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Best Cantonese Wonton Noodle Soup?

First off, does ant place make its own egg noodles?

Second, who has the best Cantonese wontons?

I can tell you that Hong Kong Pearl, Vinh Kee aren't very good. On the other hand, Miu Kee is pretty good. I need to try XO Taste, Fortune in 7 Corners, and Marks Duck House for their wontons.

There's Full Kee at Baileys Xroads.

Some places in Springfield, and lots of places in MD.

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  1. XO Taste is the place for shrimp wonton soup.

    2 Replies
    1. re: Steve

      XO Taste does have good wontons. I ordered it without the noodles, assuming they're just packaged noodles. The soup itself is nothing special. Not particularly rich in flavor.

      1. re: Worldwide Diner

        Full Kee has a good shrimp dumpling soup, which is close to wonton. Only at the Bailey's location. Chinatown is not as good.

        Nam Viet has a great wonton soup with nice meaty dumplings and a rich chicken broth. The best ever in DC was at the long-departed Nan King--a clear, tasty broth with sliced pork and bok choi.

    2. Golden Hong Kong in Springfield has good wonton noodle soup. As in the other places, they use pre-made noodles. Soup base is decent, and the wontons are large with good amount of shrimps and meat.

      1. Mark's Duck House had mediocre wontons and an anemic soup.

        1. My husband used to come home from business trips to Woodland Hills, CA enthusiastic about the Wonton Soup at the P.F. Chiang's across the street from his hotel. I was with him one trip, and, to humor him, we ate a late lunch at P.F. Chiang's including the soup. The soup was awesome: full-flavored broth with generously stuffed dumplings in a thin dough casing. We ordered it again at the EastView Mall (Rochester, NY) location of P.F. Chang's one afternoon -- admittedly a cold afternoon. Equally fabulous.

          Last week, we ordered it at the Sarasota, FL location also one cold and rainy day. (Okay, cold by Florida standards.) The soup was anemic, although the dumplings were still excellent. When we complained to the waiter, he said that the corporate chef was at the restaurant that day and everyone would try the soup. That happened back in the kitchen but the waiter did report back. He said that the corporate chef and the local chefs all thought the soup was "just fine" and that it tasted the way it always tastes. Whatever. I hope the corporate chef never visits Woodland Hills or Rochester NY and gets outraged by their non-corporate -- absolutely delicious -- version. I'd like to be able to keep ordering the excellent soup in those locations.

          Bottom line: P.F. Chiang's serves no one's idea of authentic Chinese food. However, at least some of the branches serve a sublime version of Wonton Noodle Soup. (I haven't tried the soup in the Tyson's branch, the most conveniently located branch.)

          8 Replies
          1. re: Indy 67

            Interesting. I use to go to PF Chang when I worked in Tysons and wanted to watch golf tournaments at lunch. The food's actually better than most American Chinese restaurants.

            1. re: Indy 67

              But this is the Washington/Baltimore Chowhound forum. Have you tried a PF Chang's around here?

              The last time I tried one was in Las Vegas. I called ahead for a table, had to wait about 25 minutes anyway (this was nearly 9 PM on a week night) and when they took me to a tiny table between two loud, large parties, I said "no thanks" and had dinner elsewhere. But I do remember enjoying a dinner at PF Chang's in Miami with some folks from work.

              1. re: MikeR

                "But this is the Washington/Baltimore Chowhound forum. Have you tried a PF Chang's around here?"

                If you're asking if I've tried the Tyson's P.F. Chang's, the answer is "yes" -- many times, especially at lunch. I usually order the vegetarian lettuce wrap for lunch. I'm not a vegetarian, but I like that version much better than the chicken version.

                If you're asking if I've tried the Tyson's version of the wonton soup, I suggest you re-read the last sentence of the original post.

              2. re: Indy 67

                Indy, I gave the wonton soup a try at the PF Chang's in Ballston/Arlington, and it was bland and rather unassuming. The mushrooms looked like day old pre-sliced crimini mushrooms from Giant Foods.
                It is odd that you got great soup in CA and in NY but a poor version of it in Florida and I encountered an equally bland version in Arlington. I would have assumed that different PF Chang's restaurants would have similar versions of the same meal.
                Having said that, though, I have to admit that I have been to that particular PF Chang's a time or two before and it has always been kind of blandified, Americanized "Chinese" food.
                But it was worth it to see if they had at least one thing on their menu worth going there for.

                1. re: Ziv

                  Whoops! You apparently got the corporate-approved version -- the insipid broth one. (We are talking about the big bowl that serves four to six. Right?) Condolences since I know what some PF Chang's kitchens are capable of producing.

                  One down. That still leaves the Chevy Chase, White Flint, Fairfax, and Dulles Town Center branches in the maybe/hopefully category. Meanwhile, I'm not holding my breath about the Woodland Hills and the Rochester kitchens.

                  1. re: Indy 67

                    This thread got me on a mini-wonton tour. I tried Full Kee Falls Church and it was rich and meaty with a nice broth. Then I did PF Changs which is best avoided unless you like your wonton soup bland and boring, albeit looking rather nice in its serving bowl and ladle...
                    Then I hit Four Sisters in the Mosaic for their side dish shrimp wonton soup for just $5 today. Admittedly Vietnamese, not Chinese/Cantonese, but man, that was a nice bowl of soup! The broth is rich and layered in flavors, each spoonful tasting slightly different than the last. The wontons are medium sized, small enough that you can nearly convince yourself that eating them in one bite is not making you look like you are wolfing your soup down. And again, the wontons are slightly complex with a meaty presence that really satisfies.
                    Then I ate the tofu stuffed with bean threads because Steve said it was worth trying. It is not a dish I would have otherwise ordered, (I usually don't venture into vegetarian sections of the menu) but it was well worth trying. It is a bit more subtle than some other Vietnamese dishes but it really is delicious!
                    Two very good dishes in one sitting. Nice way to spend an otherwise cold and blustery afternoon.

                    1. re: Ziv

                      I'm glad you liked the tofu. I am a sucker for food stuffed into other food!

                      1. re: Ziv

                        ditto on the four sisters wonton soup.
                        i'm anxious to try their new restaurant opening in clarendon tomorrow-- april 17.

                2. Full Kee in Wheaton, MD is pretty good. I grew up in Hawaii eating won ton mein regularly in Honolulu chinatown and this reminds me of that.