MSG150: Seattle International District Lunch Food: Chinese: Noodles

Friday, December 18, 2009

Lunch #83: Noodle King

Noodle King is no longer in business.

Former Union Gospel Mission space now has a Chinese restaurant! The shelter is now located in South Seattle. The street occupied by Unicorn Crepes (now Unicone), Joe's Bar, Henry's, Piece of Cake, and Fu Lin now has new tenant. We went 5 strong to check it out.

Noodle King, Seattle
Address: 522 S. King St, Seattle, WA, 98104
Cuisine: Chinese: Noodles
Average rating: 4.2 chopsticks
Lunch date: 12/7/2009 @ 11:40:00
Time taken to be seated: 0 minutes
Time to take order: 0 minutes
Time for food to arrive: 7 minutes
Total lengh of meal: 45 minutes
Chopstix quality: Nice Plastic
Do they use MSG?: Little Bit
Where is the owner/chef from?: Shandong Province, China
Number of tables: 9
Number of occupied tables: 2 (22%)
Number of business lunch tables: 1 (50%)
Number of "local" tables: 1 (50%)
Healthcode Score: N/A
Links: Yelp!, Urbanspoon

Luncher: Emmett

Lunch: Hot Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup with Hand Tossed Noodles - $8.95
Rating: 4 Chopsticks

Emmett's Review

We spied this place on a regular visit to Pho Bac or something. We saw some nerds inside and some Chinese food on the menu so we figured it was our kind of place. And on this cold blustery December day, hot soup sounds like it fits the bill.

I went with the hot and spicy seafood soup. It was filled with large, fresh mussels, some bright leafy greens. The broth was thick and red. And the spice - they weren't lying when they said it was hot/spicy. There was absolutely no need to reach for the hot sauce on this one. They spiced it well.

The hand tossed noodles - I'll save my money next time. They were good but they didn't seem significantly better than standard store bought.

Luncher: Adam

Lunch: Beef Noodle Soup - $6.95
Rating: 4 Chopsticks

Adam's Review

You may remember the address of this place, it's the old Union Gospel Mission's Women and Children Center. It's been almost 2 years since we were last there, and that was a great experience. Could the soup at Noodle King possibly beat Kathy's stew?

Trying to decide between the weekly special and the kimchi pork soup was difficult. It was made much easier when Geary and Saut decided to steal my order before I had a chance to choose, so I went with the standard Beef Noodle Soup. This was like an unspicy version of Szechuan Noodle Bowl's #13. The chunks of beef were incredibly beefy flavored. I got the normal noodles and thought they were pretty good, but it would definitely be worth the extra $2 to watch the noodles being tossed. Let whomever you're with pay the extra $2, and you can watch and enjoy the still-delicious standard noodles. The broth was pretty well flavored, but not overly beefy. Describing broth is hard. Maybe I'd call it "well balanced."

Tastier than your average Chinese bear. I'll be back. This place might have UGM's stew beat on flavor, it'll never beat UGM's big heart.

Donate to Union Gospel Mission.

Luncher: Geary

Lunch: Za Jiang Noodle (Noodles in Black Bean Sauce with Pork) with Hand Tossed Noodles - $5.95
Rating: 5 Chopsticks

Geary's Review

The place looked great. They have taken over the dining area of the abandoned mission. It's a beautiful space with dark wood walls and big front windows. Our server was very friendly and and patient as she helped us decipher the menu.

Nobody else stepped up so I ordered the lunch special, Za Jiang Noodle (Noodles in Black Bean Sauce with Pork). Plus for $2 extra I went with the Hand Tossed Noodles. We quickly realized that "Hand Tossed" meant actually, really hand tossed right there while you wait. I jumped up and caught a few shots of the noodle chef and this short video of him finishing up. It was AMAZING. I had heard of this before and had seen it done in the special features section of the Kung Fu Panda DVD (see it here), but I didn't, until today, know of any place in Seattle that was doing this.

Our food came out quickly and I dove in. I had already gotten more than my $2's worth watching the noodle chef so the fact that the noodles were incredibly tender and delicious was just gravy. The black bean sauce had wonderful subtle flavors, but needed some Kimchi (provided as a shared side) and a few squirts of Sriracha to give it a little bit of a tangy kick to push it over the edge. The Noodle King indeed.

