MIÀN Gourmet Sichuan Noodle Opens First Orange County Location at South Coast Plaza – Orange County Register

Michelin Bib Gourmand award-winning MIÀN Gourmet Sichuan Noodle opens Thursday, October 13 at the South Coast Plaza. The popular Sichuan concept from the San Gabriel Valley welcomed friends and family to the soft opening on October 12. Located on the ground floor of the Din Tai Fung wing, the restaurant replaces the former Casa Barilla Pasta Kitchen.

MIÀN means “drawn noodles” and describes the specialty of the restaurant. Spicy beef noodle soup is served with tender bone-in beef chunks and baby pok choi. A Zajiang noodle dish is topped with minced meat and a fried egg. Although the emphasis at MIÀN is on noodles, the menu offers several authentic Sichuan-style appetizers such as pickled wood ear mushrooms, chilled, flavorful beef jerky, and tender steamed egg with minced pork.

Guests should definitely not skimp on appetizers, suggests owner/partner Sean Xie. The different textures and temperatures add to the experience and go well with the pasta dishes and dumplings. MIÀN’s recipes were developed by James Beard Award-nominated chef Tony Xu, who will oversee the Costa Mesa kitchen. Xu also oversees and trains the chefs at all seven MIÀN locations and its sister concept, Chengdu Taste, which opened in the San Gabriel Valley in 2013. The South Coast Plaza location is MIÀN’s first location in Orange County.

Xie mentioned that the partners had wanted to move into the South Coast Plaza for some time. Xie and his business partners were asked to replace another tenant a few years ago. Unfortunately, the kitchen was too small, and when this room opened up, Xie and his partners jumped at the opportunity.

The new restaurant now has two kitchens, split into a wok cooking station in the rear and an open, glass-enclosed kitchen in the dining room where visitors can watch the dumplings being made. A large pizza oven left over from Casa Barilla is later used to cook other Sichuan dishes. One of Xie’s favorite dishes is chili oil chao shou dumplings. The shrimp-stuffed dumplings are tossed in a balanced sweet and savory chilli sauce.

The restaurant’s decor consists of dark wooden boxes filled with dried spices and chillies. A large mural on one wall is painted with anime-style fish, woven light fixtures hang above it, and large glass windows give passers-by a fishbowl-like view of the dining room. The muralist’s illustrations are also adorned on decorative bowls that stand on shelves near the kitchen. The pillars have bright neon signs with Mandarin characters listing various streets and “food hotspots” in China.

The menu at MIÀN appears with QR codes. The mobile ordering technology was designed for the restaurant, says Xie, and features large, detailed images with brief descriptions.

A separate counter at the front of the restaurant is used to serve take-out boba drinks and desserts. Drinks made from frozen mung beans and crushed lemon are served alongside a shelled whole coconut filled with chilled coconut jelly. It is simultaneously a refreshing dessert and ideal vlog content for social media. The coconut jelly soothes the palate and is not too sweet.

MIÀN will be releasing additional dishes throughout the month, including Orange County-specific menu items that will take advantage of the kitchen’s large pizza oven.

Find it: MIÀN Sichuan Gourmet Noodles, South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, 714-265-7997, miantaste.com