Noodle Nest 和悦 (formerly Dun Huang) — Restaurant in Irvine

This place is SO GOOD! My friend and I settled on this place after a 20-minute long debate of not knowing what to get (we were both insanely hungry) and once we showed up, we were seated pretty quickly for a Sunday night and actually received our food within 5 minutes of placing our order.

We got the spicy original lanzhou noodles, stir-fried green beans, lamb rou jia mo, and the sticky rice siu mai. The noodles were sooo deliciously chewy and the broth was really flavorful. You can tell the noodles are made fresh in-house because of their phenomenal texture and EXTREME length (my friend and I were struggling to portion the noodles because the noodles were SO long- great problem to have imo). I lived in China for 7 years, and these noodles actually tasted so authentic I felt like I was back in China getting lunch with my mom.

The green beans were also really good and had a soft bite and satisfying texture. Near the end of our meal, though, I think my hunger wore off and I realized the beans were quite salty. I like my food quite flavorful/salty so I didn't mind it too much, but it is something to note.

The braised lamb in the rou jia mo was pretty juicy, and the bread was toasted to a strong crunch. It was seasoned slightly different to the ones I get in China (in particular the chili oil used had a slightly different flavor profile) but it was still pretty good. Not sure if I would order it again, but it would definitely satiate an average rou jia mo craving.

The sticky rice siu mai was also really good. I grew up eating these in China and the flavor profile was really authentic. The wrapper used had a nice bite/chew to it, and the sticky rice had a well-rounded, balanced flavor.

I'm still thinking about this meal, and I'll definitely be back! Especially for the noodles. Don't discredit this place just because...

Signature Lanzhou Beef Noodles My forever favorite! The broth is clear but full of flavor, and a little chili oil takes it to the next level. The noodles are perfectly springy and chewy. Without chili oil, it’s mild enough that even my kid can enjoy it!

Marinated Cucumber Salad Every time I have this, I’m impressed by the knife work! Crisp, refreshing, and lightly spicy — a great palate cleanser.

Pork Pita Burger (Rou Jia Mo) A crispy outer bun stuffed with juicy, savory braised pork. The flavor is rich but well-balanced — perfect fat-to-lean ratio!

Big Plate Chicken All chicken thigh meat (so it’s tender, not dry), with a super aromatic spice blend — flavorful without being overpowering. The wide noodles that come with it are ultra bouncy and soak up the sauce like a dream.

Chicken Soup Wontons It was actually my first time having wontons at a Northwestern-style restaurant — and I’m telling you, don’t skip this one! The broth is rich chicken soup, and the wontons are filled with pork, shrimp, and fish roe. The skins are thin, and each bite has a little burst of flavor!

Grilled Chicken Cartilage Skewers & Large Lamb Skewers I love that they also serve skewers here! They’re perfectly seasoned, generously portioned, and grilled just right — very satisfying.

Mini Fried Pork Buns These are bite-sized and just right! Crispy bottoms, juicy filling, and the dough has a nice, satisfying chew. A great little extra if you’re not totally full from...

Dun Huang recently opened, so I wanted to give it a try. I ordered the signature Lanzhou beef noodles and a large lamb tenderloin skewer.

The soup has a mix of ingredients that are fantastic, and others that are horrible. I was hoping the noodles would be great, but they were nothing special. The taste was mellow and they were fairly soft in texture.

The egg in the soup was way over boiled, to the point of becoming rubbery. Quite a disappointment.

The slices of meat in the soup were a weird mix. Some fatty pieces, some dry pieces, some tendon pieces similar to a pho noodle soup. Overall the taste was decent, but it was just a weird inconsistent mix.

The broth, however, was excellent. The broth was quite flavorful and was good enough to drink. Not too spicy, but still had that delicious peppery taste. The broth went well with the noodles and beef, and had a lot of cilantro mixed in.

I also wanted to try out something else, so I got a lamb skewer. The meat was tasty, and had a good texture. The seasoning mix reminded me of other non Asian flavors, but it was still tasty. Flavorful seasoning and good tasting meat.

Don’t expect the service to be stellar. The servers are more focused on rushing around to make sure they get their job done rather than focusing on the table and the customer.

Overall I think it’d be worth trying out, but there are certainly things that can...