If you follow me for any short period on Instagram, you might already know that I'm obsessed with noodles. I could really slurp them up every day, and if I go for more than three days without eating any noodles, then I become a cranky and irrational noodle addict going through withdrawal. So I thought I'd share some of my noodle obsession with you and list where I've enjoyed going for my noodle fixes around the Research Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) area. I listed them alphabetically!
14 Restaurants to Slurp Delicious Noodles in the Research Triangle Area
1. Bida Manda
222 S Blount St, Raleigh, NC 27601
http://bidamanda.com/
Next door to and the sister restaurant of my favorite restaurant, Bida Manda specializes in Laotian fare. I am in love with the crispy pork belly noodle soup at Bida Manda. I went here twice (I would go more often if it was closer to me!) and couldn't bring myself to stray from the crispy pork belly noodle soup. Luckily for me, my friend let me taste their Pad Thai. Yum! Their crispy rice wraps are also a fun appetizer!
2. Dashi
415 E Chapel Hill St, Durham, NC 27701
http://www.dashiramen.com/
Dashi is a beloved ramen shop in Durham. I want to work myself through their non-ramen menu items because though their ramen is good, it's not necessarily my favorite. They do have an expansive menu for ramen so I may just have been hitting the wrong bowls! Of the ones I've tried, I recommend their tonkatsu. Eventually, I want to do a green tea dessert tour of the area and hear Dashi has a green tea pound cake!
3. H-Mart
1961 High House Rd, Cary, NC 27519
http://nj.hmart.com/
My mom is so happy to hear that there is an H-Mart in my new state! She often shops at H-Mart in Houston and funnily enough, H-Mart just expanded to Austin, my last home, last week! My Austin friends have reported lines around the block with this new expansion. I have a soft spot for Asian supermarkets with food courts and H-Mart has a solid food court. Pictured above is a Duck Noodle Soup. I keep dreaming about this bowl. I must make my own dream come true soon.
4. Jujube
1201 Raleigh Rd L, Chapel Hill, NC 27517
http://www.jujuberestaurant.com/
Jujube is a cozy little Asian inspired restaurant. Pictured above is their popular dinner dish, Bolognese (hoisin braised shredded pork, scallions, wide rice noodles). The flavors were very rich and they may ask if you'd like some rice to go with your noodles. I declined, but I think you should go for it! On point flavors but a tad salty. Mixing in some of the rice would have made it just right.
5. M Kokko
311 Holland St b, Durham, NC 27701
https://www.facebook.com/MkokkoDurham/
Expect a line when you visit M Kokko, but if you are patient you'll be rewarded. Their ramen has been my favorite in the area so far! The broth is rich where Dashi's feel like it could be richer. The pork chashu is so tender and perfect. Oh, and there's a vegan noodle soup that inspires food envy. They also have an amazing fried chicken sandwich worth checking out!
6. Mekong Vietnamese Cuisine
2121 TW Alexander Dr, Morrisville, NC 27560
https://www.mekong-triangle.com/
I recently went to Mekong Vietnames Cuisine on a date with Sugarface for the first time for my 35th birthday. Mekong Vietnamese Cuisine has comforting pho, banh mis, and grilled meats and rice dishes. I sampled my usual order of brisket pho (pho chin), summer rolls, and grilled pork banh mi. All good and Sugarface and I both spoke of returning! I like that the banh mis are served with freshly fried shrimp chips.
7. Namu
5420 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd, Durham, NC 27707
https://www.facebook.com/Namu-Durham-713409472154505/
Namu has possibly the best garden courtyard in Durham. You can come here for both specialty coffee drinks (I like their Matcha Lattes!) and Korean fare. Pictured is the japchae (Korean glass noodles stirfry) with spicy pork.
8. Noodle Boulevard
919 N Harrison Ave, Cary, NC 27513
http://noodleblvd.com/
I left my thighs in the photo above so you can get a sense of how huge the bowls at Noodle Blvd are! Though M Kkoko has my favorite ramen, Noodle Blvd may be my favorite ramen establishment due to lack of line and having a bigger ramen selection than M Kkoko. I'm especially fond of their Chicken Curry Ramen. I get it spicy!
9. Pho Vietnam
Multiple locations
Website defunct at time of writing
I always get the same thing when I order pho, so I judge my pho restaurants by the Pho Chin (beef brisket pho.) Of the five pho restaurants I've tried, Pho Vietnam is my favorite so far! It came down to how tender their beef brisket is here compared to other popular places.
10. Rasa Malaysia
410 Market St, Chapel Hill, NC 27516
https://www.rasamalaysiach.com/
I like that there's a Malaysian restaurant in Chapel Hill, my new hometown. Rasa Malaysia gave me my first experience of the traditional Malaysian dish, Roti Canai (not a noodle dish). My favorite noodle offering from Rasa Malaysia is Penang Char Kay Teow (pictured above). The noodles have an amazing texture and smoky flavor. They also have noodle soups and other noodle stir-frys, including Drunken Noodles and Pad Thai.
11. Red Pepper
This hole-in-the-wall establishment owned by an adorable older Asian couple is just down the street from me. Sugarface and I come here fairly often. I'm quite fond of their Beef He Fen.
12. Rose's Noodles, Dumplings, and Sweets
121 N Gregson St, Durham, NC 27701
https://rosesdurham.com/
They change their menu often but you can always find hand-pulled noodles and ramen here! I also hear they serve pho on their breakfast menu and can't wait to scope it out! I'm so impressed by this spot for getting Asian flavors down pact. They also have an extensive bakeshop that I need to further investigate. They blew me away with their mochi pound cake!
13. Swasadee
110 N Columbia St, Chapel Hill, NC 27514
http://www.sawasdeechapelhill.com/
Swasadee is one of my weekday lunch date spots I have with Sugarface. It's close to the UNC campus and I LOVE their Drunken Noodles. Their wide noodles have a soft but not overcooked texture. I get it with tofu!
14. Zanyu Asian Noodles
Lafayette Village, 8450 Honeycutt Rd, Unit 112, Raleigh, NC
https://zanyunoodles.com/
Is there anything more beautiful than Khoi Soi? I had such a delicious bowl of Khoi Soi from Zanyu Asian Noodles in Raleigh. I want to make my way through more of their menu! The owner lived in Asia and wanted to bring the flavors he loved while living there to the Triangle. What a noble cause. 
No comments:
Post a Comment