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Beijing Noodle No. 9

February 16, 2011 by Jennifer Che 4 Comments

Beijing Noodle No. 9

This is something you don’t see everyday.

If you look really closely, you’ll see a noodle master behind the counter tossing and whirling a huge rope of dough.*

Sure, if you’re in China and you explicitly seek it out, you can find traditional Beijing-style hand-pulled noodles in a number of locations. In the US, however, it’s a bit of a lost art. Pulling and stretching noodle dough requires a ton of physical strength and stamina.  Furthermore, it takes months of training before a chef can consistently and accurately pull out perfectly formed noodles for customers.

As a result, it’s virtually impossible to see this type of food in the US unless if you are in New York, LA, or . . . . Las Vegas?

Welcome to Beijing Noodle No. 9, one of the newer additions to the Caesars Palace Empire here in the middle of the Strip.

Unlike a typical noodle shop in China, Beijing Noodle No. 9 is trendy, bright, and ultra clean.

Two crazy huge fish tanks guard the entrance, making the inside of the restaurant feel almost unreal in a surrealistic way.
Dumplings
We started with some pot stickers. Although they were reasonably authentic, they were not particularly special, and, at $2 a piece, felt very, very expensive. I would skip this in lieu of the noodles!
Flat noodles
Chef’s Special Handmade Noodles with Eggs (large)

All the noodle dishes come in two different sizes: small ($15-18) and large ($23-$28). We had a party of 6, so we chose to share three large bowls of noodles plus the dumplings. This was just enough food for a crowd that has several small appetites. I wouldn’t say we were stuffed, but we were reasonably satisfied. People with larger appetites may think it’s not quite enough food.
Knife Shaved Noodles
Chef’s Special Handmade Noodles with Pork and Mushroom (large – all mixed!)

Overall, the flavors of the dishes were very good. My favorite was the handmade noodles with pork and mushroom, which had a deep, earthy sauce that tasted delicious with the chewy handmade noodles.

Hand pulled noodles
Braised Beef Brisket with Handmade Noodles

We did note some inconsistency in the noodle texture. Our braised beef brisket’s hand-pulled noodles were overcooked, and therefore lacked the super chewy texture you come to expect with hand-pulled noodles. On the contrary, our Pork and Mushroom knife shaved noodles were gloriously chewy. I enjoyed every single bite.
We knew the kitchen was capable of better tasting noodles because later on, we actually walked up to the counter to watch the Noodle Master make some noodles. Amused by our fascination, he tossed us a freshly pulled and freshly cooked noodle to try.

It was FANTASTIC! It had the most amazing texture. It was eons better than the overcooked noodles that had been swimming in our beef brisket soup.

Why the difference? Perhaps the dish sat out on the counter for too long before the server gave it to us; or perhaps that particular batch sat in boiling water moments too long. Who knows? In any event, we were bummed that our little taste test was so different from our experience at our table.
Beijing Noodle No. 9, goldfish
Despite the disappointment with one of our noodle soups, we were still overall pretty pleased with the place. Yes, the food is definitely more expensive than normal, but then . . this is Vegas! Everything on the Strip is overpriced. The prices are comparable to other quality restaurants on the Strip.

It’s surprising to me how many people on general review sites (e.g., Yelp, Urbanspoon) give this place bad reviews. Granted, many of the negative reviews come from people who are shocked and upset by the prices. However, several complain about the bland taste of the food.

I agree that you can find equally good or better food for a lot less elsewhere, like Flushing (Queens, NYC) or Los Angeles. However, I disagree about the flavors being bland. In fact, we were all quite pleased with the flavors (“we” being two people who grew up in Taiwan and four others who have traveled extensively in Asia). Unlike Americanized Chinese food, which is almost always over-sauced, over-salted, and over-MSGed, the flavors here were clean, balanced, and enjoyable.


Bottom line: if you appreciate the unique aspects of handmade noodles (the texture, the wow factor of  watching them pull it!) and it doesn’t bother you to pay a lot more than normal for Chinese food, I think you’ll enjoy your meal here. However, if you are just looking for good, solid Chinese food at a reasonable price, you might be better off driving about a mile down Spring Mountain Road to Chinatown, Las Vegas.

This post is part of a larger Las Vegas series. Posts in this series:
Bouchon Bistro
Bouchon Bakery

China Poblano
Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie
Beijing Noodle No. 9
Raos
Mesa Grill
Joel Robuchon (The Mansion)
B&B Ristorante
Enoteca San Marco
Related Posts
How to Make Hand Pulled Noodles
Noodle Loft (Mian Ku)
Noodle Bar

Beijing Noodle No. 9
3570 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Beijing Noodle No. 9 (Caesars Palace) on Urbanspoon

*If you look REALLY closely, you’ll see Bryan in the picture too.

©2009-2014 Tiny Urban Kitchen
All Rights Reserved

Filed Under: Las Vegas, Restaurant, Review

« Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie
Bouchon Bakery (Las Vegas) »

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Comments

  1. enrolled agent course says

    February 27, 2011 at 10:55 pm

    I won’t mind paying the price if the hand pulled noodles are really good. I’ve had my share of frustrations trying to look for one that will come close to the real deal.

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  2. Michael says

    June 12, 2013 at 6:31 pm

    I eat out a lot in Las Vegas. My Japanese girlfriend (they like noodle soups) had our worst meal in Vegas at No.9. Half the soup was floating in oil….. the bad kind like lard or duck fat.

    We were sick from all the grease after eating it. “I thought, what am I sending to my stomach? We started with the same bland pot stickers. The noodle making show was great!

    Log in to Reply
  3. simplydolicious says

    April 5, 2015 at 12:33 pm

    Do you have any restaurant you would recommend from Chinatown Vegas?

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Trackbacks

  1. An Exploration of Asian Food in Vegas says:
    July 8, 2016 at 1:18 pm

    […] a few in my previous trips to Vegas (most notably Lotus of Siam, Lee’s Sandwiches, and Beijing Noodle No. 9), I had never fully explored the wide range of Asian food that Las Vegas has to […]

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Welcome to Tiny Urban Kitchen!

JenChe

Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am a Boston to Hong Kong transplant, born and raised in Ohio with parents from Taiwan. Feel free to head on over to the About page if you want to learn more about me, or just explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!
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