It’s strenuous to say what is most intriguing Dagu Rice Noodles. It’s a Chinese network, like from real China.
It took over the space at 604 University Ave. most recently occupied by Yummy Noodle and is home to a number of other businesses, including the aged Green Lantern food co-op.
He specializes in the so-called Noodles crossing the bridgea soup beloved in Yunnan cuisine and, to my knowledge, not available elsewhere.
And it serves one of the tastiest snacks I’ve ever had.
Crossing the Bridge noodle soup is a bit like pho, but without the basil, coriander and lime that are characteristic of this Vietnamese dish. It arrives on the table as a steaming bowl of pork-based broth with a myriad of ingredients and noodles neatly arranged, but raw, on a tray; guests cook each ingredient (primarily slices of beef, but also tiny additions of crab, quail egg, bok choy, seaweed, ham, corn, fish ball, bamboo) as in a heated pot. The portion is quite enormous – although for $15 it should be.
The broth is pleasant but subtle, and if you’re looking for a burst of spices or even a hint of star anise, choose a zingy or sour-spicy base. Or add shrimp, lamb or meatballs; or choose a tomato or kimchi flavored base. I liked the almost mustard-like crunch of the bok choi and the ever-slightly runny yolk of the petite quail egg. The beef had good flavor and wasn’t too gristly or fatty. This is a dish that brings pleasure.
Much of the rest of the menu includes “baked rice noodle soups,” which are essentially Crossing the Bridge soups, but with ingredients added by the kitchen instead of from the dining room. A handful of rice dishes and noodles without soups round out the menu. Vegetarians should look out for the tomato soup or red coconut curry base; all other soups are made from pork bone broths.
The other day I ordered rice noodle soup and chicken with coconut red curry. Left to my own devices, I wouldn’t have made the choice, but the employee at the counter seemed adamant that it was a very popular dish, so why not? Like the delicate Thai tom yum soup, it had all the ingredients of Crossing the Bridge but was missing the notes of lime, basil and cilantro. The chicken pieces, although plentiful, tasted softened.
My favorite item at Dag is on the appetizer menu. Spicy quail eggs are incredibly good; If you like time-honored Chinese tea eggs, you will love these. Marinated in a combination of soy sauce and spices, served with a drizzle of Sichuan chili oil and a sprinkle of sesame seeds, these olive-brown eggs are about the size of a castelvetrano olive. They have a enormous, creamy yolk and almost no protein. The flavor is an explosion of salty soy, and even though the cost is $1 per quail egg, I would choose this dish every time.
The tiny dining room is basic; looks like a restaurant that turned into six restaurants in less than a decade (by my count). But it’s a nice place to group and share. Other snacks include the time-honored pickled egg (e.g. chicken) or ready-made snacks such as crab rangoon and fried spring roll. The salty, crispy chicken, like popcorn chicken, is zingy and brightened by a bit of star anise, but the completely murky meat chicken was a little disappointing. Diced cucumber with garlic sauce makes a nice vegetable appetizer, and sticky rice with brown sugar is a change of pace dessert. Or better yet, order another plate of quail eggs.
Dagu Rice Noodles
Aleja Uniwersytecka 604
608-230-6199; dagunoodle.com
11:00-22:00 Mon-Sun
$3-19
