Fee-fi-fo-fum, We Both Have Numb Tongue
Neither of us are particularly huge Szechuan food lovers; however, we were both craving some of that mouth-numbing heat the other night, so we did a quick Yelp search in the San Gabriel area. We came across MIAN, a Szechuan restaurant specializing in noodles and other Szechuan eats. The reviews and photos looked promising, so we decided to give it a try.
MIAN does a complimentary mung bean tea that’s a little bit on the sweeter side and is very refreshing. We decided to try the favorites of their Yelp page which were the Zajiang noodles, spare rib noodle soup, and pork dumplings.
The Zajiang noodles were very tasty. The ground pork was very flavorful and salty which was a nice flavor to complement that numbing heat from the peppers. The noodles also come with a fried egg on top along with scallions and baby bok choy. This is definitely a must try if you come here. Just be prepared for the heat and oil because all of the dishes including the Zajiang noodles were very, very oily.
The spare rib noodle soup was also very flavorful and tasty. There was about a half inch layer of oil on top of the soup and it was intimidatingly red; however, the spice wasn’t as scary as it looked. The beef was also really nice and tender. This dish is on the heavier side because of how oily and fatty it is, but will be sure to warm you right up on a cold night.
Lastly, and perhaps our favorite dish of the night, were the pork dumplings. The dumplings are smothered in a spicy sweet sauce that is absolutely delectable. The filling was very flavorful, soft and savory and just the perfect complement to the sweet, spicy sauce they were served in.
Next time you’re in the mood for some mouth-numbing Schezuan heat, peep MIAN in the SGV area and be sure to order their Zajiang noodles and pork dumplings.
Mian
301 W Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91776
