Uzbekistan is a former Soviet Socialist Republic that would be the meat in a “stan” sandwich. Neighboring countries Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazazhstan surround them in a region the owners call EuroAsia. Other people recognizable this area as Eurasia. The country has been well positioned to soak up loads of culinary influences over the past two millenniums. Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan both controlled the area at different key points in history. Iranian nomads roamed the land. Uzbekistan was also on the Silk Road, a legendary trade route that connected Europe and China. That’s a roundabout way of saying that a hearty hand-pulled noodle dish popping up in Uzbekistan shouldn’t have surprised many people.

EuroAsia resides in Encino’s Plaza de Oro, a two-story strip mall on Ventura Boulevard. This restaurant features burgundy tablecloths and patio facing a bubbling fountain. They serve a serious Kavurma Lagman ($14). Chewy hand-rolled noodles join juicy beef flap steak strips and thin-cut vegetables like carrot, celery red bell pepper. They dust the bowl with dill. Each order comes with tangy sour cream that provides cool contrast. In my experience, EuroAsia lagman even outpaces their house-made manti – steamed beef and lamb dumplings – which is quite a feat.