Sherman's Food Adventures: Noodles
Showing posts with label Noodles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Noodles. Show all posts

Musubi Kai

Whenever I'm in Hawaii, it is more about the food than anything for me.  Yes, that doesn't seem like a revelation, given that I absolutely love to eat!  Okay, I do enjoy the scenery and the sights in Hawaii too.  So whenever I'm back at home or anywhere on the mainland, I am excited to see anything related to Hawaiian cuisine.  How about a place called Musubi Kai in Seattle?  A restaurant dedicated to Musubis?  Just like the one in Honolulu???  Well I'm game!

So let's get right to it shall we?  We got a selection of Musubis including the classic Spam Musubi.  The slice of meat was thick and evenly-seared.  There was a certain sweetness to it from the glaze.  Sushi rice was moist but still had a great chewiness.  Perfect ratio between meat and rice.  Delicious.  We also had the Spam, Egg and Avocado which made things a bit heartier but not heavier.  Again, it started with the base classic musubi with a thin slice of fluffy egg omelet and ripe avocado.  More of a breakfast item here that cut down the saltiness with the other ingredients.  The next one we had was the Spam, Egg and Eel which was extra savory and more robust due to the buttery eel.  It added more sweet saltiness and this would be great for those who like it hearty.

Onto the next 3 options, we had the BBB Eel and Pickled Daikon.  Okay, no Spam here, so it was a bit less heavy and considerably less salty.  This was all unagi with its soft texture and accompanying sweet sauce.  The crunch from the pickles added texture and also tanginess.  With a whole halved wiener, the Beef Frank & Egg was just as filling as the Spam versions.  It had a different saltiness and naturally a more bouncy texture compared to the Spam.  Lastly, we had the Shrimp Katsu with 2 ebi.  This was the most different since it had a crunchy texture to it.  Combined that with some katsu sauce and it was sweet and tangy.

They also have other items to supplement the large Musubi menu.  What better to represent Hawaii than some Poke?  We had the Salmon & Tuna Poke Bowl with all the fixins' including seaweed salad, edamame, imitation crab and corn on top of a mix of rice and mesclun greens.  This was a good poke that wasn't over-the-top.  There was enough fish to match the amount of rice and this was plenty for a meal.

Sticking with Hawaiian favorites, we found the Curry Loco Moco.  This was a hearty portion of chewy rice that was bathed in a curry sauce.  It was only mildly spicy with sweetness and equal parts savoriness.  I actually preferred this sauce over the usual gravy.  The burger patties were more like cutlets being soft and a bit bouncy.  With the addition of pickled ginger, furikake, crispy onion flakes and scallions, it kept things from getting too heavy with acidity and brightness.  Of course, there was a fried egg to offer up its yolky goodness.


Now for the overseas influence where they offered Nong Shim Cup Noodles as well as Udon.  You would find these in Korea and Japan where people happily eat them in store.  We did so too and although it wasn't anything they made or "cooked", it was satisfying nonetheless (especially on a cold day).  Overall, the Musubis were good and filling.  We liked how they had some other Hawaiian options to compliment.  Also, no joke, the instant noodles were great too!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Even ratio of rice-to-Spam
- Other Hawaiian dishes other than Musubis
- Loved the instant noodles!

The Bad:

- Parking in the area is limited (could park in the adjacent parking lot though and buy something from Staples)

Noodle Dynasty

So I'm sure that authentic Chinese hand-pulled noodles aren't the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Portland's culinary scene.  But over the past 15 years, Asian cuisine has come a long way in the Portland Metropolitan Area.  I remember a time when I had Dim Sum on SE Division Street and had probably the worst I've had in my life.  Fast forward to the present, we find all types of good Asian cuisine (in particular, Thai).  So I went in with relatively high expectations when we visited Noodle Dynasty in Beaverton.

We ordered a variety of dishes and began with the Hot & Sour Soup.  This was a somewhat pale-looking version, but in terms of taste, it was decent.  I definitely got sour and savory elements with only a bit of heat.  There was enough components for effect such as crunchy wood ear, fluffy egg, delicate tofu, bamboo shoots and carrots.  I would've liked to see some sort of protein as the soup was a bit lacking depth.  It also could've used a bit more starch too for thickeness.

