eatvancouver.net

The Noodle Box
Address: 1867 West Fourth Ave (map)
Tel: 604-734-1310
homepage

Hours:
Mon-Sat 11am-9pm
Sun noon-8pm

Scenes from an Urban Noodle Stand

By Jason Chin
Eat Vancouver Editor
Thursday, September 21st, 2006

** (of four stars)

It claims to create meals under the very broad description of “Southeast Asian.” It is located in Kitsilano, home of all of the yoga accessories and puppy paraphernalia one’s heart could desire. It started in Victoria, BC. It experienced more false starts and delays of game than the Arizona Cardinals this week. It is a space more evocative of uptown chic than noodle joint. I was skeptical.

With these warning signs in mind, it is remarkable how quickly most of my skepticism has melted away. Almost improbably, The Noodle Box does Southeast Asian flavors better than many Vancouver restaurants that specialize in some of these cuisines. For instance, The Noodle Box serves does Thai flavors better that many Thai restaurants around town.

The high ceilings, hanging fixtures and overall sleek design make The Noodle Box somewhat of an outlier in Kitsilano, a design perhaps more at home in New York’s Soho, or Vancouver’s Yaletown. Regardless the design came together well and most importantly, everything seems to fit. A friend described it as an “urban cafeteria, but in a good way.” I would agree. I especially appreciate the attention to detail, such as the water fountain with a zen-like little box of rocks to catch runoff.

The Noodle Box, quite appropriately, serves noodles in either bowls or what most would describe as Chinese takeaway boxes. Their noodle creations are surprisingly complex, combining several flavors, and are aggressively seasoned. The result is quite good and provides a nice bang for your buck (most dishes are about ten dollars, a few extra if you want prawns instead of chicken, pork or tofu). Here’s a tip: you can double the meat for $2, quite the deal seeing as the protein is usually the most expensive part of a dish.

The Noodle Box’s menu is divided into noodles and curries/soups. My favorite of the bunch is the Cambodian Jungle Curry. The dish strikes a great balance between sweet mango and spicy Cambodian seasonings and if you wish, it can actually turn out quite spicy. I appreciate that The Noodle Box presents customers with a long continuum for determining the spiciness of your dish and the labels actually live up to their billing. On my first trip I tried “XXXhot,” which is one below the maximum of “suicidal.” Although I finished it, this dish was truly spicy, the broth literally swimming with Thai bird peppers – a great find seeing as XXXhot in many restaurants is pretty much mild to medium. I am also a fan of the teriyaki bowl. I find this dish can be cloyingly sweet at several places, but Noodle Box’s rendition strikes a nifty balance between the sweet and the tangy. Daily specials sometimes bring some interesting satay options. A red curry satay of beef, six for six dollars, provided an excellent smoky flavor for a reasonable price.

Unfortunately, not all of the dishes come together quite so well. I believe that the spicy peanut noodle bowl needs some serious rethinking. It’s a dish in which the first few bites tend to be pretty good, but after a while you are left with an overly thick coconut milk base with mouth drying peanuts lollygagging around amongst the noodles. The thick sauce paired with the peanuts was not pleasant to the palate, and one has to wonder the purpose of the crunchy deep fried topping. The dish has plenty of crunch with the peanuts, so why add an element that brings the very same texture, but no flavor?

All dishes can be brightened up with slice of lime provided and are usually garnished with bean sprouts. Several sauces are also available. Any good Thai restaurant will provide a spice tray, which usually includes a red chili paste, dry spices, and some kind of fish sauce with Thai bird chilies. Oddly enough, I haven’t yet found a Thai restaurant in Vancouver that provides a spice tray, but The Noodle Box actually comes pretty close in providing a chili paste, as well as dry chili.

Despite a few outliers, the dishes at The Noodle Box are well thought out and they show deft hand in balancing very disparate flavor factions. You have to give the creators their due as they managed to create a fun spot to sit and dine or perhaps wait for carry-out, while paying attention to all of the little details make eating there worthwhile.