Judging by the lunchtime crowds, they're on to something at the new Xi'an Sizzling Woks in Chinatown.
The restaurant in the minimalist storefront at 902 Arch St. (215-925-1688), which opened less than a month ago, specializes in cuisine from Xi'an, in northwest China. (It was known as Xi'an Famous Food when it opened, but a stern letter from the owner of the popular Xi'an Famous Foods restaurants in New York City sent management back to the signmakers. Staff won't say much about the owner - only that he owns another restaurant, in Northeast Philly.)
You consult a menu scrawled in paper. Handmade noodles are the specialty.
Signature Xi'an liang pi ($5) gets you a plate of cold skin noodles - they're cold, flat, slippery rice noodles (not skin!) - with julienned cucumbers, bean sprouts, and spongy wheat gluten, which you top with a spicy-salty sauce of soy and a thick orange paste.
A Chinese hamburger ($3.50) is more like a sloppy Joe - a bun filled with minced cumin-scented lamb.
It's open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.