Restaurant Review: Gui Lin Noodle House

GUI LIN NOODLE HOUSE 10626 97th Street Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew

I am always very happy to discover new food experiences that I have never tried before, in fact I relish these moments. I have eaten plenty of Chinese food in my day (westernized versions and more authentic) but I have never tried Chinese food specifically from Guilin, a city in China that offers a unique regional cuisine. Located in southern China, this area is known for its dramatic landscape of limestone karst hills. Gui Lin Noodle House is the only restaurant in Edmonton that serves cuisine from this part of China. Named as Favourite Take-Out on the Edmonton Food Faves We Crave 2022 list, I was very excited to try something new! Visiting on a Sunday evening, I always look forward to trying restaurants in Edmonton's Chinatown (in the McCauley area). It's a vibrant area filled with excellent food and the businesses deserve support! Gui Lin has big and bright signage and you'll very likely be able to find street parking right out front. The inside is clean, cute, and reminded me a bit of a garden. The lime-green paint and white lattice really helped to create a fresh garden party vibe. I only ever saw two people working (one serving and one cooking) and they were both lovely! I enjoyed chatting with them about the food and they were friendly and helpful in answering questions. The menus are all written in Chinese characters followed by English, which I really enjoy. I prefer an authentic experience of the culture, right down to the food itself. Seated at a cozy table, we were immediately served the customary (and complimentary) pot of green tea to drink. Comforting warm sips while perusing the menu and formulating our game plan. From the drink menu I also had to order the Hong Kong Style Milk Tea ($3.95 for Hot). They can make it cold as well but it was a chilly day and hot tea was the right answer. Yes, I was drinking two different types of tea (both completely different) and no, I wasn't mad about it.

Served in a super cute mug, this tea was everything that I love. I added some sugar to it because it was quite strong straight. This reminded me of the hot cans of milk tea that you can often find in Asian countries. I would definitely order this again and it's nice that you can get it either hot or cold. Other interesting options on the drink menu include; Ovaltine and Horlicks. Kinda love that these are options and it reminds me of my childhood. Once our food was ordered it all came out really quickly. We hardly waited ten minutes before the dishes were being delivered to the table. Friendly fast service? What more could you want? I was pretty intrigued by the Marinated Egg ($1.35) and figured that it couldn't hurt to give one a try!

Described as "five spice flavour" this egg looked a lot like a hard boiled or pickled egg. Biting into it, it was very much a pickled egg in preparation, however it was unlike any that I've tried before. The brine was infused with a much different flavour profile than the typical pickled egg and it was really delicious and interesting. A really cool alternative to what I'm familiar with. Considering that the restaurant is a noodle house, we were prepared for a very noodle intensive type of meal. There are a lot of "house style" dishes served with various meats that are either presented in soup or not. The Beef Brisket Lo Noodle (House Style) ($16.50) seemed like a good way to taste what the restaurant is known for. Our server was very mindful to advise which dishes might be considered spicy, which is not usually a concern for me, but kind nonetheless.

Served with a side of broth, this is meant to be enjoyed separately (not poured over top). Sweet potato noodles are distinct in the way that they are a glassy noodle that are a bit similar to vermicelli except wide and flat. I find them challenging to eat with chopsticks because they can be quite slippery! I loved the preparation of the beef brisket a lot! Packed with big, delicious flavour, the tender meat was cooked to perfection. The entire spice profile was way over my head but the flavour was absolutely wonderful. I really liked the accompaniments of peanuts and fried garlic as well. The side of broth was great too - I wasn't expecting much from it but the broth was a lot more pleasing than I would have assumed. It tasted a lot like a chicken broth - a simple delight. This dish could be a meal in itself and I was really surprised by it in a great way. This dish can also be served with; minced pork, beef, chicken, pork belly, pork hock, or lamb. Any of these options are likely really good but I'd be interested to try the lamb. Next, Gui Lin has a bit of a dueling dish situation going on that I was curious to get to the bottom of. There are two dishes on the menu that I've heard a lot of recommendations about, and the only difference between them is the type of noodle used. I decided that I was going to try both of them and determine for myself which dish reigns supreme! First is the Fried Macaroni (Gui Lin Style) ($14.25). Personally, macaroni just sounds like an automatic good time to me.

The second is Fried Instant Noodle with Minced Pork (Gui Lin Style) ($14.50). This one is essentially made with a ramen noodle.

Both of these dishes are served with minced pork and the same (or very similar) mix of vegetables. I learned that pickled vegetables is one of the main characteristics of Guilin cuisine (and potentially the pickling process in general if we go back to the egg that we tried at the beginning of the meal). This is a huge selling feature for me because I love anything pickled! Another ingredient that I found interesting was the use of tomato. Typically, I don't think that tomato is often associated with Chinese cuisines and so it was different to see it used in these dishes. I loved both interpretations a lot, especially since they both shared the same addictive flavour profile and infusion of pickled veggies. There was a bit more heat in the instant noodle version which I did prefer. I found the macaroni noodle more difficult to eat with chopsticks, however this type of noodle (with a broader surface area) did a better job of really capturing that delicious wok-fried taste. On the other hand, the instant noodles did a better job of trapping all of the incredible flavours within their tangles. The minced pork added a great savoury element to both dishes. Overall, the winner in my heart is the Fried Instant Noodle with Minced Pork. Both were good but this is the one that I can't stop craving. I liked the way that the noodles complimented the other ingredients just a bit more successfully. I can absolutely see how this dish would make wonderful take-out and I can picture myself eating it straight out of the container. This plate owned the evening! Lastly, there was one curious item on the menu for dessert, the Sesame Rice Ball ($5.99). This dessert took a little bit of preparation time and I wasn't sure what to expect. I've had sesame balls before but this version seemed different somehow.

This dessert was such a delightful, unexpected surprise! First of all, sesame balls are typically coated in sesame seeds - it's right there in the name. But these ones are coated in peanuts. Secondly, they were served warm, which made all the difference. I even chatted with the chef about this and he expressed that they had to be eaten warm and fresh for the best experience - I could not agree more! I was also surprised to receive five of them! Biting into these warm, gooey orbs, I was met with a chewy texture similar to mochi. It's that unmistakable soft, elastic-like consistency. Inside, they seemed to be filled with a red bean paste, which is quite standard. But the crunchy peanut on the outside was the true game-changer, adding a whole new textural element that truly balanced the otherwise soft rice ball. We were all blown away by these. A must-try! There are plenty of noodle houses in Edmonton but this one is unique. Offering an authentic Guilin region experience that cannot be found anywhere else, I truly loved their interpretations of various noodle dishes and use of unusual ingredients. The Chinese food game has changed for me after eating at Gui Lin Noodle House and I look forward to visiting again!