9 Dragon Noodle House

Beyond the Plate is a food-focused series on the established places around the area whose flavors and atmospheres keep us coming back for seconds (and twenty-seconds).

One reason I stop into 9 Dragon Noodle House often is convenience. I do my banking next door, and it's an easy tour to accomplish during my lunch break. But the bigger allure is, as it should be, the food. I've had the much-talked-about roasted duck ramen, and my ability to clean out the complimentary bowl of slick, salted nuts depends on the day; but I keep returning to the bibimbap.

The mixed rice bowl arrives to the table in a still-crackling stone pot, with greens and carrot strips hugging a neat line of sliced beef. It's an almost insurmountable shame to disrupt the presentation, but at some point you've got to pour the chili pepper paste (gochujang) over the bowl and toss the ingredients to coat, flipping spoonfuls of rice and wrinkled egg towards you and away, again and again.

It's the lunch that keeps on giving, as each spoonful continues to unearth piping steam and rice that blushes with the gochujang. At the end of the meal, the bowl's still warm, and—even hours later—so are you.

9 Dragon Noodles House
5271 Highland Road
(225) 766-9977