The Christmas season is a time when you finally find time to see old friends, and old pals from out of town come in for a visit.
So, on a blustery afternoon, my former roommate John and our buddy Johnny (who has moved to St. John’s to work at Memorial University and is back in town for a few days) meet at Lan Noodle to catch up. When John was my roommate, he almost died when he suffered what the doctor called “hypoglycemic dementia.” In a semi-conscious state, he kept four paramedics and two cops at bay. To this day, I want to start a speed-metal band and name it Hypoglycemic Dementia. Because John didn’t die, the fact that he almost died is funny.
Lan is an odd choice for us, as it isn’t licensed, but, heck, we could all use at least one dry day during the festive season, right?
We each order medium noodle soups. Johnny gets the beef noodle soup with flat noodles, John gets the house special (a beef broth) and I get the Honey BBQ Pork. Both John and I get the traditional, rounded noodles.
But, when she takes the order, the server only asks Johnny if he’d like it extra spicy. John and I, the two milquetoast white guys in the group, do not get asked this.
So, I look wistfully at Johnny’s bowl of soup, which has a film of chili oil on it. But my lament soon turns to joy when I dipped the ladle into my broth, which carries a mix of richness and the sweet barbecue essence of the pork. There’s also a large mass of pickled vegetables in the middle of the bowl, which adds a vinegar tang to the whole thing. You’d think all these elements wouldn’t work in a soup, but they do.
The beef broths are solid, and the hand-pulled noodles are filling. It made for a great reunion lunch, and John didn’t die.
Lan Noodle
Queen Alexandra | 10475 82 Ave NW, Edmonton | 780.761.6699 | lannoodle.ca
