Chef Peter Chang opens his new restaurant — his third in Richmond — on Monday morning. (Photo by Mary Lee)
Ready your ears and your stomachs for the news we've all — or at least I've — been waiting for: Noodles and Dumplings by Peter Chang is here. When the internationally acclaimed, James Beard Award-nominated chef opens the doors at 11408 W. Broad St. on Monday, Aug. 8, he'll launch his first specialty restaurant: possibly a taste of more themed concepts to come.
Yes, Noodles and Dumplings will feature a selection of house-made dumplings both fried and steamed, and hand-pulled noodles, but the restaurant isn't limited to those titular items. There will be teppanyaki; cold small plates; bao; and thin, savory pancakes for scooping up shredded lamb, mixed vegetables and more. Steamed bao — doughy buns stuffed with bamboo, curried beef, eggplant in garlic sauce, and ground pork, among other alluring fillings — are set to run at $3 each, while dumplings average $9 for 8, come in a rainbow of colors and offer up baby bok choy, chicken, scallops, scallions and more.
"Outside Chinatown, it is very hard to find authentic Chinese specialty food," Chang told Richmond magazine, as translated by his realtor and attorney, Nancy Wan. "I wish I could play the role of a Chinese food culture ambassador to introduce and promote all kinds of authentic Chinese food to American friends."
Situated just a few doors from the chef's first Richmond-area restaurant, Peter Chang China Café, Noodles and Dumplings by Peter Chang maintains roughly the same square footage as its Short Pump sibling and seats around 80. A bar and waiting area can handle some of the overflow, but don't expect the cocktail selection that's available at Chang's Scott's Addition restaurant while you wait. This spot's beer and wine only. It's also more casual than his other restaurants, with a lower price point; the goal is to provide healthy and affordable meals, occasionally in smaller portions than are available at his other locations. One or two crowd favorites — such as Grandmother Noodles — will grace the menu but these will be offered as small plates, around $4 each. Larger noodle dishes can be found closer to $10, as can the teppanyaki.
Chang and company are uncertain about when they'll open more specialty restaurants and where, but one thing is for sure: Richmond is the testing ground, and that's more than OK by me.
Without further ado, the menu. Items and prices subject to change:
1. Cold plates $ 4
2. Steamed Bao, $3 for 1
- S1. 素菜包 Vegetable Bao: dried mushroom, baby bok choy, celery, lotus root, carrots, onion, bamboo, cabbage
- S2. 鲜猪肉包 Pork Bao: ground pork, scallion, ginger
- S3. 咖喱土豆牛肉包 Curry Beef Bao: beef, potato, onion
- S4. 鱼香茄子鸡包 Chicken and Eggplant Garlic Sauce Bao: chicken, eggplant, wood ear mushroom, bamboo, scallion, ginger
- S5. 奶酪果仁甜包 Creamy Sweet Bao: walnut, cashew, almond, black sesame, cream cheese
3. Dumplings
- D1. 小笼海鲜蒸饺 Seafood Dumplings (steamed only): shrimp, scallop, crab meat, corn, ginger, scallion, $9 for 4
- D2. 猪肉饺子或锅贴 Pork Dumplings, White Color (steamed or pan-fried): ground pork, Napa cabbage, scallion, ＄9 for 8
- D3. 牛肉饺子或锅贴 Beef Dumplings, Yellow Color (steamed or pan-fried): ground beef, carrot juice, celery, scallion,＄10 for 8
- D4. 鸡肉饺子或锅贴 Chicken Dumplings, Red Color (steamed or pan-fried): ground chicken, beet juice, dried mushroom, zucchini, scallion, ＄9 for 8
- D5. 素菜饺子或锅贴 Vegetable Dumplings, Green Color (steamed or pan-fried): baby bok choy juice, dried mushroom, lotus root, cabbage, bamboo, zucchini, carrots, onion, $9 for 8
4. Grandmother Pancake — one main dish and four pancakes
- P1. 炒猪肉丝 Shredded Pork: pork, onion, jalapeño, bean sprouts, celery, carrots, $8
- P2. 麻辣牛肉丝 Mala Shredded Beef: beef, onion, celery, bean sprouts, carrots, $9
- P3. 孜然羊肉丝 Cumin Shredded Lamb: lamb, onion, celery, cilantro, carrots, $9
- P4. 白汁炒鸡丝 Shredded Chicken: chicken, onion, carrots, bean sprouts, Chinese chives, $8
- P5. 京酱什锦蔬菜 Mixed Vegetable: onion, carrots, celery, eggs, bean sprouts, lotus root, cabbage, zucchini, $8
5. Home-Made Noodles
- N1. 四川凉面 Sichuan Cold Noodle: celery, cilantro, scallion, carrots, $4
- N2. 四川担担面 Sichuan Dan Dan Noodle: Sichuan bean sprouts, diced tofu, scallion, $4
- N3. 武汉热干面 Wuhan Noodle: sesame sauce, cilantro, soy sauce, $4
- N4. 麻辣小面 Mala Noodle: baby Bok Choy, scallion, $4
- N5. 外婆油泼面 Grandmother’s Noodle: ground garlic, scallion, cilantro, $4
- N6. 上海葱油拌面 Shanghai Noodle: scallion, $4
- N7. 湖南豉椒炒面 Hunan Pan-Fried Noodle: onion, cabbage, carrots, scallion, black bean, green pepper, $6
- N8. 蔬菜炒面 Mixed Vegetable Pan-Fried Noodle: onion, cabbage, carrots, scallion, broccoli, $6
6. Hand-Pulled Noodles
- H1. 五香牛肉拉面 Braised Beef Noodle: beef, baby bok choy, $10
- H2. 麻辣牛肉拉面 Mala Beef Noodle: beef, baby bok choy, $10
- H3. 猪肉炸酱拉面 Pork and Bean Paste: pork, lettuce, onion, cucumber, ginger, $9
- H4. 咖喱鸡肉拉面 Curry Chicken Noodle: chicken breast, basil, $9
- H5. 清汤海鲜拉面 Seafood noodle soup: prawn, scallop, fish fillet, Napa cabbage, onion, $10
- H6. 辣汤海鲜拉面 Spicy seafood noodle soup: prawn, scallop, fish fillet, Napa cabbage, onion, $10
7. Chinese Teppanyaki
Ingredients: Zucchini, Carrots, Onion, Broccoli. Chicken: ＄11, Beef: ＄12, Shrimp: ＄13, Combo: $15, Vegetables: ＄10
- T1. 川椒焗鸡肉片或牛肉片 Sichuan Chili with Chicken or Beef: Sichuan Mala sauce, cilantro
- T2. 香辣酱煎五花肉 Pork Belly: spice, chili paste
- T3. 黑椒煎鸡肉片或牛肉片 Black Pepper Chicken or Beef: black pepper sauce
- T4. 本味铁板鸡 House Special Chicken: special sauce
- T5. 本味铁板牛 House Special Beef: special sauce
- T6. 本味铁板虾 House Special Shrimp: special sauce
- T7. 本味鸡牛虾 House Combination: special sauce
- T8. 孜然什锦蔬菜 Cumin Mixed Vegetables: mushroom, zucchini, onion, celery, carrots, green pepper, lotus root, cabbage
Noodles and Dumplings by Peter Chang opens at 11408 W. Broad St. in the Short Pump Village Shopping Center on Monday, Aug. 8, at 11:30 a.m. and will serve lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily.
