is the kind of restaurant you pass by and don't even realize it. It has absolutely no curb appeal. Its puzzling English name, Goody Goody Noodle House, is cringeworthy. It lacks that trendy, edgy urban minimalist vibe that you find at Noodle Bull. Fluourescent lighting bathes the Formica table tops in a pale, anemic light. The walls are papered in generic prints reminiscent of Toulouse-Lautrec. No ambiance-friendly loops of electronica, either. Just late 70s vintage Kenny Rogers ballads blaring at an almost unbearable volume. Okay, I know I'm not selling it too well thus far. You've just got put all of that quasi-corporate sterility out of your mind and get down to business in this place, namely the noodle bowls. They’ve got 21 varieties on their menu – braised pork knuckle, Taiwan-style spareribs, wonton noodles to name a few. But you need only concern yourself with their house specialty, the beef tendon. Hours and hours in beef stock over low heat creates a deliciously gooey, intensely beefy gelatinous morsel. Unlike gristle and fat, it's not sinewy and chewy. It doesn't slip out of the grip of your teeth. Rather, it yields willingly as you bite into it. Then it disperses across your tongue like a beefy slab of melting butter. Lai Chi Mian has two tendon options: the House Beef Tendon and Noodle Soup for 30rmb or the House Mixed Beef and Tendon Noodle Soup for 28. If you get the mixed variety, that only means you get less tendon. They serve it with your choice of la mian (hand-pulled noodles) or dao xiao mian (knife cut noodles) in a beef broth so rich and thick you almost need to chew it. They toss in a bit of MSG to amp up the flavor, but stop whining. You wouldn’t broken out in hives unless I told you this anyway. In addition to noodles, they offer a number of stewed and marinated selections that are worth ordering, like their "House Special Turnip". This is a little mountain of crunchy daikon chunks pickled in a mixture of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar and star anise. The delicate radishy bitterness of the daikon shines through ever so slightly. It’s delicious. It looks like this and costs 8 kuai. Then there is this… Warm tofu marinated in light soy sauce (12rmb). I know it looks like a deflated dish sponge but it’s really tasty. You should try it. You can find Lai Chi Mian in Laya Plaza. It's that restaurant and retail hub just across the street from Thumb Plaza. There is also a branch in Gubei on Guyang Lu.