The Noodle House - Southbank

(degusted July 1st, 2011).

This riverside restaurant was actually quite good, and I think more deserving of a higher-end image - I think it's image was let down by their website and the menus, giving it the look and feel of a cheap franchised chain.

 

That first impression of a cheap franchised chain is a real shame for two reasons. The first is because on the basis of that website and menu, I (and I assume many others) might have made the decision to go elsewhere: somewhere less 'cookie-cutter' and more "bespoke" perhaps. The second reason is because this place is actually quite good and more deserving of a higher-end image.

The deciding factors
I needed somewhere to take my niece, who does not do seafood and has a low chilli and spice tolerance. At the same time I wanted somewhere with nice food that was "degusting-worthy". All on short notice, close to the arts centre.. on a friday night.

Having heard & read enough about The Noodle House to know that it wasn't just an asian version of a maccas, AND we could find enough "niece-approved" options on the menu, we decided to give it a shot. 

You can't complain about the location- surrounded by the likes of world bar and the ludlow foundation, and fronting onto the southbank boulevard. I can imagine it would be a really nice place to sit in the front 'al fresco' area on a balmy spring evening and watch the world go by.. Alas, it's mid-winter and the 'al freezo' area was protected enough by awnings and heated enough to be comfortable enough for us.

Pork Gyoza w/ ginger soy.

Duck Wontons

We sampled the pork gyoza with ginger soy, which was ok, but at $9 for 3 pieces it was a bit steep and probably not worth it. The duck wontons looked appealing and tasted nice; I thought the filling was quite mushy- not necessarily in a bad way, but in an unusual way that I did not particularly enjoy.  Chicken satay skewers were nothing remarkable, but a fair effort.

Chicken Satay

  

The salt and pepper calamari was a winner, crispy seasoning but super tender (really well cooked) calamari pieces. These were just too good, I smashed them down at lightning pace, and I can imagine they would be awesome beer food..

Salt & Pepper calamari... Delicious.
Might have had a race between the eating and the photography, as evidenced by the suspicious pepper crumbs next to the sauce....

Son-in-Law Eggs. Really yummy.

The last of the 'appetizers' that we tried were the famed 'son-in-law eggs' - these came with a sweet flavoured chilli jam, with fried onions and a bit of a salad. The eggs themselves have a lovely hint of crispiness around the fried extremity (at least, they do when they come out fresh - I suggest you eat them quickly!), and although the famous version shown on Masterchef this year had a gooey centre, the ones we had were solid all the way through -that suited me just fine.  I was most impressed with these eggs; I really enjoyed them, especially the sweetness of the sauce/jam. I'd certainly have these again.

The main chosen for the niece was a plate of Char Kway Teow - I was a little concerned it would be too hot for her, but from what other bloggers and reviewers have written, I believe The Noodle House tones down the chilli in all their dishes  - maybe eliminates it from some - such that if you like it hot you have to ask for them to "crank it up to eleven", spinal-tap style... Niece thought this was really yummy, not too hot - it was shovelled down and enjoyed very much.

"chilli" prawns and calamari... not really all that spicy.

The Degusters ate the Chilli Prawns with Calamari - (although note that the calamari was the tentacle part, not the body part). The prawns popped when bitten - fresh and perfectly cooked, as were the calamari tentacles: they were smokey and tender. All up a really tasty dish, if a little light on in terms of chilli - and the winning protein in the bowl was the calamari. Perhaps it should be re-named "slightly spicy calamari tentacles with perfect popping prawns"?? 

Lamb Rendang:  Rich, tasty, tender.
Perhaps a little on the sweet side, but nice all the same.

The other main dish was the lamb rendang curry, which came out smelling absolutely incredible. In a good way. I was so keen to get into it that we almost forgot to get a picture. The texture of the meat was a delight - so soft and tender. The curry itself was on the sweet side, but yummy. 

I likened it to similar offerings at Monk and Me (a favourite of ours in Camberwell, which we should visit again soon...). I should have had some roti to enjoy with the lamb, but I didn't notice it on the menu until after I had left and was preparing to write this entry..

Summing it up..

Everything seemed to be on the expensive side - I mentioned before the gyoza at $3 per bite, other starters as much as $15, and the main dishes in the mid-20's range. This seems to be a lot to ask for a relatively humble bowl of curry, especially when compared to our regular haunts in Springvale (that serve up big plates of deliciousness for around $10), but remember that this sort of price is typical for a city restaurant, especially one on the river. Also, you can easily forget that the 'fast food facade' (including website and menus) is just a front, behind which is a real restaurant and bar. I think the food caters to the masses quite well, it is well located, and I was really happy with our meal - so on that basis, it's a thumbs-up from me. A nice alternative to some of Southgate's offerings (especially if you're thinking of BearBrass or Blue Train).. If, however, you like it really hot or have a connoisseur's palate, you might look elsewhere.

Rating: A little short of Nom(x3).. Does the job well, but time permitting, I'd rather walk over to Flinders St station, grab a train to Camberwell and get something a little more fancy...

Done & Degusted @ The Noodle House

Salt & Pepper Calamari w/ Chilli soy

Crispy Duck Wontons
Chicken Satay w/ peanut sauce
"Son-in-Law" Eggs
Pork gyoza with ginger soy
Char Kway Teow (w/ beef tenderloin)
Chilli Prawns with calamari
Lamb Rendang Curry