Happy New Year! Hello, 2016!

Every New Year’s Day, Hubby and I go out to eat dumplings. Even though my family is Vietnamese and his is Taiwanese, we grew up with the tradition of eating dumplings on New Year’s Day.

It’s New Years’ Day and cold outside – Perfect for a bowl of noodle soup and dumplings. We went to Lao Bei Fang in Elmhurst.

We ordered the Shredded Pork Noodle Soup.

You could taste the fruits of their labor in the hand-pulled noodles. Lao Bei Fang is most well-known for these incredible noodles. The local Chinese and Asian folks (like us) specifically come here for these noodles. Please don’t leave without trying them! You can even watch the chefs make the noodles. Such a thorough process with perfection! Back to the Shredded Pork Noodle Soup…yes, it’s ground pork in the picture but it’s called Shredded Pork there, and no one questions it. The pork, Bok Choy and Chinese Green Vegetables were perfectly cooked and delicious in the clear broth.

Every Asian meal must include a few dishes to share and accompany the main dish. We ordered two typical Chinese dishes.

Hand-Made Steamed Dumplings

Lao Bei Fang is also known for their hand-made dumplings. Fantastic! You can also taste the fruits of their labor. There’s a wide variety of dumplings to choose from – all of them are delicious. If you’re Vegetarian, they got Veggie-only dumplings which are tasty too! You can choose steamed or pan-fried, both very good. My preference is the steamed ones.

Picked Cucumbers with Tofu

A tasty side dish that typically accompanys any Chinese supper. Hubby grew up eating this dish at home for dinner. Not only does it take him back, but it also has strong flavors of sweet, salty and savory – all at the same time. A slurp of the noodles, a bite of the dumpling and a munch of the cucumber with tofu – like a Chinese Banquet in my mouth!

Lao Bei Fang is an actual joint for you to stop in for a delicious, quick meal and then go. The staff doesn’t ask for tips for this reason. They need to focus on their noodles and dumplings! Everyone speaks in Chinese, and it makes you feel like you’re somewhere in China. This is definitely the spot for authentic, homemade, comfort Chinese food. When I’m there, I feel like I’m at a Family friend’s home for a meal and know that the food is terrific.

All images and content © 2016 Carol Vu.