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Simple space, simply delicious

John Lehndorff, Rocky Mountain News

Published January 26, 2007 at midnight

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Two weeks ago, I was stuck inside a suburban Indian eatery forcing myself to taste mediocre fare so indifferently presented that I decided it wasn't worth wasting any ink on.

A week later, I ate at another restaurant that I don't want to tell anyone about. The difference is that the food is scary good. I'd hate to ruin a cool little place like Lao Wang Noodle House by making it too popular.

After tasting Lao Wang's pot stickers ($7.95), I can't help but shout about it. The menu touts the dish as "Denver's best. We think they're the best in the country!" Self-promoting superlatives make me sharpen my critical machete, but it turns out that the brag is a fact.

The large pork-filled potstickers arrive as a veritable rack of 12 dumplings bound together lightly with a crisp batter. There's no thick gummy dough here. Topside they were soft and on the bottom they were pan-sizzled dark brown and crispy.

We bit into these thin-skinned beauties and started grinning about the scallion-laced pork and the caramelized crunch. There were only two of us but we didn't and couldn't stop eating them, doused in peppery soy sauce, until the platter was empty. If there are better potstickers, we haven't tasted them yet. The shrimp and pork potstickers($9.95) were equally blissful.

If one world-class dish makes Lao Wang's a tempting attraction, two (and more) such delights make it a must-dine destination. The homey looking wontons in spicy peanut sauce ($5.95) made our eyes widen with a sense of wonder. These are not your typical bland, thick wontons in broth. These oyster-sized, house-made wontons sported a silky thin shell enclosing a nugget of seasoned ground pork. Drenched in a profound peanut-thickened gravy with onion and garlic, they were spoonfuls of etched-in-memory pleasure.

One might not know such awe-inspiring eats await just driving by the six-year-old Lao Wang, a simple space in a low-key strip mall that's also home to Pho Duy and J's Noodles. The plain, slightly worn interior with only about 25 seats would also not clue you into the magic happening in the kitchen where Mr. Wang toils, often alone.

The Taiwan-born owner and chef named the eatery after himself. It essentially means Old Wang's Noodle House. Mr. Wang is no spring chicken but he works twice as hard as men half his age.

The waitress and hostess is his wife, Mrs. Wang. The food emerges from the kitchen at its own pace, but it's always more than worth the wait.

When we ordered another house specialty, beef noodle soup ($5.95), Mrs. Wang asked "You want spicy?"

"Yes," we said, "we really like spicy." Mrs. Wang smiled and said "OK, OK, OK" as she hurried to the kitchen to bring us a big white bowl overfilled with wide rice noodles, beef broth, a sweat-inducing chile oil slick and sliced, long cooked beef. It made us say "OK, OK, OK."

Meals here start with neat small plates like spiced tofu jerky ($2.95), thin sliced dried, pressed tofu infused. For this dish and many others like the plump, doughy classic dumplings ($4 for 10), we made personalized dipping sauces from jars of red chile paste, rice vinegar, black vinegar, sesame oil and soy sauce. We also liked the hot and spicy cucumber ($2.95) in hot chile oil and the mild spiced seaweed ($2.95) that looked like spinach fettucini. They went well with the pots of hot tea that are this cafe's main beverage.

The House's namesake noodle dishes are tremendously varied. Cold noodles with chicken ($6.95) are dressed with a light peanut sauce, shredded carrot and daikon radish. We added minced garlic in oil and red chile-infused oil. The dan-dan noodles ($5) with ground peanuts and pork made a nice side dish.

The pig shank noodle soup ($5.95) is for those with an earthy approach to dining. The rich broth and noodles are centered by five-spiced shank that was fat, gelatinous skin, and bones hiding bits of meat. After all the heat and spice, Wang's wonton noodle soup ($5.95) was a refreshing break. Steaming, spot-on broth swimming with those great wontons and noodles ranks this as one the city's best chicken soups.

We're already looking forward to going back for the dishes we missed. Basically, we'll try anything Mr. Wang cooks and Mrs. Wang serves.

Maybe I'm too worried. Lots of diners will avoid Lao Wang because it's so small, and there's no alcohol, dessert or reservations. They might have to wait awhile for a table, the service takes time, and scary tripe, shank and tendon are on the menu.

However, if you like ridiculously generous portions of authentic, inspiring fare, then you must visit Lao Wang. Please be patient, tip heavily and respect your elders. Behave as you would as a guest for dinner in someone else's house, which, of course, it is.

Lao Wang Noodle House

• Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday

• Food: Taiwanese-Chinese

• How much: $2.95-$7.95 starters; $5-$11 main dishes

• Reservations: No

• Noise: Moderate

• Of note: No beer or wine served

How to eat it in Chinese

Unlike at many small, authentic Chinese eateries in Denver, the menu at Lao Wang Noodle House is almost entirely in English. However, it still contains food words and terms that may be unfamiliar to some diners. Here's a brief glossary:

• five-spice: A famous Chinese seasoning powder often made from star anise, Szechuan peppercorn, cloves, fennel and cinnamon, although other similar spices like ginger can also be found in five-spice mixtures, which sometimes are more accurately seven-spice. Five-spice, along with red chile, is used at Lao Wang to season beef, seaweed, peanuts, tofu and tripe.

• pig shank: Basically, shank is a pig's ankle, also called a hock. There's usually more bone, cartilage and skin in a shank but it's very tasty.

• tripe: The muscular lining of an animal stomach, typically beef. Tripe is an essential ingredient in many cuisines including Mexican where it is the central ingredient in menudo, the famous soup and weekend hangover cure. (For way too much information about tripe and its uses including wrapping Scottish haggis, visit .)

• Xiao long bao: There are many types of bao, or buns, on Chinese menus, especially at dim sum (small plates brunch) where big barbecue pork-filled steamed buns are served. Xiao long bao is a southern Chinese specialty that translates as "small basket bun" because they are steamed in bamboo baskets. However, they are better described as soup dumplings because of the gravy enclosed in the pasta-like wrapper along with the meat or seafood filling.

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