Before he partnered with Andy Qiu to open this small chain of noodle shops, Tony Cai was the chef at Bob’s 88 Shabu Shabu in Rockville, a Taiwanese hot-pot stop that sadly never found an audience. Cai spent the next years running a beer-and-wine store before taking time off to study at a culinary school in Chongqing, China. Cai’s training has paid off handsomely with Yu Noodles, a trio of shops dedicated to, but not limited to, the street foods of Chongqing. (Yu, as you may know, is the official abbreviation for Chongqing.) The more you explore the menu here, the more you love what lies within: Yibin spicy dry noodles, Chongqing noodles, Yu village cool noodles, intestine noodle soup, marinated duck and much more. Cai has even devoted a section to Shanghai-style soup dumplings, including one steamer basket dotted with cute, salmon-colored bundles that conceal a slow-burn sting more associated with Sichuan. Qiu tells me there is more to come: The partners plan to open another location in McLean soon, with others to follow in suburban Maryland.
368 Elden St., Herndon, Va., 703-480-0326, yunoodlesherndon.com. 11217-C Lee Hwy., Fairfax, Va., 703-877-0818, yunoodlefairfax.com. 9 Dawson Ave., Rockville, Md., 301-978-7693, yunoodlesrockville.com.
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