Beef Noodle Soup? Big fan. When I go back to Taiwan it’s pretty much all I eat. I have asked on many an occasion, where can I get the best noodle soup around? The answer, of course, is at my Mom’s house. But that answer doesn’t really help anyone else. So, of course I have to try to find another decent bowl somewhere in Seattle.
There’s two main variations of Beef Noodle Soup, the Hong Kong style and the Taiwan style. Of course there’s a Chinese style, but these vary greatly due to region and can all be placed on the spectrum that is bookended by the Taiwanese/Hong Kong style. Of course you have pho and stuff from other countries but I’m not talking about that stuff. The point is, comparing a place like Szechuan Noodle Bowl to Mike’s Noodle House is a futile effort. Apples and oranges.
So, in light of the many options in Seattle, probably the most accessible is the much overlooked Canton Wonton House, right around the corner from Shanghai Garden in the International District. It’s a small shop with a lot of seats and a big kitchen in the back. They serve noodles, soups, noodles in soups, some veggies, and congee. The hot sauce is potent and oily, and they have both red vinegar and white pepper on the table (very important!). Their menu hasn’t changed in years. It’s all very consistent.
For this particular trip down, my friends and I were actually planning on eating at some tofu shop (I’ll post it when I actually go there), but they were closed. So, lacking solid options and pressed for time, we agreed that the Canton Wonton House would be the best bet. And it was!
I got a Wonton/Beef Brisket bowl, regular size.
My friends got a Chicken Congee and a Minced Beef Congee. We also ordered a side of bok choy just for good measure.
The noodles are skinny by default, you can get either wide egg noodles or skinny egg noodles. It’s Canton/Hong Kong style, so the noodles they use are egg noodles rather than the wheat noodles. Also, the broth is lighter than the Taiwanese style, so it tastes more like beef than the salty stew I grew up loving. What the broth excels is really picking up the flavor of the special ingredient you get with your noodles. You can get one or two meat ingredients for your noodle soup, including beef brisket, fish balls, beef balls, suikau and their delectable wontons. They have like 30 combinations of those 5 or so ingredients, and that makes up their menu.
If you’re coming for the beef, you’re going to be disappointed. It’s a fine brisket, but they don’t include the particulars such as tendon or big pieces of fat. There’s a bit of the top layer on there, but it’s not like Szechuan Noodle Bowl or anything. It’s actually really good if you dislike those parts and prefer a lean brisket. The fish balls and the beef balls are also nothing to write home about. Or blog for that matter!
The wontons and suikau are the true star of Canton Wonton House, perfectly married with the soup and noodles to warm you up on cold nights and refresh you on warmer days. Throw in a couple pieces of bok choy, add a hint of red vinegar and a good shake of white pepper and it’s a perfect meal. The regular is more than enough for any person and it’s just under 5 dollars.
Even though a couple of them come floating in the soup, I always opt for the extra order of bok choy. They’re generous with it and it comes with the requisite side of oyster sauce.
The hot sauce is oily and hot and all kinds of awesome. It’s actually rather flaky too, almost like dimsum hot sauce.
A good soup is unbeatable in almost any cuisine.
Posted by hojodimsum
Posted by hojodimsum
