Okay folks, repeat after me: Rowland Heights. As in ROH-land Heights. That is the proper way to pronounce the city right off of the Fullerton exit on the 60. Now that that’s out of the way, how about some noodles?
No. 1 Noodle House is located in a food-court in Yes Plaza in Rowland Heights. It’s incredibly hard to find from the street, so just pull into the plaza, find parking, and walk toward the inside corner, where the weird house facades are. The people working at the restaurant has okay English, but the main menu is all in Chinese, so either bring a friend who can speak Chinese, or be ready to do a lot of pointing at pictures and asking questions.
You order at the counter, pay, are given a number, and find a seat inside the indoor food-court. If it’s a warm, sunny day like the day I visited, sit outside.
No. 1 Noodle Nouse is known for their spicy beef noodle soup. The noodles have the same texture and taste as ramen noodles, but aren’t as crinkled. I asked for what amounts to “mild” spice in the soup, but they must have a different scale than me, because I was breaking into a sweat after the second slurp. The soup packs a powerful heat, but not that much Szechuan numbness, so order accordingly. Despite the pain my mouth was in, I couldn’t stop myself from slurping up spoonful after spoonful of savory, beefy soup.
The beef in the soup, which I couldn’t really taste because my tongue was on fire, had the texture of corned beef. It was tender, fell apart in strings, and was a much needed respite from the chili-oil-laden soup. I also enjoyed the various pickled veggies thrown into the soup, but had to be careful that I wasn’t accidentally eating a chili pepper disguised as a green bean.
The BF likes the dan dan mien (cold noodles) here. If you’re looking for a solid meal, be sure to order the large serving, because the default size is quite small. He ordered these vegan (I assume the regular version has ground meat), and extra spicy. The cook took the extra spicy to heart because he put in a healthy dollop of chili paste in this bowl. I’m a wimp and already suffering some mouth pain, so I didn’t dare try a bite of these.
No. 1 Noodle House is a delicious, quick place to drop by for some good, spicy noodles and not a lot of frill. That means that you shouldn’t go there for the ambiance, although I did like sitting outside watching a nearby table of Asian high school kids play cards. It also means that you shouldn’t visit if you think that Pace Picante Salsa is the epitome of spicy. Only visit if you like eating in hole-in-the wall Chinese restaurants reminiscent of noodle stands in China. Oh yeah, do yourself a favor and grab a cold watermelon slushy at Tea Bar next door before you sit down and attack the red-hot noodles. Your fire-breathing mouth will thank me later.
No. 1 Noodle House
18180 Colima Rd
#B
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 839-7093
[map]
