When Ben told me that there is a new Xian restaurant in Richmond via Tiffanie’s of Eating Club Vancouver posting on facebook, I told Ben to go there the next day. It brings back memory of our trip to Xian. Before this discovery, the place I can find Xian food is at the Richmond Public Market.
Old Xian’s Food is located between Deer Garden and Haroo, the only strip mall where restaurants are found on the second level on Alexandra Road.
The poster in front of restaurant immediately brings back memory of the Biang Biang Noodle we had at Xian.
The restaurant was not busy when we were there on a Sunday afternoon. The wall is decorated with some very colourful art.
The menu is simple, just a one page menu. You can click on the menu to have a larger view.
Ben ordered the Lamb Meat in Soup for $9.75. The broth was full of lamb flavour and it has some bean thread noodles in it.
You can order plain burger to go with the soup which makes it into “Yang Rou Pao Muo”. Each plain burger is $1.50 and the max order of plain burger is limited to 2.
You tear the plain burger into bite size pieces and throw them in the soup to enjoy. Pao Muo is a popular dish in Xian as we posted in our Xian trip.
I ordered the lamb Slices Noodles Soup. The broth has napa cabbage, wood ear and lily flower beside lamb slices. The broth is the same as Ben’s broth. I simply love the gamey flavour of lamb.
I opted for broad noodles as I like the texture of such noodle. I do find that the broth is on the saltier side just like the noodles from the store in the Richmond Public Market. I guess the northern Chinese cuisine has a heavier seasoning which southern Chinese cuisine has a more milder flavour.
Nanzaro ordered the Cumin Lamb Fried Noodle for $10.95. This is slight spicy and Nanzaro also opted for broad noodle.
Nanzaro loves spicy food and he spiced up his noodle with the chili condiment on the table. The chili was good with a smoky flavour.
Arkensen does not know what to order. So, Ben recommended him the Xian Pork Noodle Soup which is $8.95.
He is the only one opted for the thin noodle. He said he did not expect to see eggs in his noodle.
This is what is left by Arkensen at the bottom of his bowl. There were lots of chopped vegetables like green beans, carrot, potatoes, tofu and napa cabbage. The pork noodle soup has a much richer taste and a pronounced fragrance of star anise.
Old Xian’s Food accepts cash only. I will certainly be back for my Xian’s food craving.