Noodle restaurants in Asia
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A
Pho Gia Truyen
The perfect broth for pho (rice-noodle soup) should look as though it was ladled from the river. It's opaque and brownish after beef bones have boiled in it for hours. Some places try to take the mystery out of pho by serving weak, see-through broths, but here you get the good stuff. Once you've experienced it you'll understand why some can't start their day without a bowl.
reviewed
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B
Mermaid Restaurant
One of the original Hoi An eateries (since 1991), this place is still going strong with its menu of Hoi An specialities and family recipes. Try the fried spring rolls and the excellent ‘white rose’.
reviewed
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C
Man Fai
Any time of day you can see people squeezed together here at the few communal tables, slurping up noodles. It’s not a heaven for hygienists, but it is for Chiu Chow squid-ball lovers. The signature balls, desired for their al dente texture, are served with a variety of noodles ($20) and with other ingredients such as beef balls and crispy fish skin (assorted $23).
reviewed
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D
Pho Thin
You'll get a very good bowl of pho in this family-run joint. Just be prepared for a down-home pho-eating experience: order yours on your way in, elbow your way into seats, and kick aside the little piles of tissues at your feet. Within seconds, the aromatic steam rising from your bowl will remind you why you came.
reviewed
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Tainan Tan-tsu-mien
Odd though it may seem to have rooms decorated like Versailles and Vienna in Snake Alley, that's what you'll find here. Select your own fish and seafood out the front and the chef will suggest a preparation method (grilled, steamed, fried etc). Don't forget to try the shop's namesake noodles (made with ground pork).
reviewed
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E
Noodle Station
Next door to the Hotel Sentosa, this is a smart little café serving, naturally enough, lots of noodle dishes, plus Western meals and good coffee. English magazines are provided for customers.
reviewed
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Bikkuri Udon Miyoshino
A simple place that does good-value sets of typical Japanese fare. Stop by and check the daily lunch specials on display outside.
reviewed
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Omen
This noodle shop is named after the thick, white noodles served in a hot broth with a selection of seven fresh vegetables. Just say 'omen' and you'll be given your choice of hot or cold noodles, a bowl of soup to dip them in and a plate of vegetables (you put these into the soup along with some sesame seeds). It's a great bowl of noodles but don't stop there: the à la carte menu is also fantastic – ranging from excellent tempura to healthy vegetable dishes. It's about five minutes' walk from Ginkaku-ji in a traditional Japanese house with a lantern outside. Note that there's often a line during tourist high season.
reviewed
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H
Shinatatsu
A bit of a ramble, a bit of a gamble (if you don’t speak Japanese), Shinatatsu is a collection of seven rāmen shops and five donburi shops lining the trackside arcade beside Shinagawa Station. Shops don’t have English menus, so you may want to pick up Shinatatsu’s picture booklet or ask for explanations of the different varieties before you purchase your meal ticket from the vending machines. Among them, Tetsu serves tsukemen – plain noodles that you dip in soup, which is all the rage right now. Donburi toppings (beef, tempura, sashimi etc) are a little more easily decipherable.
reviewed
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I
Kanei
A small traditional place not far from Funaoka Onsen, Kanei is the place to go if you’re a soba connoisseur – the noodles are made by hand here and are delicious. The owners don’t speak much English, so here’s what to order: zaru soba (¥850) or kake soba ( soba in a broth; ¥900). Note that handmade soba quickly loses its taste and texture, so we recommend that you eat it quickly. The servings are small and the dishes are only likely to please real soba fans. Kanei is on the corner, a few metres west of Saraca Nishijin.
reviewed
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Ajisen
Simply hopping come meal time, this Japanese ramen chain escorts diners to the noodle dish of their choice via easy-to-use photo menus and diligent squads of staff in regulation black T-shirt and jeans. Dishes perfectly resemble their photo menu images, so two thumbs up for that. This is possibly the most popular chain in Shànghǎi, with 83 locations around town and growing. In the event you’re having trouble finding a branch, try the nearest mall. Handy outlets are located at Pǔdōng’s Superbrand Mall (8th fl), the main train station and even at Pudong International Airport.
reviewed
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J
Omen Nippon
This is one of two Downtown branches of the famous Ginkaku-ji noodle restaurant. It serves a variety of healthy set meals, including a good ¥1900 lunch set that includes noodles and a few sides. It’s a small, calm place that’s a nice oasis amid the Downtown mayhem, good for a light lunch while out shopping, and it has an English menu to boot. Look for the word ‘Nippon’ on the sign.
