101 Noodle Express

• Cuisine(s): Chinese
  Hours: Mon-Thu 11:30am-9:30pm, Fri-Sat 11:30am-10pm
  Price: $$
• Payment Types: cash
  Features: Takeout, Vegetarian Friendly
  Serving: Dinner, Lunch
• Alcohol: None
  Reservations: Not Accepted
  Parking: No Parking

Description

With 101 Noodle Express' arrival, it is now completely feasible to walk from one end of the building to the other and pick up at least three variations of the beef roll from all the restaurants along the way. This version is crispy and subtle, not as greasy as Liang's or as flaky as Chef Chen's, but a welcome addition all the same, even in Irvine, a town not lacking in beef rolls. The rest of the menu pin-balls around China, flirting with such disparate items as Sichuan-style cold dishes and cumin-loaded lamb skewers common to the street markets of Xinjiang. But 101 Noodle Express' true calling is dumplings. More than half of the menu is dedicated to them, stuffed with pork, shrimp, fish, lamb and every species of vegetable from spinach to pumpkin. For every boiled dumpling, there's a pan-fried potsticker counterpart with browned bottoms.