Noodle Express – Fills, no frills
NOTE: This place is now closed, and a new Benkei Ramen is opening up in its place.
Noodle Express on Thurlow has been around for over 15 years, serving Japanese and Chinese food, but most notably from their sign, ramen.
Only minutes walk from the office, we had to check it out in case it was the best kept secret of the Vancouver ramen scene, and everyone’s being r-e-e-e-ally quiet about it. What we found was that while their ramen won’t please the ladies as much as Kintaro, is still respectable, at a quality level a notch above frozen Nissin ramen (review coming soon), and topped full of extras for a filling taste experience.
After years worth of research, I have enough data to form the following theorem about Ramen in the 604:
Noodle Express is somewhere on the rising part of the X-axis (Ezogiku dragged down the stats) and worth a few more lunchtime visits.
Disclaimer: Theories have their holes. Like cheese.
QFT!
I have not been to Noodle Express for some unknown reason. Just like you, my workplace is not that far (though still requires a couple of minutes walk). Probably because there is McD’s right beside it? As for your theory, there is a wild card: Menya. Though, it is better than Ezogiku, it is, in my opinion, at par, if not slightly better, with Benkei.
Yup, Menya’s that bump in the middle of the graph. ;)
I found the soup to be a bland on my visit…I did like the toppings though. All ramen should come with bamboo shoots and corn…without paying extra…
agreed.
And not go overboard with bean sprouts!
Yeah, my favorite is Kintaro. Ezogiku puts in way too much bean sprouts and soup is nowhere near Kintaro’s. I think we’ve been educated by Kintaro that the delicious white soup (tonkotsu?) they serve is shio (salt). Anywhere else shio is just as its name salty water.
The reason why nobody has ever heard of this place or goes, is because it’s average. There’s nothing specactular about the service, the food is really just alright…and so there’s never any really buzz. I only eat there when I’m really desperate for noodles and am too lazy to walk another few blocks.
Call it destiny, omen or what not but after been told that Alberni Food Fair was closed, I wanted to try this place for lunch. What do I run into? It no longer exists but it has been replaced by a Chinese shop called Inn of Happiness…