The Beef Pancake Roll was possibly one of the best I've had in quite some time.  The pancake was flaky and had an appealing crunch on the outside.  It was fairly light, yet still had a good chewiness.  It was aromatic and had a beautiful nuttiness.  Wrapped inside, the beef was tender and had the aroma of 5-spice.  There was enough hoisin sauce to add the usual sweetness while the amount of green onion was balanced.

Onto the noodles, we had the classic Lanzhou Hand Pulled Beef Noodle Soup.  The noodles you see in the picture were literally hand-pulled to order and cooked immediately.  They were prepared al dente and had nice elasticity and bite.  This type of beef noodle featured a clear broth which I found was clean and light tasting with sweetness.  The sliced beef was tender and also mildly seasoned.  For some, this is purest form of the beef noodle since it is so simple, but I much prefer the next one we had.

The Spicy Beef Noodle Soup was more up my alley with tender nuggets of braised beef.  The soup itself wasn't super spicy, but did have a slight kick.  I could still taste the base flavor of the broth, but it did lack natural meatiness and body.  We had the wide hand-pulled noodles for this bowl and they were predictably chewier than the thin ones (also prepared al dente).  This was a decent bowl of noodles, wished there was more spice though.

Now that wasn't an issue for the Spicy Pork Ribs Flat Noodles though.  Sometimes referred to as "Biang Biang" noodles, these wide sheets were extra chewy.  Now the chewiness wasn't a bad thing though as it is generally a hallmark texture.  I found these noodles just a tad thicker than I would've liked, but still appealing nonetheless.  Yes, these had quite the heat to them, but it was a good thing as the wide noodles needed all the seasoning it could take.  The pork ribs were super tender and had a good balance of sweet and savory notes.

Although the Pork Wontons with Chili Sauce looked super spicy, they were quite mild (at least according to me).  I have a high spice tolerance, so for some, this might be scorching.  I found the dumplings to be delicate with tender and juicy pork inside.  It had a nice bounciness to it and was well-seasoned.  The chili sauce was smoky, sweet and a bit nutty.  It did have heat, but again, it wasn't tongue-burning.

To temper the spiciness of the meal so far, we had the Hot & Sour Fish Filet.  Yes, this had spice in it too but rest assured, it was very mild where the pickled mustard greens were the dominant flavor.  The broth itself was quite appetizing mostly due to the tanginess and also some sweetness from the fish.  There was an abundance of what I though was basa filets.  Say what you will about the fish, it was pretty buttery tender in texture.

Beyond the spicy wontons, we also got the Pork Xiao Long Bao for good measure.  Although these featured medium-thick dumpling skin, the texture wasn't dense.  In fact, it was a bit wet.  Despite this, there was a good amount of sweet soup inside that had a hint of shaoxing wine.  The meat itself was bouncy and tender.  If they could improve the dumpling skin (in terms of thickness and texture), these would be quite good.

For dessert, we had the cute piggy Egg Yolk Bao.  The bun itself was fairly fluffy with a sweet salted egg yolk filling.  It wasn't the runny type (Lau Sa Bao), but I prefer this kind more anyways.  It is much easier to eat and less messy.  Overall, the food at Noodle Dynasty is pretty legit.  Sure, some items can use improvement, but in general, the food is enjoyable and authentic.  Portland has really come a long way where Asian food is more plentiful and delicious.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Legit hand-pulled noodles
- Large portions
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Soup bases could be more impactful


Filipino Noodle Joint

For those who have visited Filipino Noodle Joint in Chinatown, you may or may not already know that they have moved locations.  In fact, they have moved to another city into Surrey.  Hey business is tough these days and also factor in operating costs and rent, yah, I'd get out of Vancity as well!  Now they have a proper full-service restaurant complete with a bar (liquor license pending), karoake and dedicated takeout counter.  They also have all the favourites and more...

We are going to focus on their daily specials (at 15% off) including the Sisig on Mondays.  As you can see, they serve the full version with tender crispy nuggets of pig head (yes, you read that right).  There is a good tang to it which helps cut down the heaviness.  I find that the spice level is noticeable.  That is great for me as I like a kick that goes with the rest of the complimentary flavours.  To add even more acidity, the lemon wedge is there for you to squeeze.

So on Tuesdays, you can get the Lomi with a rich and thickened chicken broth, egg noodles and bagnet on top.  Yes, this is also quite the filling bowl where the starch-thickened soup is silky and somewhat sweet with equal parts savoury.  The egg noodles are plentiful and nicely al dente.  Of course the best part is the bagnet on top (pork belly) with its crunchy crackling as well as its fatty (not too fatty) and tender meat.  It is aromatic and natural tasting.

