Lao Deng makes a bold claim on the front of the shop which reads ‘Inheriting 70 years of taste’. Does that mean that it has been at this location for 70 years? In existence for 70 years, but perhaps not at this location? Who cares, it looks cool from the outside and I’ve also heard that it has some top notch eats.
Table of Contents
Lao Deng is pretty unassuming from the inside. Gone are the more traditional decorations of the outside, and in are the more basic surroundings. Tables are quite closely packed together, so if privacy or a date spot is something you’re in the market for, then you might find something better here.
This spread is something impressive. In fairness to Lao Deng, they aren’t a flashy space attempting to lead gastronomy on an innovative culinary journey. They are more into the idea of putting together delicious dishes with no frills, but bags of flavour. Yet, each dish is presented nicely, and infinitely worthy of many pictures.
What did we order?
You can check out Lao Deng’s menu on their Facebook site right here. We ordered a B-1 set, and a C-1 set, and an a la carte option, too. The menu reads pretty nicely, with only a few main dishes, but some interesting customizable sets.
- B-1 = 擔擔麵套餐 dàn dàn miàn tào cān
- DanDan Noodle set & seaweed soup with eggs + appetizer $160
- C-1 = 炸擔麵套餐 zhà dàn miàn tào cān
- DanDan Noodle with soybean paste & seaweed soup with eggs + appetizer $160
- + 粉蒸肥腸 fěn zhēng féi cháng
- Steamed pork intestines with rice powder and potatoes $150
We went for the braised bamboo and the chilli soy aubergine dishes. Both were solid, and I’d go for them again in a heartbeat. The bamboo was dressed with a chilli oil, too, which gave it a good smoky kick.
Both the B-1 and C-1 set we ordered comes with a soup. The weather had taken a dip when we went there, so soup was high on our list of priorities. This soup was fine, and did the job of warming us up. I wouldn’t order it as a stand-alone dish, but it was fine as part of a set.
DanDan Noodle set & seaweed soup with eggs + appetizer
The original DanDan noodles comes with lots of peanut powder on top, and lurking underneath the plentiful noodles was a sesame and chilli based sauce. It was nicely spiced with a sour chilli kick smoothed out by the sesame and peanut. It was solid in all areas, to be fair.
DanDan Noodle with soybean paste & seaweed soup with eggs + appetizer
This soybean paste option by Lao Deng added another texture and flavour dimension that was appreciated (as was the veg, truth be told). The base sauce of chilli and sesame remained, but the additional textures added the luxurious feel that I really appreciated. Flavour wise, both dishes were good.
Steamed pork intestines with rice powder and potatoes
This was probably my most enjoyed dish of the evening – the steamed pork intestines with rice powder and potatoes. I have had this rice powder 粉蒸 stuff on pork ribs before and not particularly enjoyed it. But here with the pork intestines it was a really interesting addition by Lao Deng. The chili added lots of heat, the intestines were delicate and popping with flavour, and the sneaky sweet potatoes underneath were great, too, having soaked in the juices dripping from the intestines above while steaming.
The bottom line
Will I come back? Yes
What will I order next time? The steamed pork intestines with rice powder and potatoes, for sure.
What would I not bother with next time? Probably the DanDan noodles. They’re good, but the soybean option adds that little bit of something more.