I am so excited to be writing about Tongue Tip Lanzhou Beef Noodle, a newish noodle shop located in China Town Point. Although the name “Tongue Tip” is a little off-putting for a Western like me, the noodle soup here is incredible. So much so that stopping for a delicious bowl of beef noodles in China Town, after a bit of reflexology, is now a firm part of my routine.
Flossie’s rating: ★★★★★
Beef soup is all the rage in Singapore at the moment. Forget about your traditional fish soup or wanton noodle hawker staples, beef soup is better. Why? Because it’s more fragrant. The food connoisseur appreciates the more complex flavours that a bowl of beef soup can offer: ginger, cinnamon, star anise, Sichuan pepper and coriander… just to name a few.
The soup at Tongue Tip Lanzhou Beef Noodle shop possesses all the hallmarks of a good Chinese beef broth. It is amazingly aromatic… the first spoon of soup is deceivingly average but as you keep on slurping, it starts to take on an almost perfume-like quality. Slowly-slowly, your taste buds are surprised by the myriad of Eastern herbs and spice immersed in a rich beef flavour. You can even order your soup to be “mala” which means spicy, whereby they add a scoop of very hot yet sour marinated chilli oil for that extra special kick!
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s get back to basics. The premise at Tongue Tip Lanzhou Beef Noodle is simple. To order, choose whether you want your noodles “wet” (meaning in soup) or “dry” (no soup). You then choose from 8 different noodle types: normal, thin, thick, thicker, leek leave, small flat, flat or thick flat. The noodles are springy and hand-pulled on site by qualified Chinese chefs. Go and watch them at work in the window of the restaurant whilst you wait for your meal.
I always order the thick flat noodles because they are a rarity in Singapore. Fat and flat, curly rice-noodle goodness. Oh my god… I’m drooling just thinking about them as a I write. I dare you to name me one other place where you can get these thick babies in soup in Singapore… I bet you cannot!
Your bowl of noodles will come with a large portion of beef. Now this is the part I am iffy about. I’m not sure if the beef is “tongue tip” as the name of the restaurant suggests, or something else… But I’m not going to go there. I don’t need to know. All I know is that it tastes good.
The best thing about Tongue Tip Lanzhou Beef Noodle is the price! A top-quality bowl of their signature noodles and beef is only $8.90 or you can upgrade to a larger serving for $10.90. Add an extra $1.00 if you want your noodles mala-style.
They do a few other dishes here as well. You can get a side of skinless, pan-fried chicken for just $3.50. My partner thinks the chicken is a little on the dry side, but I like it. It tastes nice and buttery without any meaty fat.
Beef soup is my greatest love right now. It’s a healthy dish that is low in fat and rich in beautiful Eastern flavours. Tongue Tip Lanzhou Beef Noodles has to be my top choice for beef noodles in Singapore, although Yi Zun in Farrer Park comes a close second!
Tongue Tip Lanzhou Beef Noodles
133, #01-43 New Bridge Road
Chinatown Point
Singapore 059413