Right around the corner from the famous Greenapple Bookstore on Clement Street the Golden Noodle House has just opened (April 2002). The homemade noodles and dumplings will have you coming back for more, as well as the Chinese Cioppino, as I call it, that goes by the name #8, or Combination Spicy Soup Noodles. In this soup, among the noodles which rival the better pastas of North Beach, you can find stir-fried shrimp, calamari, mussels and beef. You can add extra seafood by the dollar to this big $6.50 bowl until its chock full of the sea, just like the Cioppinos of the wharf. At $9.50, I imagine you might need a license to fish in the bowl.

Chef Thomas hails from the northeast of China, near the Korean border, and cooks up #17, the Santung Cold Chicken, for those patrons who emigrated from the cold. He would say nothing about its five spices, so I asked about the armored idol in the ritual case behind the counter, the Chai Shin Guy. He got excited at that- for the idol is a Chinese warlord who sweeps money into the place with his pointed staff, or else jolts patrons with it.

For the fainthearted, Chef Thomas tosses chilled jellyfish with cucumbers in a light soy garlic mustard sauce. The price at $6.50, like most of the prices, doesn't sting. If you'd rather watch that dish float by your table, instead, try the pig's ear. It comes sliced, crunchy and moist and you don't have to finish the small plate- you can feed it with your chopsticks to Annie when she comes with the fortune cookies.

At lunch on weekdays, the dishes range from $4.75-$5.25 until 3PM. The list includes Kung Pao Chicken, Lemon Chicken, and Twice Cooked Pork. The dishes are elegantly arranged and the noodles fresher than you will expect.

The Golden Noodle House is open daily 11:00 - 10:00 PM and is highly recommended for its food and pleasant decor. When you go, remember the Chinese Cioppino (#8) and 'Supersize It!' as much as your wallet will bear.