Hey everyone! We are back! It’s Rachel and Calla again from the Admission Office, bringing you the second episode of our summer food blog series. If you missed our first post, we reviewed Lili’s—an Amherst favorite for its hand-pulled noodles—and now we are back with another restaurant: Lao Hu Tong.
Just like last time, our interns took another trip after work to treat ourselves and explore more of what downtown Amherst has to offer. Lao Hu Tong has been on our list for a while, and we were excited to finally give it a try!
As we entered the restaurant, we were instantly captivated by the intricately-designed interior. The space was filled with plenty of tables, and red decorations throughout gave the place a warm and vibrant feel. It definitely set the tone for the flavorful meal ahead.
After browsing through a menu filled with tons of delicious options, we decided to start with a few appetizers and order different main dishes so we could sample a variety of flavors.
One of the appetizers we ordered was a cucumber dish (pictured above) – it was very fresh, lightly chilled, and coated in a sweet, slightly vinegary chili sauce. The thick cucumber chunks had a savory yet refreshing kick, making it the perfect way to start the meal.
We also ordered some dumplings for the table (pictured below) – both the chicken dumplings and the soup dumplings, which were absolutely delicious. Don’t be fooled by the picture; each soup dumpling was huge, filled with warm broth surrounding a rich pork filling. The chicken dumplings were also very yummy: the dough was chewy yet thin, and the generous portion of chicken filling was soft with a lighter flavor. So if you aren’t sure what to start the meal with, the cucumber salad is perfect for a fresher taste to prep the palate, and the dumplings will be a bit more filling and rich if you’re more hungry.
Rachel: For my main dish, I got the Beef Brisket Noodle Soup (pictured below). The bowl came with a generous amount of tender beef, and the noodles were very delicious. The broth had a deep, rich flavor that made the dish stand out. I rate it 8.9/10.
Calla: I ordered the Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup (pictured below), which is basically the same thing as Rachel’s but with chicken. This is my go-to order at Lao Hu Tong because I don’t eat red meat, and I would describe it as a more elevated version of the chicken Top Ramen. It has the same comforting, salty flavor as the Top Ramen we know and love, but there are tender slices of (maybe steamed?) chicken, bits of pan-fried garlic to enhance the soup’s flavor, bok choy to add some crunch to the dish, and the longest noodles I’ve ever consumed, which were chewy and soaked up the broth wonderfully. I also added some complementary chili oil to add another layer of flavor. This noodle soup on a cold and rainy day would definitely soothe the soul. My rating of this dish: 8.5/10. My rating of Lao Hu Tong overall: 9.1/10.
Thank you for tuning in for this episode and stay tuned to see what Amherst restaurant we try next!