98 La La Noodles
179 George St., 613-518-0239,
lala-noodle.com
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instagram.com/98lalanoodles
Open:
daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; dining room open, as well as small, somewhat shaded patio; takeout available
Prices:
typically $12 for a small soup, $15 for a large soup, kebabs $4 to $8
Trepidation about COVID-19 forced us last week to forego one of the unique pleasures at 98 La La Noodles in Lowertown.
Were there no pandemic to worry about, we would have sat in the Chinese restaurant’s dining room, and probably walked back to the kitchen area near its entrance where a chef in full view made noodles in real time with little more than their bare hands.
For us, it never gets old to watch a demonstration of this centuries-old culinary expertise that transforms wheat-flour dough into long and impeccably fresh noodles through a series of artful twists, stretches, folds and spins.
Still, given the choice, when we twice visited 98 La La Noodles, which opened in early 2020 and replaced a similar but less-good noodle joint, we sat on the small, somewhat shaded patio only because, in general terms, al fresco dining thwarts the transmission of the novel coronavirus better than indoor dining.
In the end, there were so many solidly made and even exceptional items emerging from the restaurant’s front door bound for our table that we missed not at all a view of the noodle-making.
If you like boldly flavoured noodle dishes, be they soups or stir-fries, as well as meat and vegetable kebabs liberally seasoned with a potently spicy, cumin-y rub (these happen to be the restaurant’s secondary specialties), then you only need to know one more word from me: Go.
The restaurant’s multi-page, illustrated menu can make choosing what to eat a bit of a conundrum, especially if many of its dishes, which originate from China and are more recent arrivals on Ottawa’s dining scene, are unfamiliar. We were quite deliberate in our ordering, making beelines for what we most expected to enjoy rather than trying to construct a well-rounded, multi-course meal. Ultimately, we received at both visits a deluge of dishes, each of them arriving when they were ready, even if that meant so-called appetizers arrived after our noodles. Maybe that simply didn’t matter.
Of more than a dozen cold appetizers that tended to be chilli-spiced or pickled, we’ve had the simply dressed strips of shredded dried tofu and the sweet and sour jellyfish, which elevated toothsome chewiness to a priority. Chinese hamburger, made with shredded pork that tasted of star anise and other seasonings between a house-made fry-bread bun, was a filling snack. These small plates were fine, but I wouldn’t lose sleep over skipping them in favour of saving room for the generously portioned noodle dishes and flavour-bomb kebabs.
Of five noodle dishes, my go-to pick might be the classic beef noodle soup with pickled mustard greens, taking a small over a large to leave room for more kebabs. The just-made noodles (ordered as you please for thinness, thickness and flatness, or as per your server’s suggestion) were texturally spot-on and fresh-tasting, and the beef broth was rich and concentrated. Flecks of pickled mustard greens added a layer of sourness and the dish had pleasant chilli heat, even from its designation of one chilli from a possible three.
A more robust dish was the Sichuan classic, dan dan noodles. A big stir of the bowl’s contents coated flat, wide noodles in a thick, spicy, peanut sauce and bits of pork added a meaty accent. I’d order this dish again simply to eat half a serving and take the rest home, in one of the restaurant’s premium take-out containers, for my next-day lunch.
More bracing still were the hot and sour noodles, which coated thin glass noodles, garnished with peanuts and more, in a peppery and highly sour sauce that brought black vinegar to mind. More soothing but still strikingly savoury was the dish of cold noodles topped with minced pork. The signature noodle stir-fry, which we ordered with shrimp as its protein, was an easy-to-like, more mellow-flavoured dish. With some of these dishes, we received small bowls of a more clear broth, which we sipped for its palate-cleansing merits.
Of the kebabs, the must-have, because they are the most famous, were the skewers of tender and captivatingly spicy lamb that best represent Xinjiang, the autonomous territory in China’s far northwest. But the same treatment afforded to plump shrimps, thin morsels of bone-in beef short rib and even pods of okra made for deeply satisfying bites. Chinese eggplants, slathered with a sauce dotted with fermented beans, also benefited from time on the restaurant’s grill.
The restaurant is licensed, and accordingly serves several brands of Asian beer. But we beat the heat on the patio with Thor-sized mugs of strawberry and passion-fruit green tea, which are also as close to serving dessert as 98 La La Noodles comes.
You have to wonder about the future of Ottawa restaurants once patio season ends. In the case of 98 La La Noodles, which is simply the best restaurant of this kind that I’ve tried in Ottawa, I’ll have to overcome my current reluctance to dine indoors. The noodles and kebabs there are just too good.