GB Hand Pulled Noodles – 66 Edward St, Toronto, ON M5G 1C9
Country: China
Seating: Only indoor seating
Must-try dish: Special Lanzhou Beef Noodles
Dinner guests: Pornstar Sam & Young Matt
The high: You’ll be happy with whatever you order on the menu. 
The low: The food came out too quickly for enjoyment of each dish. 

What, or who is “GB” was a topic of conversation over noodles at one of the two GB Hand Pulled Noodles locations in Toronto. We opted to check out the downtown shop, but there’s also one in Leslieville on Gerrard Street’s busy strip going into Little India. Despite being a popular abbreviation for Great Britain, in this case, GB refers to the Chinese slang word meaning panda.

The eatery itself has a few tables, and likely a quick turnaround on account of the quick delivery of food after ordering. Although the restaurant specializes in noodle soups, there are a number of other options, especially when it comes to appetizers. Four small plates was the right amount for our group, which was followed by massive bowls of noodles and broth. 

These are our recommendations for starters:

• Lanzhou Spicy Beef Shank: Don’t be fooled by the word “spicy” in the title, these tender strips of beef will have you wanting more after the first bite. 
• Marinated Cod Jellyfish: Jellyfish encounters don’t usually bring up happy thoughts, but when seasoned and served on a plate, it’s a whole new ballgame. The texture is soft, slightly jelly and has an addicting quality. 
• Spicy Cucumber: This classic added greens to the meal. It’s refreshing and tasty. 
• Sliced Chicken with Chili Sauce: The marinade is delicious, and so is the chicken once you get over the fact that it’s served cold. It’s reminiscent of eating leftovers that came straight out of the refrigerator and weren’t reheated. The spicy sauce was the star for this dish, in our opinion, if it was served hot it would have been a star.

GB’s speciality is noodles, and specifically Lamian hand pulled noodles from the Lanzhou Region. The Special Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup felt like the thing to order, with the option of thick or thin noodles, we advise to go for the thicker variety if you’re on the fence. The broth itself is flavourful without having too many spicy notes, while the thinly cut beef pieces melt in your mouth. 

If it doesn’t feel like the right time for a soup, the Cold/Hot GB Dandan Noodles are also highly recommended. The noodles are dressed in a pork sauce but the dish itself is much drier than the soup options especially if you are wearing a white shirt as young Matt often naively does during our blog outings.

This place is cheap, cheerful, and tasty. It’s an excellent place to grab a bite in the Yonge and Dundas Square area of the city, but it’s also a nice weeknight meal because of how quickly the food comes out and the affordability of the dishes. 

Note: The bee in the title refers to an unexpected dinner guest… A BIG BEE that was buzzing around and our server and some of our dinner guest weren’t particularly sitting with ease as it starting buzzing around our table.

Eat with you soon,

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)