Dandan’s Guilin Rice Noodle

I should have known better than to be drawn to the Ultimate Noodle poster in the window. But the words crack and unicorn where burned into my memory ever since I first saw it. So I had to try.
The communication fail doesn’t stop after the advertisement, but I could barely get by by pointing at the menu. I felt like we were cavemen pointing, grunting and nodding.
I tried ordering the ultimate noodles, pork ears, and a side of bittermelon.
I figured out she tried to tell us that they don’t have bittermelon but she tried to indicate that she did have something else but I didn’t really want anything else.
I was surprised at how small the noodle dish was but the side dish was a mountain of pork ears.
The ultimate noodle has the option of making a soup which we weren’t aware of but I think that might be the better option because there isn’t much sauce at all.
I only got through my share of the noodles because the pork ears were dripping in a salty sichuan peppercorn chili oil sauce. It added some intense flavors to the noodle dish which had some fun pieces of pickled green bean.
The noodles are like fat ramen noodles but taste like phở noodles because obviously they are rice noodles. So maybe my brain couldn’t comprehend the concept of the style of their noodles. I really had high hopes so maybe I’ll try again and try to learn how to communicate better now that I know the difficulties I might encounter.

The staff doesn’t seem to speak English despite trying their best to try and be helpful. When I got my noodle bowl the worker came back a couple minutes later and tried to explain that it should be mixed up (she even took the chopsticks and fork and mixed it). Came back a couple minutes later with sauce.
Confusing not knowing how to eat it since most places once the food is set in front of you you’re pretty much good to go. The noodles would not have been edible if I had been left to continue eating it without the sauce but afterwards it was alright.

We came for the ultimate noodle dish. The one that says «made with crack and unicorn kisses.» I had high expectations just based on that, and to continue to read how it would be so amazing, they would cut off a finger if they described it as anything other than that, «trippin’ on the awesome flavor,» and its gloriousness… Lots of really high expectations from a really good description… Fell incredibly short of the expectation it built within me.
It was pretty bland, even with the various ingredients, which individually lends flavor, the noodles where bland. This secret sauce was so secret I’m not sure we got any, or enough to taste.
Ordering required menu pointing, English was not understood easily. It wasn’t bad though, just a little rough.
Honestly, the food wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t up to the expectation that was created. I don’t think I’ll be returning, but I wouldn’t refuse going back for a second chance.

Gross baby corn in my hot pot. They were all black and inedible. The veggies tasted raw and unpleasant. Bad service also. Probably never coming back ever.

What kind of amazes me is the stark contrast between the menu and the service. What I mean is this; the menu has lots of perfectly written out jokes in English and even some slang thrown in. The service at this restaurant however hardly seems to understand English and speaks to you in Chinese. And is not very friendly or attentive, to say the least.
Even then, I will come back for the Guilin noodles. It”s authentic and tastes great. The portions are large so I always have extra for to go. The appetizer portions are large as well. The soup is very flavorful with pickled veggies for the based. So it’s a bit sour, but works really well with the spicy and other flavors.
The service is bad and wish they cleaned the tables better, but food is good.

First time trying Taiwan dry noodles. It was very tasty. I ordered beef, my favorite. Came with a spicy and sour sauce. Wasn’t as spicy as I would have liked, but still overall, a great dish. The serving was plentiful. I have a big appetite, so it was very filling. I love that that my noodles came with whole peanuts, giving it a nice compliment to the the meat. Plenty of veggies and great flavor. It was around $ 7 for my plate. Pricing is not bad, and you get a lot of food. Will definitely try again.

I was in Arcadia, call this location ordered two noodles. Then use Unilocal gps, leads me to valley, then went back to Arcadia location to pick up. This is not my fault, they didn’t redo my order (soup noodle can not keep too long), did not discount me. I feel so sad. Then I drove back home to Buena Park, another 1 hour!

This place is terrible since they changed the owner a couple month ago. The waitress didn’t talk to us from the very beginning and showed us a upset face like we owe her money, and she turned the music very loudly, louder than night club, we can not talk to each other cuz we can’t hear earth other! The noodle soup is too sour, nothing is good than before! DO NOT GO!!!

Falling in love with their dry noodles, and the extra peanuts help to improve flavor. This is the place I have to come back.

I actually didn’t eat here. I TRIED to order something to go but no one acknowledged me, so I left (and took my business elsewhere).
Service 101: DO NOT HAVE YOUR BACK TO THE RESTAURANT ENTRANCE!
I walked in, this lady had her back to the entrance, so she didn’t even see me walk in. First impression is very important, so that was not very good at all. Had she faced the entrance, she could’ve see me walk in to welcome me.
She was making a smoothie or something, as I walked up toward the counter. Her back was still facing me, so she still couldn’t have seen me to acknowledge me. I said «excuse me» about 5 times and her back was still facing my way. I walked out.
Busy or not, whatever you’re doing, face the front door. If you can’t for some reason, pay attention or be observant.
Because of this poor common sense, I will not be returning.

I came here and ordered a to-​go order. The lady at the counter kept speaking Mandarin to me when I don’t understand of word of Mandarin. She was pretty nice after realizing I don’t speak Mandarin. She gave me a drink and said my order came with it. I honestly didn’t think my dish was worth the $ 10+ tip. I would have much preferred Panda Express since it’s cheaper and probably more healthy (depending on sides).
I ordered the most popular rice dish with pickled veggies. The rice was drenched with sauce all over which made everything a little too salty. The peanuts were delicious though. Maybe next time I should ask for the rice on the side and more peanuts. Not sure if I’d ever come back here. I’d need a reason to go to the 99 cents store (since it’s next door), be really hungry and lazy at the same time.

