There was something always getting in the way of my relationship with Vietnamese food. This something is known as CORIANDER. And because of it, my Vietnamese gastronomical experience was limited to pho tai chin and grilled lemongrass pork chop. Yet in the past few years, my tastes have changed and my palate no longer finds coriander offensive. Thanks to everyone's favourite Vietnamese chain Nha Trang, I've become a fan of Vietnamese cuisine.
Every time I have a bowl of pho, be it food court or restaurant pho, I feel the need to drink 10 gallons of water afterwards... almost as if having Vietnamese is equivalent to having MSG. Fortunately for me (and you), there's a little Vietnamese eatery promising MSG-free food. The fact that I've visited three times in a month only shows how much I love this place...
 |
Grilled Five Spiced Pork Pho ($65) - the broth is nutty and slightly bitter (nutmeg? star anise?). Personally, I prefer the more common clear broth. Best part of the bowl - tender grilled pork. And there was a lot! |
 |
Soft Shell Crab Summer Rolls ($65) - one of my favourites on the menu. Chewy rice paper, crunchy pickled vegs and crispy soft shell crab. The medley of textures makes this the perfect item to accompany that piping hot bowl of pho. |
 |
Turmeric White Fish Banh Mi ($50) - grabbed a banh mi to go to satisfy my banh mi addiction. |
 |
| True to the description on the wrapping paper, there was "plenty of vegetables". Though the pickles could be more acidic to balance out the heaviness of the baguette. |
 |
Grilled Five Spiced Pork and Scallion and Crispy Shallot Bun ($60) + extra Turmeric Fish ($30) - ahhh this is the reason why Noodlemi is one of my favourite eateries. Tossed with the house fish sauce, the bun is savoury and refreshing, with the right balance of flavours every mouthful. It's so light and tasty I'm actually craving it right now! |
Rating: 4.5/5
Food: Frankly if you serve me tasty food with no MSG then I'm sold. It's even better when it's really tasty, refreshing (weather-appropriate) and comes in a generous portion.
Environment: A small busy restaurant with high chairs and tables. It can get quite crowded and noisy during lunch time but I don't mind if there's a great bowl of bun waiting for me. If you like a bit of space to yourself, they have recently opened another outlet in an industrial building in Aberdeen.
Service: There are 4 - 5 servers which I think is plenty for a small shop. It's really busy during lunch so don't expect extremely friendly pally service, but the wait staff is always there to help and quick to act.
Price: Really reasonable for Central/Sheung Wan. And even more reasonable for the portion. I know it's tempting to order an item from each category on the menu, but be warned not to order too much!
Noodlemi
G/F, 2 Bonham Strand East
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Website
Menu
No comments:
Post a Comment