Skip to main content

Face-Off: Chinese Beef Rolls

Support Provided By

Beef rolls can generally be found as supporting players to the heartier cast of noodles - souped and fried - at Northern Chinese noodle joints around San Gabriel Valley. But for many, the side is the main attraction. The wrap is built on a thin fried flour pancake encasing slices of beef, scallion slivers, and an inky sauce of either sweet soybean paste, hoisin, or a mix of both. Depending on the cook, cilantro and/or cucumber make cameos as well.Across local food-centric media, the consensus is that 101 Noodle Express' roll trumps all others in surrounding neighborhoods - notably, Jonathan Gold who has swooned over it in print twice (first in 2006 and later in 2009). The menu at the recently opened westside outpost at Westfield Culver City Mall acknowledges this dish's popularity by making 15 different varieties. In other words, the beef roll at 101 Noodle Express is the defending champion that others are measured against.

There is another worthwhile contender, at New Mandarin Noodle Deli, where the beef roll ($6.75) is wrapped with distinct layers - beef and sauce, julienned fresh young cucumbers, and slivers of scallion and cilantro at the center. The addition of cucumbers are a welcome respite from the rather assertive use of their sauce composed of sweet soybean paste and hoisin. 101 Noodle Express wouldn't reveal whether their sauce includes sweet soybean paste, hoisin, or both, except only to indicate that it is a blend created by the cook. They use the sauce sparingly, just enough to coat the sliced beef with a slight sweetness.

Typically shank, the beef in a beef roll is simmered in a marinade made from varying amounts of star anise, peppercorns, soy sauce, and other seasonings. The sliced beef is saltier and laced with a distinct note of star anise at New Mandarin, whereas 101 Noodle Express features a more nuanced version. The natural beef flavor comes through and the resulting roll ($6.75) is balanced in taste.

But the New Mandarin roll is more texturally complex. The pancake is flakier than its 101 counterpart, giving crunch alongside that of the fresh herbs and young cucumbers sitting at the center. 101 doesn't use cucumbers of any variety, while its cilantro and scallions are somewhat cooked through from the residual heat of the hot pancake as a result of being rolled with the sliced beef.Verdict:
Those seeking balanced flavor in a beef roll will choose local media darling 101. Fans of wheaty, crunchy texture in this Northern Chinese classic just may prefer New Mandarin's take. Readers: do you have a favorite?

101 Noodle Express
1408 East Valley Blvd., Alhambra
626-300-8654

New Mandarin Noodle Deli
9537 Las Tunas Dr., Temple City
626-309-4318

More on Asian food:
Noodles in the SGV: From Hand to Mouth
Kimchi and Acorn Jelly in the Korean Kitchen


Follow us on Twitter here.
Follow us on Facebook here.

Support Provided By
Read More
A black and white photo of an adult dressed as the easter bunny with a giant costumed head, holding a little girl on their left who gives it a kiss on the cheek and, with his right arm, holding a little boy who brings his hands to his eyes as though wiping away tears.

Behold the Bunnies and Bonnets of L.A.'s Past Easter Celebrations

The onset of the spring season heralds the arrival of fragrant flowers in bloom — and all the critters that enjoy them, including the Easter bunny and families who anticipate his arrival with egg hunts, parades and questionable fashion choices.
A black and white image of an elephant holding a broom with its trunk. A man is seen near the elephant, walking towards the animal.

Lions and Tigers and Cameras! How the Movies Gave Los Angeles a Zoo

The early days of the movies in Los Angeles inadvertently allowed visitors to experience the largest collection of animals in the western United States. When animals weren't appearing in a movie, they were rented out to other film companies, performed for studio visitors, or in the case of filmmaker William Selig's collection — an opportunity to create one of Los Angeles' first zoos.
A vertical, black and white portrait of a blonde woman wearing a sparkly four-leaf clover costume as she holds her arms out and extends a leg as though in a curtsy.

Irish for a Day: L.A.'s History of 'Going Green' on St. Patrick's Day

Whether it was a parade, dance, tea party, home celebration or just enjoying a good ol' wee dram of whisky, here's a photo essay of how Los Angeles donned its green apparel to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and embrace the luck o' the Irish over the years.