Review 2:
The modern brand of restaurant dining is a common sight nowadays. Chefs and restauranteurs challenge themselves to come up with an innovative menu and overall feel to attract a more cultured and experienced customer. A month ago, I stumbled upon this example, Noodle Studio, a vibrant interior offering their own take on South East Asian cuisine.
Situated right at the 2nd floor of Ayala Malls the 30th, this new noodle place is owned by none other than "Asia's Sweetest Voice", Claire de la Fuente. A food connoisseur herself, The Noodle Studio came to life as a product of her fascination with Asian dishes. With her son Gigo de la Fuente acting as the executive chef, they have infused their family tradition into modern noodle cuisines to give it a different look and twist.
Along with some media friends, we were given the privilege to try whatever we wanted from their menu. From a plethora of appetizers on their menu, I was able to try out their Crab Rangoon (Php 288) which are juicy crab sticks wrapped in wonton wrappers. There is some element of spiciness in it that might surprise you, but the cream cheese it comes with should help pacify it.
Another appetizer I fancied on was their Goi Cuon (Php 338), which is better known as vegetable spring rolls. Made with shrimp, vermicelli, carrot, cucumber, and basil that's wrapped in rice paper, it's hard not to like this healthy delight especially with its tasty sauce.
My favorite among the 3 has to be their Fried Salmon Pouches (Php 338). Salmon and cream cheese haven't blended this well until they were deep fried harmoniously in these wonton wrappers. Just be wary of the kick of the sticky sauce that comes with it!
They also have a salad on their menu called Yam Som O, or Thai Pomelo Salad (Php 398). It's a mix of pomelo, fried shrimp, chicken, kaffir leaf, and tamarind dressing. This healthy plate should tickle your taste buds from its array of tangy flavors.Chef got this dish right with just the right amount of sourness.
After the appetizers, we started pouncing on their noodle dishes. First, up for me was their Pad Thai (Php 398), which is the classic Thai-style fried rice noodle dish that's made with king prawns, dried shrimps, tofu, eggs, cilantro, crushed nuts, and peanut filled Pad Thai sauce. I'd have to commend it for its delectable appearance, but on taste, I am still looking for a bolder take with a balance of citrus.
They also served Hong Kong Dark Noodles (Php 368). It's a blend of sweet and salty noodles, garnished with tender beef and leeks blended in soy sauce. We moved on to Singapore Noodles (Php 398) after. It is curry stir-fried noodle with vermicelli, prawns, egg, pork in special sauce.
From dry noodle, we proceeded with Beef Brisket Noodle Soup (Php 408). It is still my top pick on my second visit here. The serving of this was quite generous, and the rich flavor of umami was on full display thanks to the complement of egg noodles, beef brisket, and hearty bokchoy.
I also delighted in their Laksa Lemak (Php 478). This coconut-rich bowl was smooth yet creamy. It got generous toppings of dory fish, squid balls, fish tofu, and real squid.
They also offer rice dishes such as the Bagoong Fried Rice (Php 348) and Nasi Goreng (Php 368). The former is the traditional mix of shrimp paste and Filipino rice that comes along with pork, egg, anchovies, nuts, and green mango. The latter one is an Indonesian-infused fried rice dish made with goreng sauce, squid, fried egg, and shrimp that might seem like a sinfully flavorful delight, thanks to its oily nature.
The Adobong Pusit sa Gata or Baby Squid in Ink and Coconut Cream (PHP 338) is my top pick from their main entrees. Chef swears this turned out to be the dark horse as it has been popular among the customers. The unique blend of saltiness and bitterness brought about by the squid ink makes it worth trying.
If noodle dishes and Asian cuisines are things that you crave for often or you rarely get to have them, Noodle Studio is ready for you! Their place is relatively spacious and can cater up to 100 seats.
Review 1:
There are days when I’m craving noodles, and this happened just two days back. I heard there was a new place offering hoards of it nearby so I made my way to it. It’s simply called The Noodle Studio.
It was a bit late for lunch so I called them before I arrived. When I got there, my table wasn’t even set up yet so I already felt that we were starting this noodle romance on the wrong foot.
The first thing my friends and I tried was their Vietnamese Fresh Spring Roll (Php 289) and I was disappointed right off the bat. Pale white vegetables were used and this caused the spring roll to be very plain, lacking any life. It was also worth noting that you have to dig deep into it to find the shrimp (which was very small) that should’ve provided the flavor it sorely lacks. The only positive thing about it was that its sauce.
Next thing we got was their Pad Thai with one plain King Prawn. It was below average unfortunately, lacking an umami taste. To add insult this small serving is at Php 398. What were they thinking? This order also lacked citrus flavor that lime brings, and some chili to spice it up.
Some justice was served when I finally started having what their Beef Brisket Noodle Soup. The beef was tender, soup base was tasty, and the serving generous enough for its price (Php 378). The downside here and something that could give them a problem is its spiciness. It had an overload of chili. And its not even mentioned in its menu description.
I was able to give a piece of my mind to their chef, who was very open to suggestions on what could be done better. For that am giving them a 3.0.
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