Moving onto Wednesdays, we find the Loaded Beef Pares which is a beef brisket stew topped with bagnet and fried chicken skin.  This comes with a choice of egg noodles or rice.  The rich beef broth gravy pairs well with both the noodles and rice.  The rice would be my choice of starch as it really soaks up all of the beefy goodness of the gravy.  Now the gravy isn't overly sweet nor salty.  Rather, it has the natural beef flavours really coming through.  The chunks of brisket are fall-apart tender.

Okay, bagnet resides in 2 of the dishes already, so why not have the Ilocos Bagnet on top of a rice bowl?  Well, this Thursday special is made for those people who love pork belly with crunchy cracklings.  Lots of texture in this and the accompanying fried pork fat aromatics.  To lighten the load, there is a side of vinegary dip.  To top it off literally and figuratively, we have a fried egg.  The rice is perfect being fluffy and not wet.  This also comes with a side of soup too.

So Fridays are reserved for the grandest of offerings in the Skewer Tray with 2 each of the pork, chicken and fish balls with one Filipino wiener.  This will go really well with a beer (when they get their license).  This is all meat, so I don't recommend that you finish this by yourself (unless you are a football player).  Love the char on the chicken and pork.  Nice smokiness and further enhancement by the sweet sauce.  Meat is juicy.  Fish balls are bouncy and airy.


On Saturdays, they are featuring Karaoke and bottomless Sago At Gulaman.  This brown sugar drink is sweet (but not too sweet).  There is a wealth of sago pearls and different jellies that make this a refreshing and texturally interesting beverage.  On Sundays, we find Fried Chicken Skin with some slaw, lemon wedge and tangy sweet dip.  Also great with beer, the crispy skin is rendered and has a light crunch.  As you can see, the specials are the full-versions and at that, they are huge.  Good value here and also good food.  Just waiting to get their liquor license!

*All food and drink were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Large portions
- Hearty food
- They have a full dining room now

The Bad:
- Yes, area is still in transition but don't worry about that, people will leave you alone

Dragon Bowl @ Club Kitchen

Back when I first visited Dragon Bowl out in New West, I was impressed with the home-style food they served.  Things were not overly greasy nor salty, which in my mind, made things a bit healthier.  Furthermore, the portion size was more than enough for my appetite as you could choose your protein, carb, sauce and side items.  The most important thing of all, is that the food was delicious in my opinion.  Now, we can get the same tasty and well-appointed rice and noodle bowls from Club Kitchen in Downtown Vancouver.  Club Kitchen is a commissary concept where a collection of different restaurants dish up eats for eat-in, take-out and delivery.  We paid them a visit to try out some bowls and drinks.


Before we got to the bowls, we tried 3 different drinks including Original Black Tea, Peach Black Tea and Lemon Black Tea.  My favourite of the bunch was the lemon as it was tangy and lightly sweet with a fairly light tea flavour.  To illustrate the home-style food at Dragon Bowl, you don't have to look much further than the Daily Soup.  The one we tried was daikon & carrot with chicken.  It was so clear and clean with natural sweetness and essence.  It wasn't salty and the ingredients were honest.

Onto the bowls, we had varied selection to try all the different meats, carbs and sides.  On that note, the way you construct your bowl is exactly choosing a meat, a carb, 3 sides and sauce.  Braised egg is extra.  So our first bowl was the Alberta Beef atop rice with black pepper sauce.  The 3 sides were sprouts, cabbage and shredded potato.  This was a good combination of components as the rice went well with the robust beef that was slightly peppery.  Veggies were fresh and kept things light.

One of their classic meats and personally my favourite, is the Lamb Shoulder.  This was on top of white noodles and the 3 sides were celery/carrots, bean curd and wood ear mushroom.  I personally would've either chosen white rice or yellow noodles instead due to the robust nature of the lamb.  It was mildly gamy and benefited from the spicy dragon sauce as it could stand up to the lamb.  The chewiness of the bean curd and crunch from the wood ear were good matches.  I would probably sub shredded potato for the veggies.

The Beef Brisket, being the most pricey of all the proteins (but only comes in large), is the only option that includes a braised egg (at no extra cost).  The brisket was more like beef finger meat, but that was a good thing as that is usually very tender and meaty.  That it was and the fat had been rendered down quite well.  Each piece had soaked up all of the braising liquid and hence, was delicious on its own.  This came with rice, which is the best match for the meat.

