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Super Taste Restaurant is bare bones even by Chinatown-soup-shop standards. The walls are empty save for a waterfall clock and yellow menus written in Chinese and English, and dishes are served in plastic bowls. Boxes of supplies are stacked near the front counter, behind which lies the place’s draw: a chef making noodles by hand. The dough is stretched out and turned ritualistically; strands get plopped immediately into boiling woks. The specialty here is hand-pulled noodle soup, an import from Lanzhou, a city along the Silk Road in central China. The noodles are about the gauge of spaghetti and cooked al dente, so they’re slightly chewy; an amber-colored reduction of beef and beef bones serves as broth. The meat is thinly sliced, flavorful, and surprisingly tender given how much tendon is on it. Filling variations include lamb and duck, and fish balls, which hide pork centers inside taut orbs of pressed fish. On the non-soup side, the steamed dumplings are knockouts: Wrappers are supple, almost silklike, and the meat and scallion centers are short on grease. Patrons are largely Chinatown locals, taking advantage of a place where five bucks goes a long way. — Ethan Wolff

Steamed dumplings, $3; hand-pulled noodle soup with beef, $4.50

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• Cheap Eats Guide 2006 (8/7/06)