MiddBite: A Single Pebble, believe it or not, authentic chinese food in Burlington, VT

A year ago to the date, I found myself on the streets of Beijing, China, bargaining aggressively with the local food vendors for the best deals on my daily jiaozi (dumplings). At times, the interactions would get pretty aggressive as I tried to sheer one or two more yuan (Chinese currency) off of the already insignificantly small price. Yes, in American standards, I was probably the biggest jerk in the room, but in China, dealings like this were commonplace. Life is a battle there and both buyers and sellers put their lives on the line for each an every yuan in their pocket.

After four months in China, where my daily diet consisted of dumplings, triple fried eggplant, oil drenched stir fry noodles, and a distinct lacking of what health-conscious American society would ever deem acceptable, I was ready for a much needed cleanse. As this blog has clearly proven, I am by no means a health nut and I love my fair share of food, but when I arrived in Newark, I could not have been more ecstatic for the possibility of ending a meal without the feeling of a soy sauce flavored brick in my stomach. Since that day, I can count the number of times I have had Chinese food in the past year on one hand, so when Lauryn and I were looking for the next restaurant to feature prominently on our (self designated) award-winning blog, I figured it would be the perfect time to revisit the food of my homeland.

Fridays this semester have typically become a lost day. It is the day following a wonderful dance filled night at the senior club we call the bar, and any hopes of productivity are immediately thrown aside. On days like these, there are few things less appetizing than a big heaping meal of Chinese food, but after asking nearly everyone we knew for restaurant suggestions, we found ourselves being pointed time and time again to Burlington’s A Single Pebble. It was heralded by a few of our friends as not only Burlington’s best Chinese restaurant, but, cuisine aside, also as one of Burlington’s overall best. After a threatening of Magic Wok or A Single Pebble, Torch finally caved and, throwing Amy Schleuter into the car, we headed on up to Burlington’s 133 Bank Street.

A Single Pebble is not a flashy restaurant. In fact, the exterior caught me by surprise as it looks just like a normal Burlington residence. However, the interior has all of the commonalities of a classy Chinese joint, with scattered tables topped with red table cloths and a red Lazy Susan, which added a much appreciated touch of authenticity to the dining experience.

At 5:30, A Single Pebble was sparsely populated, which proved beneficial to our grumbling stomachs, but ultimately would be our downfall (more on that later). The hostess was notably very friendly and incredibly accommodating to our many questions. Turns out, the original chef was an American man who traveled many times to China, collecting local recipes and a passion for the fare, and decided to start up one of Burlington’s best establishments.

After a brief overview of the menu by our hostess, we decided to order five dishes. The meal began with the highly recommended Dry Fried Green Beans, which are fire flavored green beans wok tossed with flecks of pork, black bean, preserved vegetable, and garlic. Yes, after too many dishes of triple fried vegetables, I was 100% skeptical with the word choice of “fried”, but this dish turned out to be our best decision. The beans were wok fried, aka sautéed, and were one of the best renditions I’ve ever had of not only Chinese green beans, but green beans in general. Not too oily, not too spicy, but extremely fresh and flavorful. My kind of dish.

Next we were brought a dish of Chicken Dumplings with Spicy Sesame Sauce, which were steamed chicken filled dumplings served with a ginger vinegar sauce. The dumplings were both light and flavorful, but it was truly the sauce that made the dish. We even found ourselves dipping the meat buns, which came next, into the sesame sauce. Two for two.

Unfortunately, the above mentioned meat buns were the lowest point of our meal, but this was all relative as they were still pretty good. The baozi (meat buns) in China came cheaper than dirt, with the skin of a dumpling and the biggest hunk of meat (you designated the type, hypothetically…) inside. When comparing the food available to me in America and the food in China, I don’t find myself nostalgic for much of the Chinese fare, that is, except for the baozi. So when the menu offered “meat buns”, my mind immediately began to spin and my mouth began to salivate. Unfortunately, these weren’t the baozi of Beijing and instead came with a thick breading filled with a small lump of pork accompanied with hoisen and peanut sauce. The breading was a little too hearty and the meat was too unsubstantial.

As I mentioned before, the emptiness of the restaurant really affected our meals in two different ways. For one, our appetizers came out in rapid fire succession and our hunger was immediately satiated. Unfortunately, we learned that we have no self-control or concept of pacing, and by the arrival of our main dishes, we were pretty uncomfortably full. Welcome to my dining experiences of China…

For main dishes, we ordered the House Special Chow Fun, which was fresh wide rice noodle with chicken, shrimp, roast pork tossed in a light brown sauce, and the Tangerine Peel Chicken, which came as crispy chunks of chicken with chilis, tangerine peel, & garlic sauce framed with broccoli crowns. I’ve grown up loving Chow Fun, so much that even now, eight years after I left home, my family members from New York’s Chinatown still bring me heapings of it. To me, Chow Fun is the more substantial, more flavorful, and more satisfying rendition of the thinner noodles of Lo Mein. The wideness and thickness of the noodles makes each one more meat-like (I know that sounds gross, but really, its awesome) and makes it hands down one of my favorite Chinese dishes available. A Single Pebble did not disappoint. The plate came with such a huge heaping of meat and seafood, all of which was remarkably fresh and unbelievably tasty, that we questioned whether or not we had ordered a noodle dish. The noodles, hidden beneath the mass of meat, completely lived up to my expectations and dreams. They were cooked perfectly and the “light brown sauce” (what does that even mean?) was not too oily, always a difficulty that restaurants seem to face. As for the chicken, I can only describe the dish as a classier version of Panda Garden’s General Tso’s Chicken. By classier, I do not mean more healthy, because each chunk of chicken was coated with the standard fried layer.

If you find yourself with a few spare hours and a craving for Chinese food A Single Pebble is certainly worth the trip. Located just off Church Street, you can walk off the “Chinese-food baby” that will surely be present following your meal.