So far, I haven't mentioned that the bowls come in 3 sizes with the smallest coming in really inexpensive at $9.88.  This includes the beef, vegan, pork and in this case Boneless Chicken Thigh with black bean sauce.  The base was rice (which is not extra charge) while the 3 sides were bean curd, sprouts and wood ear.  This bowl in the smallest size (without the egg) would really be $9.88!  The chicken was tender and moist while the black bean sauce was rather mild, not being very salty.

With the Pork Tenderloin, it came with a mushroom sauce and sat atop white noodles.  I thought this was another example of how home-style the food is.  The pork was tender, but mildly-seasoned while the mushroom sauce was not overly salty with the natural earthiness of the mushroom coming through.  The rice noodles were slippery and was only slightly seasoned by the sauce.  Add in the 3 sides and this was not very restaurant-like.  Some would argue that there isn't enough flavour, but somehow I don't mind it because it feels healthy.

Our last bowl featured Jumbo Shrimp with dragon sauce atop steamed yellow noodles.  Yes, jumbo shrimp is an oxymoron, but really, they were a decent size.  The texture was meaty with some rebound.  Being non-spicy and slightly sweet, the dragon sauce didn't interfere with the shrimp flavour.  I thought the yellow noodles were quite good being chewy and a good match for the sauce but maybe not the protein.  So as you can see, the food at Dragon Bowl isn't necessarily complex.  Rather, it is home-style food that is not overly greasy nor salty.  You can literally eat this often and not feel bad about it.  Considering bowls start at $9.88, you can eat this every day without breaking the bank.  It is hard to find good values these days, but Dragon Bowl does offer a great mix of good nutritious food at a reasonable price.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Fair amount of food for that price
- Appears to be healthier than other options

The Bad:

- Some might find the flavours a bit muted

Buranko Cafe

Often, when we combine multiple Asian cuisines into one restaurant, it can be disastrous.  I've seen some places that have pulled it off, but that would be the exception.  So when I got an invite to try out Buranko Cafe, I was a bit skeptical.  However, never judge a book by its cover right?  Actually, the cover was quite nice as Buranko Cafe is nicely appointed and really cute inside.  But what about the food?  There was Korean, Japanese and Thai on the menu.  I guess we were about to find out!

So we started with the Okonomiyaki Fries topped with the usual bonito flakes, kewpie mayo and unagi sauce.  Well, these were delicious!  The fries were super crispy and held up to the wet ingredients very well.  I found the flavours of Okonomiyaki were present including the sweet creaminess of the mayo and sweet tang of the sauce.  Add in the considerable amount of briny bonito flakes, it was a flavor bomb.

For myself, I decided on the Soft Shell Crab Pad Thai.  This was a decent portion of chewy noodles that were nicely caramelized by the stir-fry.  It could've used a bit more charring though as it was missing some of the classic smokiness.  But it didn't lack impact though as it was sweet with a balancing amount of tanginess as well as a touch of spice.  I loved the soft shell crab as it was creamy and soft while the batter was thin and crispy.

For my daughter, she decided to try the Chashu Bowl with marinated pork belly, sweet soy glaze, ramen egg, pickled cucumber, fukujinzuke and rice.  This was a pretty robust bowl of food as the pork belly was meaty, yet fatty at the same time.  Really tender and full of impact from the sweet glaze.  This went well with the chewy rice while the pickles added some needed crunch and acidity.  Ramen egg was custardy and flavorful.

Viv decided on the Spicy Seoul Chicken Bowl with KFC breast with Korean garlic-chili sauce, cucumber salad, sesame and kimchi on rice.  Once again, this was a hearty bowl with big pieces of tender chicken.  Being breast meat, it was not as juicy as leg meat, but it was still moist.  The batter was crispy and the sauce had plenty of spice and sweetness.  Loved the addition of kimchi as it provided a tangy spiced crunch.

My son had his favorite with the Galbi Bowl with Korean short ribs, sesame, zucchini, kimchi and rice.  This featured a bevy of tender beef short ribs that were perfectly marinated.  Lots of sweetness to go with the savouriness.  The char on the ribs added smokiness and texture.  Again, the rice was chewy and went well with the meat as well as the kimchi.  He loved that there was enough meat to go with the rice.

