Deep in the heart of Alhambra lies a hidden treasure call the “101 Noodle Express” cafe. Get your ass over there and order the Shandong-style beef roll.

The beef roll is based on 101’s spectacular Chinese pancakes, brawny, wheaten things crisped in oil — as chewy as rare flank steak underneath their thin, golden crust. The pancakes are rolled around slivers of stewed beef subtly flavored with spices, seasoned with a sprinkling of chopped scallion tops and fresh cilantro. The inside of the beef roll is smeared with a sweet, house-made bean paste with an ethereal, almost transparent top-note, a bean paste that bears the same relationship to ordinary hoisin sauce.

It’s $5 and it’s insane!!! Whatever you do, don’t let them coax you into getting the chicken roll.

101 Noodle Express, 1408 E. Valley Blvd., Alhambra, CA (626) 300-8654

Make it happen kids!

x