Handmade noodles take center stage at Concord’s Lanzhou

CONCORD, CA (Oct. 24, 2023) — Several friends, including my buddy from Baldwin Dog Park, implored me to try Impression of Lanzhou – a new Chinese noodle restaurant.

It was nice to see that the menu featured unique, Northern China style cuisine rather than the mediocre fried rice, sweet and sour pork, or beef with oyster sauce found in most Cantonese eateries.

Located inland in a cooler climate than the south, the area is known for wheat farms. Instead of rice being a staple of the diet, their go-to food is handmade noodles. Impression of Lanzhou offers this freshly made product to their customers each day.

Owner Elaine Dai and her partner chef Cheng, who only goes by his last name, produce angel hair, thin, thick, small flat and wide noodles without the use of machinery. When stretched, the handmade pasta is so long that they equip each table with scissors to ease picking up noodles with chopsticks.

Lanzhou pairs its selections with sauces comprised of chilis, garlic, black beans, onions, cumin, sesame, scallions and cilantro. The results are spicy dishes that are not too overpowering for most of their diverse clientele.

Appetizers

I found many great choices from a long list of appetizers. Each dish is unique, and I highly recommend sharing these delights with others.
We started with seaweed salad, which was much spicier than the Japanese version most of us have tried. Lanzhou’s cucumbers in a garlic-vinegar marinade contrasted well with other menu selections. Over the course of our meal, the cucumber evolved into the composition of a pickle.

We also opted for the popular pig ear appetizer, which reminded me of Italian luncheon meats.

Up next were meat-filled pastries that resembled piroshkis. This should be no surprise as Northern China borders Russia. The spicy cumin lamb pita burger was delicious. Lanzhou offers pork and beef versions of this dish as well.

We also ordered the pork and chive steamed dumplings. My favorite were the spicy wontons. The stuffing for both items was plentiful and paired well with the garlic-pepper sauce.

Their cold skin noodles are ideally suited for warm weather dining. Preparing this delicate dish is a time-consuming process, with the chef diluting the pasta dough to separate the gluten, but the end product is well worth it. Because this takes so long, Cheng can fulfill no more than 15 to 20 orders per day.

This brings me to Lanzhou’s soups, with noodles cooked in a rich beef stock. We tried their signature beef bone soup. It consisted of five layers of broth, meat, noodles, daikon radish and greens. Seasonings that included sesame, red pepper and peanut sauce created a culinary masterpiece. They offer seven types of soup, including braised pork rib and lamb noodle.

Handmade noodles

Not to be missed are Lanzhou’s sautéed handmade noodle selections. Most of this part of their menu features Chow Mein or Chow Fung style dishes found in more traditional Chinese restaurants. A major difference here is that fresh ingredients impart a unique taste to every bite. There is also a vegetarian egg Chow Mein for those who don’t consume meat.

They cook each item to order, and Dai assured me that they can accommodate different diet requirements for content and spice levels for everything they serve.

“At the present time, we have a small menu for which we concentrate on making each dish a quality experience,” Dai says.

Impression of Lanzhou more than fills these expectations and is a welcome addition to the local culinary scene.

Although Lanzhou has no dessert selections, nearby businesses in Park and Shop can ably fill any sweet tooth needs. This includes treats from Uji Time Dessert, Quickly, Casa Del Alfajor and 85°C Bakery.

Located at 1657 Willow Pass Road, Impression of Lanzhou is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily, but closed 2:30-4:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday. Call 925-609-9090.

Contact Rich Eber at ­rjerje@pacbell.net