We were told to try the Miyagi Sandwich and yep, that was a good call.  This consisted of a deep fried chicken breast sandwiched in a soft, yet robust bun.  It kept everything together including the lime aioli dressing, tomato, lettuce and avocado.  The combination of ingredients worked well together as the tempura batter on the chicken was crispy and light.  It was complimented by the creamy and tangy dressing.

We also had dessert in the Mango Coconut Sticky Rice featuring butterfly-infused rice.  A simple, yet delicious treat, the mango was ripe and sweet (hey that rhymed!).  Perfectly-textured, the sticky rice was aromatic and creamy from the sweet coconut cream.  A nice finish to a delicious meal all within a cute dining space.  We also had some cocktails and those were good too.  Great place for lunch and also for dinner where you can hang out and grab some bevvies.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Impactful flavors
- Has a spot just for kids to play

The Bad:
- Portion size could be small for large appetities

Dough Zone

After returning from Vegas, I spent all of one day back home before heading down to Portland once again.  Yep, I was just there in November, but was so happy with the eats we had, I was itching to return.  So I took the fam this time and had some eats along the way that I didn't even take pictures of!  I know, the horror!  But once in Portland, I was staying in Downtown near the river.  Since I was pretty tired from driving, we ended up just walking 2 blocks to the nearby Dough Zone.  If this name seems familiar, yes, it is the same chain that started in Bellevue, WA!


One things for sure is that this location is nicest of bunch, being the former high-end location of Lucier.  We did endure a short wait as it was a Friday night.  Since the portions aren't big here, we went ahead and ordered many items including the Five Spice Beef Shank.  Sliced razor-thin, the meat was easy to eat and really tender.  Loved the gelatinous quality of the meat and also the impactful braising liquid that had a nice star anise hit.  The same sliced beef shank appeared in the Beef Pancake Roll, which made it good in that respect.  As for the green onion pancake portion, it was quite flaky and light despite looking thick.  Not sure if I enjoyed all that lettuce in the roll though.


We got the Sweet & Sour Cucumber just so we had some veggies (I know that is a stretch).  They were crunchy and marinated enough so there was a tang without being too acidic.  The spice was actually quite mild. up the ante with the veggies, we got the Kale with Sesame Dressing just for good measure.  This was actually the biggest portion of anything we had ordered.  A bit ironic, but welcomed nonetheless because it not only gave us more leafy greens, it was pretty delicious too.  In addition to the nuttiness of the sesame and the sweetness added to the dressing, we also got hits of garlic and the crunch from the peanuts.  Since the kale was lightly blanched, it was still crisp, but wilted enough so it was tender.

Off to the Xiao Long Bao, we had both the Berkshire-Duroc Pork Soup Dumplings as well as the Pork & Crab Soup Dumplings.  We universally liked the pork dumplings more than the one with crab.  We felt that the crab gave the dumplings too much brininess that obscured the natural sweetness of the fatty pork.  The pork filling was moist and tender while the soup was sweet.  I found the top twirl of the dumpling skin to be fairly firm, but the rest was thin and delicate.


We also got the Pan-Fried Berkshire-Duroc Pork Buns which were really good.  Often, the layer of bun can be overly thick and doughy, but this one had a thin bun that was fluffy and light.  The airiness of the bun allowed for the pork filling to be front and center.  Not unlike the XLBs, the filling was moist and juicy.  In fact, there was soup to be found, just like the XLBs.  To get all of the menu, we got the Pan-Fried Dumplings (Potstickers) for good measure.  These featured a medium-thick skin while the pork filling was pretty much on par with the other dumplings.  The bottom was fried up crispy with a noticeable skirt.


For our noodle selection, we ordered both the Dan Dan Mein and the Spicy Beef Noodle.  These bowls were quite small and not enough to share.  However, I really didn't want to share the dan dan noodles because they were really good.  The noodles were al dente and dressed with a nutty and spicy sauce.  As for the beef noodles, the soup was quite mild.  The noodles were chewy and the beef was tender, albeit in small pieces.

For myself, I wanted to try the Berkshire-Duroc Pork Wontons in Chili Sauce.  Well these were decent with tender wontons that were soaked in a mildly-spicy sauce that was smoky with elements of saltiness and vinegariness.  Overall, the food at Dough Zone was as expected (I've been to various locations many times).  Most dishes were decent and some were quite good.  However, the portions were rather small.  Loved the waterfront location for this one in Portland.

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Swank location
- Good XLBs

The Bad:
- Small portions

Search this Site