"The noodles look clear and taste very delicious, Yu said, adding she still remembered the aroma of the noodles blended with fried spring onion she ate some 30 years ago at the shop. A bowl of such noodles cost only 0.2 yuan then.

The shop's popularity has never ebbed - it is always hard to find a seat at lunch time. Its outlet on Huaihai Road sells 1,500 to 2,000 bowls of noodles every day.

Like Yu, most diners at the noodle shop are people who demand flavor and favor the low cost. Most of its elderly diners are its clients since they were young.

"The old customers feel at home in our shop," said Ni Hanying, a staff member of the shop. Pingtan (storytelling and ballad singing in Suzhou dialect) is often offered at the shop on Friday afternoons to entertain the elderly clients.

Established in 1950 and originally located on Chongqing Road, Cang Lang Ting Noodle Shop takes its name from an old Suzhou garden and, unlike many joints of its kind, it has no plastic chairs or greasy floor; instead, the customers slurp noodles in a pleasant teahouse setting.

The niceties of Suzhou gardens can be found in the restaurant - from rockery and gurgling fountains at the entrance to red lanterns and rosewood tables and chairs. The seasonings, like spices, sesame oil, coriander, and mashed garlic, are placed in various ancient-style jars, on a rosewood antique shelf.

The fascinating flavor comes from good noodles, delicious soup and fresh seasonings.

"To assure the flavor, we have a central kitchen on Dapu Road, where we make noodles and cold seasonings for the 15 outlets. Every day we use up to 3.3 tons of flour," said Wang Tao, a managerial member of the noodle company. "The noodle tastes springy since we add lots of eggs into the flour."

With bones of fish, chicken, eel and pork, the soup is stewed for at least two hours. "We keep the richness of the soup from morning to evening by adding ingredients constantly," said Ni.

For noodles with brown seasoning, brown soup and brown sauce is served and for white seasoning, clear soup is offered.

The seasonings are also creative. In July when lobsters spawn, it will make Sanxia noodle which uses three different parts of the lobster - the brain, meat and roe and Ribbonfish. It sells more than 200 bowls a day, said Ni.

Now is the best time to eat ribbonfish and the shop makes the seasoning with ribbonfish sauce.

Diners can choose from more than 30 varieties of noodles, 10 cold dishes and numerous desserts all at a very reasonable price.

The cold dishes, such as spicy and sour cabbage, and bean-curd skin stuffed with minced carrot and mushroom are perfect accompaniment for the noodles.

Though a low-budget eatery, this is not a place just for filling the stomach, it is also a place to feel Chinese culture and art work.

(Eastday.com 03/30/2001)