I had high expectations but unfortunately, my experience was underwhelming. While the concept is great—hand-pulled noodles made fresh—the execution left a lot to be desired. We ordered four of the beef Szechuan noodles. The sauce was one-dimensional, with an overwhelming amount of oil but little depth of flavor. Instead of a rich, complex spice, all we got was heat with no balance. The dumplings were a major disappointment. Instead of a balanced, flavorful bite, they were completely overpowered by an overwhelming amount of red wine vinegar. The acidity drowned out any potential depth in the filling, making it nearly impossible to taste anything else. Rather than enhancing the dish, the vinegar turned what should have been a delicate, savory experience into a one-note, overly sour mess.

Okay, so I really wanted to love this place because I'm a huge fan of hand-pulled noodles. However, as a Chinese person who's had a lot of hand-pulled noodles in her life, maybe my expectations are too high for a place like Culver City. Don't get me wrong. I think overall for people who have never had Chinese hand-pulled noodles before, this is a GREAT introduction to it. I highly recommend still trying these out. However, I got the Dry Spicy Cumin Beef and I do have some critiques for the dish. First of all, I felt like there could have been more flavor to the dish. Second of all, the texture of the noodles felt a little too soft and they kind of stuck together. Dare I say... it's not as bouncy as the other hand-pulled noodles I tried? Finally, for the price of $18, I expected a bigger portion size I was expecting more noodles in that bowl. I think comparatively speaking if anyone has ever had Very Fresh Noodles at Chelsea Market in New York, I think Very Fresh Noodles by far has better texture and portion size. Don't let this review deter you though! I do think TikTok tends to overhype certain restaurants. I just want to set the right expectations. I would still highly recommend trying out this place for yourself if you are curious about hand-pulled noodles.