DINNER, DECONSTRUCTED

With over 400 locations in China, Omni Palace Noodle House is famous for its expertly crafted hand-pulled noodles. Inside each location, noodle masters with decades of experience create nine varieties of silky hand-pulled noodles. Among the offerings are playful triangular shapes and angel hair strands so fine they can be threaded through a sewing needle. The renowned chain opens its first-ever North York location this week TRADITIONAL LANZHOU BEEF NOODLES AT OMNI PALACE NOODLE HOUSE, NORTH YORK, ONT. An intensely flavourful broth is made from a hundredyear-old family recipe that includes beef shank, whole chickens, bone marrow and 28 secret herbs and spices. Often mistakenly deemed a less desirable cut of meat; braised beef shank is used for its bold flavour and utility. The affordable meat boasts a rich umami taste and maintains its shape while simmering for hours in the broth. A dollop of chili oil adds heat and complexity while crisp daikon radish and cilantro finish the dish with a refreshing edge. With over 20 years of noodle-pulling experience under his belt, Chef Ma kneads batches of dough by hand before gently stretching and twisting them to create fresh-toorder noodles. Originating from Lanzhou – the capital city of northwest China’s Gansu province – each bowl of traditional Lanzhou beef noodles must contain clear, white, red, green and yellow components.

Executive chef Ao Ma follows the fivecolour rule at Omni Palace with clear broth, white daikon radish, red chili oil, green cilantro and yellow noodles.