School’s out for summer making it easy for the Dining Divas & Dudes to park and eat near the Purdue campus. Recently, we went to Dagu Rice Noodle, formerly Oishi, and kind of still Oishi, at 213 E State Street. One or the other of these restaurants has been at this location for about 7 years. We were a little confused finding 2 menus at our table, one for Dagu and one for Oishi. You could order from either one, and so we did. (From the internet: “Dagu and Oishi are not competitors but are actually tied to the same restaurant location. Dagu is a specialized Chinese franchise serving authentic Yunnan fare and braised rice noodles, while Oishi is the local Asian and Sichuan restaurant that operates out of the exact same kitchen. While Dagu provides a lighter, soup-and-noodle based experience, Oishi leans more toward savory, traditional Chinese entrees, stir-fries, and street-style fried rice.”)
We started with Crab Rangoon and Edamame, which we loved and devoured quickly, and then got onto the main event. The first five meals came from the Oishi menu.
Tetia’s Seafood Casserole with Tofu came as a huge portion! Generous amounts of tofu, crab, squid, tilapia, and cabbage filled the steaming bowl which was enough for two Tetia meals (easily three or four for a normal appetite). “It was beautifully delivered with a bowl of rice and made for a flavor punch that I won’t forget. The broth was rich and tied the bow around this traditional dish which reminded me of meals from my youth."
Linda had Shrimp and Mushrooms. Tons of mushrooms, very nicely cooked and which absorbed the sauce (a savory brown stir-fry sauce), and a few sliced carrots. The shrimp was large and plentiful. It was served with a side of steamed white rice. It was an appetizing dish.
Jo chose the Fried Eggs with Tomatoes on Linda’s recommendation, perhaps Linda was trying to steer her away from one of the shrimp dishes she had been considering. This comforting dish featured fluffy, soft-scrambled eggs and tender tomatoes in a savory sauce with just a hint of sweetness and tanginess. Jo requested no rice, although it is typically served over rice. It was a generous and very filling meal, and Jo was glad she listened to Linda.
Margy’s Spring Rolls were vegetarian with cabbage, carrots, and onion with sweet dipping sauce. The crispy wrap was nice! Not too thick or overly crunchy. She also got her own order of edamame “which were awesome as usual. Cooked perfectly with just the right amount of salt. I brought my leftover edamame home to add to my dinner tonight.”
Jerry had the Scallion Sautéed Beef. It’s stir-fry like and quite flavorful. It features a seared flank steak, sliced thin and sautéed in a soy, cornstarch and sesame oil broth. Lots of scallions as the name would suggest and served over rice.
Three of us ordered off the Dagu menu and our meals arrived in what looked like "big dog bowls (see photo)". These contraptions kept the contents piping hot, but they were challenging to eat from.
Iseral had the Tomato Flavored Rice Noodle soup w/ Braised Beef Brisket. The tomato-y broth with cumin, star anise, Szechuan peppercorn, cinnamon stick, black pepper, white pepper, bay leaves and coriander seeds had a nice mild spicy taste, not overwhelming, just right. It came with tofu, tripe, imitation crab, sprigs of green onion, bamboo shoots. “I ate almost all of it, it was hard to stop eating it because of the flavor!”
Olivia ordered Coconut Curry Braised Rice Noodle which had a spicy coconut broth with marinated tofu, cabbage, bamboo shoots, broccoli, and rice noodles. It was flavorful, only slightly spicy, and lightly salted. The tofu was a highlight, and she liked the broth. But, she loved the Crab Rangoon. “Well-fried and not at all soggy, generously stuffed.”
Kay had Coconut Curry Chicken Braised Noodle. The server warned her it was spicy hot, and it did make her nose run. At first, she thought the huge container of steaming food would defeat her, but once she figured out how to attack it, she enjoyed the flavorful broth, ample chicken, tofu, imitation crab, bamboo shoots, onions, rice noodles, and especially, the quail egg.
All of us were impressed with the quick service and generous portions, but the quality of the food is what will bring us back.