Once again, pictureless post (you can Google images if you really want them)...this was an impromptu dinner date with friends, and we were running late so of course the camera was not a priority. We got to Legendary Noodle first, and punctually, and were seated at an old-style Chinese booth (meaning hard solid wood benches with little silk cushions - cute).
When our friends arrived, we ordered the house tea on their recommendation. It's a hot tea with dried fruits (including the gojiberry) and chrysanthemum. While the rest of the table enjoyed their tea, I found it meh. It was only partly sweetened, but I found the chrysanthemum taste and the weird herbal flavourings of the tea to be kind of icky.
We ordered green onion pancakes, the garlic-fried pea shoots, and steamed pork and chive dumplings as appies. Of course, our appies and mains came out at the same time so really there ws no differentiation of the courses. The pea shoots were fresh and tasty, and I thought the dumplings were okay; they had a bit of soup inside (sort of like xiao long bao but in dumpling form rather than round). The green onion cakes were pretty good, and they weren't greasy nor too oniony.
Our shared noodle courses included the following: a beef broth thick noodle soup with beef, a pan-fried flat noodle with beef brisket, and a saucy peanut-sauce broad noodle with prawns. I liked all of the noodles, but since this was my first handmade noodle experience in Van, I can't really compare its noodles with that of other handmade noodle shops. The noodles were crispy and not too doughy, but the noodle soup noodles were so long and of course uncut that it made sharing a bit of a challenge. I found the beef broth delicate and salted properly, though I wasn't a big fan of the cilantro flavours. The peanut sauce was yummy and the bits of peanut gave the dish some good texture. I also enjoyed the stir-friend dish, and their beef brisket was not too fatty (though I had hoped to see more meat than we actually got).
Prices were unbeatably good though; in all, tax-in, our total was around $56 (not including gratuity). For four people, you can't beat that. We were all satisfied and there was even a bit of noodle left over.
The service was quick and efficient, and not rude (as some reviewers had observed). We enjoyed the place and will probably be back. If you decide to go, do try to go at an "off" hour since their seating is limited. If you can, also try to get a view of the noodle man making the noodles. It's fun to watch!
Service: 3 out of 5
Food: 4 out of 5
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