蘭州料理ザムザムの泉 (Zamu Zamu in Saitama)

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蘭州料理ザムザムの泉

Lanzhou lamian, or beef noodle soup, has been mini-trending in Japan as of late. At the top of the heap, there’s Zamu Zamu.

Before going into detail, I should mention that this Saitama shop shut down and moved to the polar opposite of Saitama, Hiroo in an upscale part of Tokyo. It was a questionable move and though it is technically closer to my home (a good thing), they more than double prices (a bad thing). Unfortunately, this is a deal-breaker for me. You can check the info about the new shop here.

I have a rather strange history with Langzhou. Although I haven’t been to Gansu Province in China, I did spend 10 days in Qinghai Province, just next door. Both of these parts of China are on the roof of the world, rarely getting foreign tourists. In the past, the ancient silk road ran through, and the exchange of ideas and cultures meant that noodles expanded from here. Yes, this is the root of all noodles on our planet.

I was invited to visit Qinghai some years back as part of an influencer campaign to promote tourism. The whole thing was a bit of a sham, but at least I got a free vacation out of the deal. I also was fortunate enough to meet people who are full-time travel and food influencers. If you know me, you know that ramen is my side hustle, so the knowledge reaped from them was invaluable. If you want to read my accounts, I wrote a three-part thing. Part 1 – Food. Part 2 – Places. Part 3 – Places.

While in Qinghai, I searched for good noodles. Shops serving beef noodles that resembled the food at Zamu Zamu were everywhere. I say resemble because I was very underwhelmed when in China. The noodles were cheap and filling, but not much more. Locals confirmed it for me, beef noodles are for the poor people. Peasant food.

Enter Zamu Zamu. In typical beef noodle fashion, the noodles are pulled on the spot to order. Choose your style from the picture menu and you are good to go. I went with the mega thick ダアクワン style.

Night and day to what I had over in China. This bowl was tops. The soup is still very light, but you actually want to drink it. The stewed beef is nice and tender. There’s an egg, making this a Japanese thing.

I spoke with the master after this excellent bowl. He is from Langzhou and grew up with this dish before heading off to America to study in the IT field. Now he’s here helping his sister run this restaurant on weekends. It’s very much a passion project for him.

Point blank, I told him that I was generally underwhelmed by the beef noodle in China, and he said that his recipe is based on what he grew up with in the 80s. Over time, corners have been cut to the point where the dish is a whole new thing. Cheap instant stocks are a big part of the blame.

That said, I’d like to know more. I feel bad shitting on a culturally important cuisine from a part of the world I visited for 10 days like I’m some kind of expert. Then again, some of the best pizza, bagels, and croissants I’ve ever had were here in Tokyo, so why can’t the best Langzhou Beef Noodle be the best as well.

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