Noodle St. Irvine

A delicious bowl of hand pulled rice noodles and a clear savory broth with a small bit of spice.

There is a Noodle St. in Fullerton that I’ve been wanting to visit for a while. Then I discovered that there is another location in Irvine. I am popping in to give this a taste today.

Review

The interior is very modern with bright red accents and a sharp aesthetic. Today I am trying the signature beef noodle soup with standard round noodles. They advertise hand pulled noodles, and spicy beef noodle soup is one of my favorite dishes. On a return visit, I would be interested in trying the spicy beef noodle soup with knife cut noodles. Apparently this soup has a different broth, plus I’d like to try the other noodles.

In addition to soup, this menu also offers some appetizers, rice dishes, and Chinese style sides such as lamb skewers, scallion pancakes, and beef roll pancakes.

The broth is a light clear broth with a splash of pepper oil on top to add some spice. This broth has lots of flavor from multiple herbs and spices, while still being light in texture. The spice is very subtle and is not that strong.

The noodles are clumped at the bottom. Unearthing then reveals a medium thin round noodle. The noodles are not all uniform in shape, which is a positive as it is an attribute of hand pulled noodles. These are rice noodles so they are lighter in color and bouncier in texture, without much chew. Their flavor is excellent, packing great noodle flavor that makes a fresh made noodle special.

The beef on top are thin slices of sliced beef shank that fall apart easily in the mouth. They don’t melt like a fatty beef, as they are very lean an fall apart due to the thin slices against the grain. The beef has a unique flavored to it, and is clearly seasoned with some herbs and spices that make it very tasty. They have great flavor, but I am still fond of a slighter fattier beef in my spicy soup. That is entirely preference though.

There are also multiple circular slices of radish in this bowl. These are nice as they are firm yet not crunch, and have a mellow flavor from soaking up the broth. I think this is an appreciated addition.

This was such a delicious bowl of noodles, I would absolutely recommend. The spice is subtle in the beginning but it builds with more flavor the more you consume. It was the perfect amount, adding just enough for flavor, while coming no where close to “super spicy” territory. The noodles, broth, and all of the toppings were delicious, and I finished every last drop of the broth. I would love to come back many times, and I think this is an excellent place to visit.