Ark Chinese Restaurant — Restaurant in Alameda

Judging by its name you can't really tell what kind of Chinese food Ark Chinese restaurant offers. I think it was probably a noodle restaurant focusing on items from northern China. However it seems that the new owners have hired a cook that can also make Cantonese dishes. As a result the menu is more extensive and there are quite a few selections to choose from.

We ordered the pan fried green onion pancake, hand pulled beef noodle soup, tomato beef chow mein, beef stew noodles and sweet sour ribs. All were fairly good but I should note that the flavors were quite intense...as in too much salt or too much sugar. If you do pay a visit, keep that in mind. You may want to tell them to cut back on the salt and spices.

More importantly the prices are quite reasonable for a restaurant on Park Street in Alameda. Entrees, dinner items, generally run around 15 dollars or so.

The decor is ho-hum but the dining room is certainly quiet....perhaps too quiet , or maybe we were there too early. They could use some flowers or some paintings to liven up the place. Maybe play some K pop or something. The wait staff are friendly and helpful though.

if you're looking for an inexpensive place to eat before you see a movie or just in the area, give Ark Chinese restaurant a try. The food might assault your taste buds but the prices won't assault...

This place was so busy the wait staff had a challenge keeping up with demand, but kept smiling as they performed all their duties, great attitude in the face of difficulty, kudos!

Unfortunately, my 牛肉拉面 (pulled noodle soup with beef) did not taste like fresh noodles. Maybe it was an off day or a rushed bowl, it's understandable. The hard part to get past is why did my beef tend to taste like hand soap? I'm appreciative hands are being washed behind that service curtain, but it was a little hard to swallow. I typically finish a big bowl ($13, yikes) down to the last drop, but I just couldn't this time.

I'd like to give the benefit of the doubt, but I won't be back any time soon as I live in San Diego and came to Alameda specifically for this establishments pulled noodles.

To be fair, in my mind, pulled noodles anywhere have to live up to my experience of living in Beijing, where I could daily get a large bowl for 7元 RMB (~$1 or more) and they were made with such expertise and care I can only describe the magic as...

SO GOOD We had: juicy pork dumplings, garlic noodles and chicken wings.

The chicken wings must have been my favorite. They were fried perfectly and the sauce was amazing. The skin is slightly crispy and the inside is juicy.

The dumplings' skin were a bit on the thicker side, compared to other ones I've had. Still, they were pretty good.

The garlic noodles were delicious as well. They are a little sweet and and very fresh tasting. You can see the cook hand-making the noodles in the kitchen :) and speaking of the cook... he came out to the dining area and started carving a watermelon into a flower for a group of people. He was really quick and it was fun to watch.

Can't wait...