish. The soup is very well seasoned and tastes awesome. My friend got the lamb version of this noodle dish and had a lot of fatty lamb chunks, some of which had hair on the skin, I would stick with the original beef noodle soup. The also sell very delicious lamb skewers for 4 for $5, though they do not season it with enough cumin and I had to request extra. Its restaurants like this that makes me wishes I still lived in NYC 🙂
One of the best meals I've ever had in my life. Emphasis on the word MEAL because this soup will fill you up just as much as any hearty entree. The lamb is cooked perfectly, the broth was incredibly flavorful (easily the best broth I've ever tasted) and the handmade noodles were perfect and plentiful.
Even the minor details were spot-on. The bowl wasn't overloaded with cilantro, which is something I haven't liked in other similar soups. It also came up really quickly and you just can't beat the price. And at $5, this soup is some of the best bang-for-your-buck food in NYC.
About halfway through, I decided to put a tiny bit of chili sauce in my bowl, which was a mistake. It was a little overpowering and the soup is so good by itself that it simply didn't need anything else. Shortly thereafter, though, I dabbed a bit of vinegar in and that balanced the chili out nicely. Still, call me a bland eater, but I preferred the first half of the soup without any of those extras.
This was my first trip to Flushing and I, with my bad sense of direction, had some trouble finding it. Make sure you go to the entrance to the Golden Shopping Mall on Main Street. We made the mistake of initially entering the bottom level on 41st Rd., from which you can't access Lamb Noodle Soup.