This big, steaming bowl…

….from Emperor’s Garden Sichuan, of oily, mouth-numbing, Sichuan-peppercorn-infused noodles, is something we at ELV find to be just the thing to wolf down on a cold, wet winter’s night.

Besides the chile oil, they come topped with sesame paste and bits of tofu, pork and green onions — all of which you mix in the bowl into a sublime, slurp-y, warmth-inducing goodness.

Sometimes, when it’s cold and damp outside, we find ourselves needing them like a Chinese junkie in need of a food fix.

The word dandanmian (in Pinyin) literally means: “peddlers noodles.” It refers to a carrying pole (a dan dan) used by Chinese street peddlers.

So oily and splatter-y are they, you are advised to wear a bib (or an old sweatshirt) when attacking them with a fork or chopsticks.

They cost $9.

Just thought you’d like to know.