Noodles are back in trend, and some restaurants have tried to up the hip factor with fancy ideas such as a salad bar-styled noodle bar for you to select your toppings, a noodle-in-a-bag concept where you can shake everything in the reseable bag to work the dressing in, and even bowls of “flying” noodles that look suspended in motion.
This story was first published in The Straits Times.
This Japanese restaurant at Forum The Shopping Mall has been making the rounds on instagram for its “flying” noodles.
Hana Restaurant’s creative director Pearlyn Tan, 25, says it can sell more than 100 portions a day of the flying noodles. They were introduced a month ago and have captured plenty of attention on social media.
The options are flying salted egg yolk udon, flying cha soba with spam maki, and flying truffle somen with ikura and sakura ebi.
Ms Tan says: “We were thinking of ways to encourage our customers to dip the somen in the special truffle sauce, instead of having it premixed because the somen can get soft very quickly.
“Someone came up with the idea of keeping the noodles suspended so the customer takes only what he wants, hence flying noodles were born.”
Indeed, the eye-catching noodles have been a hit with diners.
Student Sabrina Lim, 22, says: “I saw photos and videos of the flying noodles online and had to try it. My favourite is the flying truffle somen as I love the fragrant truffle sauce. I could eat this every day.”
Where: #01-17 Forum The Shopping Mall, 583 Orchard Road
Open: Noon to 2.30pm, 6 to 9.30pm daily
Info: Call 6737 5525 or go to fb.com/HANARest/
This noodle bar at JCube in Jurong East puts a Japanese spin on noodles.
First, pick noodles and a base ($6.50). Noodle options are ramen, cha soba, udon and Nissin noodles.
For the soup base, choices include the signature roasted tomato basil with seafood (pictured), curry with chicken karaage, and bonito kombu with seafood.
Complete your meal with the addition of ponzu roasted chicken ($3.50), teriyaki salmon fillet ($5.50) or soft shell crab ($6.50).
The eatery also has a small selection of other dishes, including fish and chips ($7.50) and grilled salmon with shredded vegetable tempura don ($9.50).
Where: 02-03 JCube, 2 Jurong East Central 1
Open: 11.30am to 10pm daily
Info: Call 6262-6803 or go to fb.com/noodlebarbytokyolatte
Not keen to visit Golden Mile Food Centre for kuay teow reua or boat noodles? Head to Kin Cow at Chinatown Point, which specialises in Thai beef noodles (pictured).
The recipe is from Sud Yod, a famous boat noodle brand in Bangkok. But instead of dining at a stall, you eat in an air-conditioned restaurant here.
And in place of tiny portions of noodles, you get a sizeable meal. Pick your favourite cut of meat – brisket ($10.90), short rib ($12.90), sirloin ($14.90), ribeye ($17.90) or wagyu ($22.90) – then choose your noodles. Options include Thai thin rice noodles, glass noodles, thick rice noodles and Chinese egg noodles (mee kia). The noodles can be eaten dry or with soup.
Other dishes on the menu include Pad Thai ($11.90), Chiang Mai curry noodles ($13.90) and Thai omelette ($5.90).
Where: 02-34 Chinatown Point, 133 New Bridge Road
Open: 11.30am to 3pm, 6 to 10pm (Tuesdays to Fridays); 11.30am to 10pm (weekends); closed on Mondays
Info: Call 6514-9265 or go to fb.com/kincowsingapore
Eating noodles from a plate or bowl is too mainstream. Slurp up noodles from a bag instead at three-month-old Doodles in Tiong Bahru Plaza.
Pick from three types of noodles – angel hair pasta, Korean naengmyeon or fusilli pasta. Then choose from 40 toppings such as quail egg, smoked duck breast, Thai basil pork, smoked salmon, spicy Thai pacific clam and marinated octopus.
Finally, select a sauce. Options include truffle XO, sesame and spicy.
All the ingredients are placed in a resealable bag, making it easy to shake it all up with the dressing.
A basic noodle set starts at $4, with more top-up options available, along with cold-pressed juices ($4).
Where: B1-111 Tiong Bahru Plaza, 302 Tiong Bahru Road
Open: 11am to 9.30pm daily
Info: Call 6702-4311 or go to fb.com/doodles.sg
Thailand’s street noodle dish of yentafo may not be very popular in Singapore yet. This is likely to change once Yentafo Kruengsonge from Bangkok opens its first Singapore outlet at Cathay Cineleisure Orchard on Nov 1.
The dish has rice noodles in a light savoury broth, with a mildly sweet and spicy pink yentafo sauce made with fermented red tofu and cooked Thai red rice.
The brand was founded in 1999 and has 28 outlets in Bangkok and two in Laos.
In Singapore, four choices of yentafo are available, with flat noodles and pink sauce shipped from Bangkok. The Yentafo Kruengsonge soup (pictured) features flat rice noodles topped with ingredients such as fish ball, squid ball, fish ball with tofu, fried tofu, fried seasoned taro and black fungus mushroom.
A dry version is also available and diners can choose from three levels of spiciness.
Other noodle options include tom yam noodles (soup or dry), Thai clear soup noodles with fish balls, and dry noodles with fish balls. Prices range from $6.50 to $9.
The menu also features appetisers, rice dishes and desserts.
The brand’s entry here is a collaboration with Minor Food Group Singapore. Yentafo Kruengsonge’s next two outlets, to open within the year, will be at National University Hospital and Kallang Wave mall. Other brands under the group include the ThaiExpress chain of casual Thai restaurants and French bistro chain Poulet.
Where: 02-06A/B Cathay Cineleisure Orchard, 8 Grange Road
Open: From Nov 1
Info: Call 6736-0971
When the popular Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee from Kuala Lumpur opened in Singapore two years ago, it drew crowds willing to queue for up to two hours. Now, a new competitor – KL Traditional Chilli Ban Mee – has opened on the same stretch along MacPherson Road.
Items on the menu include its signature chilli ban mee ($5), handmade fishball noodle ($5) and minced pork noodle ($5).
For a more indulgent meal, go for the signature abalone combo chilli ban mee ($13), which includes scallops and clams.
Where: 476 MacPherson Road
Open: 11am to 7pm daily
Info: bit.ly/2dFlXT7
For a hearty noodle meal, go to this six-week-old eatery at Square 2. The fried mee tai mak ($9.80) is the highlight. The noodles are stir-fried in a fragrant and spicy rempah with minced prawns and pork, fish cake, sliced mushrooms, fried egg and diced century egg. The other options are satisfying too, such as the dry laksa, dry mee siam and Heng Hwa noodle soup – all at $9.80 each.
Where: 02-65 Square 2, 10 Sinaran Drive
Open: 11am to 9pm daily
Info: fb.com/nownoodles