Do you like bubble tea? Lanzhou Noodles? Dumplings? At Magic Chopsticks Noodle Bar, they have all of that and more. The noodle bar offers unique Asian fusion cuisine, such as Lanzhou noodles, Vietnamese Rice Noodle Pho, Cajun Seafood, bubble tea and steamed and fried dumplings, among many other delicious dishes and drinks.
Kam Cheung, the manager, explains that because the location of the restaurant is close to the Champlain College dorms, they try to cater to the Asian students at Champlain College.
“We have some authentic Chinese dishes to cater to them; for appetizers, we have beef tripe in the hot sauce, and then beef tendon in the hot oil, things like that. And then [to make] the Lanzhou noodles we follow the formula of the noodle chef in China. We boil the noodles and the broth overnight. So [we are working] long hours to try to make it great”.
The restaurant started as a noodle bar, but Cheung says they are working on adapting the menu by adding sauteed and vegetarian dishes to appeal to more local people. According to John Berke, an employee of Magic Chopsticks Noodle Bar, “somebody adventurous in eating” would almost definitely like anything on the menu the way it is now.
“I would say the people who are more Ham ‘n Eggers, as I would call them, might have a little trouble finding something that they like,” Berke said. “But if they give the food a chance, there’s [something for almost] everybody on the menu.”
The menu includes the Lanzhou noodles for $14.25, which warm you from the inside out. You can get this dish with beef, roast pork, seafood or the special option, which has sliced beef, roast beef and beef meatballs.
The steamed dumplings for $6.88 are the perfect comfort food and have an amazing dipping sauce. No matter what kind of food you typically go for, you would love these and the fried dumplings.
A large plate of Cajun shrimp for $19.80 comes coated in an incredible buttery sauce and is my favorite dish on the menu. Some people might be apprehensive to try it, but I promise that the Cajun seafood is worth trying.
If you are like me, and always want something sweet after a meal, then the frozen yogurt at the noodle bar is for you. With six flavors and a delicious array of toppings to choose from, it is the perfect post-meal treat or way to cool down over the summer.
Food is not the only thing that Magic Chopsticks Noodle Bar has though. They also have a seemingly endless assortment of milk tea flavors, tapioca pearls and popping boba for about $7.15 (depending on what you get).
If bubble tea is not your thing, they also have fruit-flavored drinks and slushies that are by far the best that I have ever had. They are the perfect thing to cool you down and have quite a few flavors, so you will almost definitely find something that you like.
MeiXin is the chef. She has been cooking for almost her entire life and learned from her mother from a young age in China. After immigrating to the United States, MeiXin started working as a kitchen manager at a fancy buffet restaurant in Atlantic City, where she learned about different types of cooking, such as Asian, Chinese, sushi, hibachi and dim sum. MeiXin’s experience shows. You can taste it in every bite.