reviewed
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K
Lung Lek
In the past, Ayuthayans got their noodle fix from boat-based vendors who hocked their bowls along the city’s canals and rivers. Today the vessels are all landlocked, but the famous kǔaytǐaw ruea (boat noodles) remain as popular as ever. Lung Lek serves incredibly intense kǔaytǐaw ruea with pork or beef. Look for the open-air tent-like structure.
reviewed
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Bakudanya
Come to this simple street-corner stall to try another famous Hiroshima dish: tsukemen, a cold rāmen-like dish in which noodles and soup come separately. This is the original outlet; the chain has now spread across the country. A nami (medium-sized) serving of tsukemen is ¥750. Look for the green awning.
reviewed
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Yabu Soba
Near the arcade, this busy, famous place rustles up top-class soba, from the simple zaru soba - plain, cold buckwheat noodles to dip in broth - to the richly filling tenseiro (noodles topped with shrimp and vegetable tempura). There's a picture menu to help you choose. Look for the black-granite sign in front that says in English 'Since 1892'.
reviewed
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M
Hinode Udon
Filling noodle and rice dishes are served at this pleasant little shop. Plain udon (thick white noodles) here is only ¥450, but we recommend you spring for the nabeyaki udon (pot-baked udon in broth) for between ¥850 and ¥1000. This is a good spot for lunch when temple-hopping near Ginkaku-ji or Nanzen-ji.
reviewed
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Wúyuè Rénjiā
Hidden in a side-street basement off East Nanjing Rd, this cool little place serves great bowls of Suzhou noodles in an old-style teahouse. Choose between tāng (soupy) or gān (dry) noodles; in either case the flavouring comes on a side plate. The excellent xiābào shànbēi miàn comes with shrimp and fried eels (Y17).
reviewed
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O
Nathan Congee and Noodle
This honest, low-key eatery has been making great congee (from $25) and noodles (from $20) for the last half-century. Order a side of fritters (to be dunked into the congee and eaten slightly soggy), tackle a pyramidal Chinese rice dumpling, or conquer the blanched fish skin tossed with parsley, garlic, sesame oil and peanuts ($23).
reviewed
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R.R. Max Cafe
The first restaurant in the row of shops on your right as you walk from the boat jetty to the information centre, this simple kedai kopi (coffee shop) serves a surprisingly good plate of fried noodles (ask for mee goreng basah - fried noodles in sauce - with prawns) and good hot or iced tea to wash it down with.
reviewed
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Daitō Soba
This dinky little noodle house is the perfect spot for sampling your first bowl of okinawa-soba (Okinawan style noodles). We like ours with extra shima-tōgarashi (pickled hot peppers in sesame oil). It's one block north of Kokusai-dōri on Midori-ga-oka Park (look for the red banners and plastic food models).
reviewed
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Q
Juk 1001 Iyagi
The unpretentious surroundings reflect this restaurant’s food. A large bowl of excellent chicken and ginseng rice porridge is served with four side dishes. There are 19 other options packed with healthy, natural ingredients, ranging from snails, mushrooms and seafood to good old pumpkin. Some choices are vegetarian.
reviewed
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Meng Kee Noodle Shop
Leave the neon lights behind and venture north into Naklua for some authentic Chinese noodles and roasted duck. This open-air mom-and-pop stop also dishes out unusual finds such as salty-sweet bamboo soup. It'll be one of your cheapest meals in Pattaya, even with the ฿10 sŏrng·tăa·ou ride.
reviewed
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R
Hwedra Ramyeon
This tiny, dark, prison cell of an eatery serves up the hottest ramyeon in Seoul. The ajumma (middle-aged working woman) in charge adds green chillies with a large ladle as if they were spring onions. Said to cure even the worst hangover, you can take up this fear-factor challenge for just W4000.
reviewed
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Làokè Lè
In Shanghainese, the name of this friendly and clean noodle stop translates as 'upper middle class'. That's stretching the truth, but they do offer a selection of good and cheap noodle dishes, as well as solid smoothies (from around Y16). It's a convenient place for lunch if you're touring the area. Picture menu.
reviewed
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Hong Kee Congee Shop
Humble Hong Kee has been sitting quietly in this corner of Tai Hang for 30 years. Each day the grandpa repeats the ritual of rolling steamed rice sheets to make cheung fun (rice roll, $10), while his children prepare the congee ($6 to $22) and noodles ($6), and his grandsons entertain with their antics.
reviewed
