一碗面

I've had Yiwanmen (literally means "one bowl of noodles" in Chinese) on my list for ages, but somehow, I'd always forget about it when I'm in the area. I finally made a quick visit there about a month ago when I had a jian bing craving and was in Chinatown. Jian bing is a really delicious thin pancake that usually has egg, sesame seeds, scallions, hoisin sauce, hot sauce, a crispy flat cruller, amongst other savory fillings. It was a popular street food in China, but I haven't found one that tasted like the ones I'd had in Shanghai while in NYC other than one spot in Flushing. Well, now I know I can come to Yiwanmen for my jianbing fix because theirs is made to order and definitely brought me back to my days eating street food in Shanghai! A few days ago, I came back and ordered takeout: I got the Chongqing noodles, the braised beef noodle soup, the cold sweet-sour lotus root slices, and the steamed pork chive dumplings. ALL OF IT WAS AMAZING. The Chongqing noodles reminded me of the spicy-savory noodles I enjoyed while in Chengdu, Sichuan (love the preserved vegetable bits as well as the crunchy peanuts); the braised beef noodles were toothy, the beef was super tender without too much fat, and the broth was slurp worthy with a deep star anise beefy flavor The lotus root pieces were sweet, sour, crunchy, and refreshing, while the pork-chive dumplings had a very unique texture on the inside and were also very tasty. And if that wasn't enough, the tall man who works the front and takes orders is really kind and sweet. He's soft spoken, speaks Mandarin and English, and he has a really caring demeanor. He's also happy to give suggestions if you are leaning one way or another. The food comes out relatively quickly (less than 10 min), and he bags everything so thoughtfully! The prices are also fairly cheap given inflation/post-pandemic prices, which is also shocking given the high quality. Notes regarding eating in: You order at the front, pay, and then they'll bring your food to you if you're eating in. They have several tables and a counter with stools by the window. There's no restroom, unfortunately.

The hot and sour rice noodles (n4) were soooo goooood. Absolutely amazing flavor and a great value. This spot has some casual seating inside so can dine in/out. Excited to go back and try more.

Got the braised beef noodles, Beijing noodles with soybean, a fish fillet crepe, and a pork belly crepe. Crepes were excellent and portion sizes could satisfy a hungry person. The noodles were also good, but I regretted not getting the spicy braised beef noodles.

Good noodles and fast service. Order at the front desk then take a seat. I like that the noodles actually have that sichuan peppercorn numbing feeling instead of just regular spiciness.

Simple and no fuss small mom and pop shop with some seatings. The braised beef is so soft and the soup is not overly salted.