The food here is delicious. Very flavorful. The place is nice, seems newly redone. Be warned-​the waitress does not speak english. Get help from someone at a nearby table if you don’t speak Mandarin.

Noodles were decent. Please stay away from green onion pancakes. Tasted like flour… literally. How do you mess up on green onion pancakes. The frozen one at the supermarket tastes better. Staff service was nowhere to be found.

Friendly service & yummy noodles! And now serving drinks too & they are good! Will definitely come back again!

Yum! So delicious, but a little salty. I do not know the history of Guilin noodles or the town of Guilin in China, so I have nothing to compare these noodles to other than sheer taste of the noodles itself. It’s funny how some people will rate a place based on their other experiences. Maybe authenticity is what matters instead of independent taste? Seems like flawed reasoning and ridiculous expectations.
Well, my experience here was good. It was around 2−3pm, so the place was empty. The lady at the front does not speak English, but who cares, she made a couple recommendations and we ordered. Food came out QUICK, which is a plus. So the thing about this place is that it’s definitely different than most noodle joints I go to. They add preserves in the noodles and other unusual (to me) edibles. Something about the noodles is just so delicious! The noodles are chewy and cooked just right. Delicious.
Closed on Sundays and cash only!

My experience here was totally ANNOYING… I mean who knew I could be annoyed when there’s food in front of me –_–
The lady who worked there (who was the only person working there) didn’t seem to speak a word of English. I wouldn’t usually care so much, since I do have eyes and a pointer finger. but apparently it wasn’t good enough. I pointed to the menu with all my might but she still could not seem to understand.
OK FINE, how about I get my friend who speaks the language, to tell you what I’m ordering?! And then a conversation and a half later, my friend told me that this lady-​worker said I ordered item B when it was supposed to be item A. So they had another conversation to clear that up while I pointed the hell out of that menu. I ordered the hot & spicy beef noodle soup… what a freakin mission.
Anyway, what came out was alla dat except there was no soup. It was a drought in my bowl. COME ON! That was just annoying.
I don’t usually care about service that much (especially if it’s an Asian restaurant like this one…), but this server-​lady was rude and gave attitude, on top of not understanding literally anything that went on under this roof.
And also there were flies everywhere. THAT was annoying too.
So the food was pretty good though. Like, I would come back and get food from here. BUT I’ll probably opt for to go forever.
So the lady took away the dry noodles I got and poured soup in it lol good thing it was a simple fix… but that dish was pretty tasty. I THINK I ordered the 4^th level of spiciness, which is just before the extra spicy. It definitely numbed my tongue. At first it was nice, but it got weird after a while. It was tingly. The noodles were good though, gooooood texture and just joyfully bouncy. Flavors were also very nice, and I would order the spiciest option next time.
For apps, we shared some shredded tofu skin (?), pig ears, beef, and something else… All yummy. Slightly spicy and definitely flavorful.
But seriously… to-​go only.

Interesting place; give it a try if you like spicy food.
«Ultimate Noodle» is huge; should be shared between couple.

LOVEEE coming here when i want a quick togo meal ! they make their noodles within 3 minutes and i leave out of there within 5 minutes! i always get the vegetarian rice noodles! it comes with veggies and bean curd and i get it extra extra spicy! their tofu skin is THE BESTTT!!! i always have to get that on the side as well. their noodles are dirt cheap (which is a plus) but their cold side dishes are pretty pricey for what they give you. they need to learn some english at this place … its so hard communicating with them :(

Their name outside says Guilin Noodles, it was sort of not easy to find on Unilocal since their name doesn’t match. We’ve been wanting to try them for a while, but they are usually closed at the later than dinner hours we try to come.
SERVICE
This is your normal Asian dining experience where the waitress stands in front of your party waiting for your order even though you aren’t ready to order yet. In between ordering and paying for your bill, don’t expect them to pay attention to you. We had to get up and ask for hot tea refills and other things because the waitress is behind the counter/​in the kitchen most of the time.
FOOD
Mild = spicy. I would hate to try spicy…
House Beef Noodle Soup — ³⁄₅
The beef was stewed well but the flavor of the soup was just ok. The noodles were like spaghetti noodles, but fatter.
Ultimate Noodle — ³⁄₅
My boyfriend wanted to try this dish after they advertised it as «made with crack and unicorn kisses j/​k.» This is a dry noodle dish mixed with peanuts, bacon, Australian beef, string beans (lack of) and a secret sauce (what sauce? chili flakes?).
OVERALL
We might give them another try next time and try other things, probably not the same noodle dishes. Hopefully the crack and unicorn kisses will be more appealing next time.
Unilocal 100 Challenge 2013 — 77 of 100

This place is actually called, «STEAM QUEEN».
Good dumplings and solid spicy dan dan noodles here. They serve their noodles in the «ma la» style — numbing spiciness and overall it was a good meal with a decent portion of sliced meat and noodles. However, the dumplings stole the show for me – plump and yummy without being runny/​watery. Skip the green onion pancake — overly fried and not a lot of onions.
Go to tasty to go for shaved snow for dessert (same plaza)!! =)