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Fusion noodle bar - needs better execution
2022-01-06 98 views
When I heard there was a new fusion noodle bar in town opened by the same restaurant group that owned obp, I knew I had to try asap! I had booked online just to be safe, thank god it wasn't walk-in only like obp. The restaurant was in a slightly covert location in between sheung wan and sai ying pun. The shopfront was... unassuming to say the least, it didn't even have a sign yet (the chef said they're working on some big neon sign), so it was a little difficult for me to locate it at night.My p
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When I heard there was a new fusion noodle bar in town opened by the same restaurant group that owned obp, I knew I had to try asap! I had booked online just to be safe, thank god it wasn't walk-in only like obp. The restaurant was in a slightly covert location in between sheung wan and sai ying pun. The shopfront was... unassuming to say the least, it didn't even have a sign yet (the chef said they're working on some big neon sign), so it was a little difficult for me to locate it at night.

My partner had secured bar seats for us (yay!) so I got to watch all the action that was going on in the open kitchen. The restaurant is basically identical to okra which used to reside here before they closed down. We ordered the beef tartare, fried chicken, sam gae and spicy chicken noodles for the 2 of us, one of the chefs were kind to let us know that they had a smaller portion of the fried chicken (4pcs boneless thigh) for $58 as he thought we may have ordered too much, but we decided to go with the original portion anyway.
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 I wasn't sure if I was just hungry or the fact that I was sitting there watch all the cooking happening but service felt a bit slow, which was understandable since it was still their soft opening and they were a little understaffed (the chefs were also the waiters and cashier). The beef tartare looked mouthwateringly good as they tossed the raw beef in the spicy gochujang sauce, and then proceeded to meticulously arrange dollops of yolk, seaweed puree and micro herbs on top. 
Beef tartare
$138
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 The chef had advised us not mix it and simply scoop the tartare onto the sago chips to enjoy, and if it wasn't salty enough (it was) we could eat it with the salted yolk floss(?) in the middle. I loved the gochujang based sauce they tossed the beef in, but I found it a tad overpowering as the texture and flavour of the beef was masked. Because we didn't mix it all up I was able to sort of distinguish the seaweed puree and duck yolk, overall it was a very satisfying mouthful combined with the crunchiness of the sago chips.

Fried chicken
$148
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 I am pretty picky about fried chicken in general, achieving a crispy exterior and keeping the interior juicy should be the minimum standard and the fried chicken here seems to tick the box. There were 5 generous pieces that were coated in furikake, they were piping hot when it came to the table, and super juicy on the inside. The furikake didn't seem to impart much flavour, I find myself reaching for those delicious sides - the kimchi coleslaw and pickled yuzu radish - in between bites as I found the flavour of the fried chicken a little... generic? To me this dish heavily relied on those side dishes and the spicy sauce to give it character. 

Sam gae
$128
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 As I watched the chef finish off the chicken noodles with some freshly ground ginseng, I was very excited as I took the first sip of the chicken soup, expecting a ginseng-chicken flavour bomb to hit me, boy was I disappointed. While the soup had that jammy texture which tells me it's rich in collagen, it tasted just like a homey chicken soup to me. It wasn't bad by any means, it just lacked that kick of ginseng I was expecting. I guess I was looking for something that sets it apart from all the other chicken ramens out there. I suspect the chef had decided for it to have a very humbling gingeng flavour to accommodate the locals' palate. The chicken charsiu was succulent but the noodles didn't wow me.

Spicy chicken noodles
$118
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 While the beef tartare was still good despite having too much sauce, I couldn't say the same for the spicy chicken noodles. The plating looked promising, I wanted to like this so much. I had a taste of each component before mixing it all up, it's basically a korean version of a mazesoba, which is a soup less ramen with toppings like furikake, bonito powder, spring onion, seaweed etc. Unfortunately after the noodles were thoroughly mixed, everything was lost to that spicy chicken sauce. I think this dish would benefit with larger cuts of the chicken so it's more distinguishable, the intensity of that sauce could be taken down several notches to let the other components shine, as well as the option to add additional condiments as you would enjoy a bowl of mazesoba.

Overall, there were some creative ideas behind the dishes but they could benefit from better execution. As a restaurant that labels itself as a noodle bar, I was surprised to see packaged noodles and udon being used as I observed the kitchen. There was nothing wrong with the noodles, they were cooked well enough, but having noodles made in-house would definitely benefit the dishes because you would be able to alter the thickness, length, texture etc. to work with whatever you are serving with the noodles. I have to commend the chef/owner for trying to engage in conversation with customers to acquire feedback for the food, he seems like a passionate person who genuinely wants to improve his craft. I am excited to see where this noodle bar goes!
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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DETAILED RATING
Taste
Decor
Service
Hygiene
Value
Date of Visit
2022-01-04
Dining Method
Dine In
Spending Per Head
$300 (Dinner)
Recommended Dishes
Beef tartare
$ 138
  • Fried chicken
  • Sam gae