Luncher: Dave

Lunch: Meatball Noodle Soup with Hand Tossed Noodles - $8.50
Rating: 4 Chopsticks

Dave's Review

this is a 2-for-1 review, because geary and i went to this place two days in a row for lunch. what can i tell you, hot noodle soup on a cold day is one of life's great pleasures. soup #1: meatball soup. rich pork? chicken? broth, toothsome but tender noodles, delicious moist tender meatballs, bok choy. sounds simple, but the depth of flavor in the broth was surprising. i was sort of jealously eyeing the various spicy red bowls around me, but i realized by the end that i was stuffed but could Not. Stop. Drinking. Broth. i put the spoon down, i sat there a few seconds, and i realized i had spoon in hand and broth in mouth. if i had to find something to complain about, i'd say the kimchi (which, dipped in the broth, improved both) was a little salty for my taste. not that that stopped me from...

soup #2: kimchi pork. if you love kimchi as much as i do, you will like this soup. great balance of spice and richness and tanginess. i had the regular (non-hand-tossed) noodles in the name of science, and to be 100% honest, i'm not sure i'd be able to tell the difference blindfolded, but when i go back (and i will) i'll probably pay the $2 for the show. the only drawback for this bowl of soup was that it was so hot temperature-wise that halfway into the bowl it was still steaming my eyeglasses. also, for whatever reason, this time the kimchi wasn't too salty.

the ID was already a great place for noodle soup, and noodle king adds another fantastic option. the fact that they're doing the hand-stretched noodle deal is awesome, both to watch and to see the tradition alive and well.

Luncher: Saut

Lunch: Kimchi Pork Noodle Soup with Hand Tossed Noodles - $8.50
Rating: 4 Chopsticks

Saut's Review

Kimchi noodle with pork and homemade noodle was pretty darn tasty and they serve something different than regular china town restaurants.

Noodle King Photos

Noodle King

Menu Side B

Menu Side A

Special

Lunch Nook at the Noodle King

The Noodle Chef at the Noodle King

Beef Noodle Soup

Kimchi

Za Jiang Noodle (Noodles in Black Bean Sauce with Pork) with Hand Tossed Noodles

Meatball Noodle Soup with Hand Tossed Noodles

Hot Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup with Hand Tossed Noodles

Kimchi Pork Noodle Soup with Hand Tossed Noodles

Friday, April 18, 2008

Lunch #48: 663 Bistro

The MSG150 crew was seven lunchers strong today as we headed back past the intersection of Weller and Maynard to find our next spot in the Heart of the DLZ. Just next door to Ho Ho is the simply named 663 Bistro (at 663 Weller). Program note: Semi-vegetarian Rob is back with us after an extended battle with the flu. Welcome back Rob!

663 Bistro, Seattle
Address: 663 S Weller St, Seattle, WA, 98104
Cuisine: Chinese: Congee, Chinese: Noodles, Chinese: Cantonese, Chinese: BBQ
Average rating: 4.3 chopsticks
Lunch date: 4/18/2008 @ 12:17:00
Time taken to be seated: 0 minutes
Time to take order: 0 minutes
Time for food to arrive: 8 minutes
Total lengh of meal: 53 minutes
Chopstix quality: Really Nice Plastic
Do they use MSG?: Yes
Where is the owner/chef from?: Canton
Number of tables: 18
Number of occupied tables: 11 (61%)
Number of business lunch tables: 2 (18%)
Number of "local" tables: 9 (81%)
Healthcode Score: 20
Links: Yelp!, Urbanspoon

Luncher: Emmett

Lunch: Noodles in Soup with BBQ Pork and Wontons - $5.95
Rating: 4 Chopsticks

Emmett's Review

The first time I came here, Geary and I tag-teamed an entire duck. For some reason we thought we could put it away ourselves. But they brought this humongous piece of fowl against which we had no chance. It was delicious, I looked forward to our return.

663 is another bright Cantonese spot with an extensive menu covering soups, noodles, congee, etc. We had a good crew, affording us the opportunity to try a few different things. I wanted to do soup, cause I had such a good experience at Ocean City II with their soup. I ordered the Noodles in Soup with BBQ Pork and Wontons.

They offered three different types of noodles - Cantonese noodles, wide rice Noodles, and thin rice noodles. I opted for the Cantonese, which are the standard. Their soup was fantastic, and the pork was as savory as Ocean City II. It held up well to Mike's Noodle House. I also got to sample some of Rob's Curried Fish Fillet, which was fantastic, and the other assorted Beef and Noodle dishes.

Everything was solid. I'll return.

Luncher: Geary

Lunch: XO Sauce Pan-Fried Noodles with Sliced Fish + Pea Vine Greens - $7.95 + $9.95
Rating: 4 Chopsticks

Geary's Review

663 Bistro has a medium-sized dining area that is clean with appealing, but muted, decor. Even though it isn't much of a name, it is unusual for a Chinese restaurant to have a name that doesn't immediately identify it as Chinese. And it puts them in the same neighborhood as Travis Shred and his neighbor, The Beast. 663 has a sizable menu and no specific lunch specials (YAY!). The menu selections include noodles, soups, congee, BBQ meats, and various other southern Chinese favorites. I was in the mood for noodles so went with the XO Sauce Pan-Fried Noodles with Sliced Fish. I noticed our waitress delivering a plate of greens to a neighboring table, so threw in an order for some Pea Vine Greens of our own.

Rob's fish arrived first and was a clear winner. He was kind and shared bites. The curry was thick and flavorful. The fish was fresh, moist, and flaky. My XO Noodles were also great. I wasn't sure what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. It was similar to beef chow fun, except with fish. The fish wasn't deep fried, like Rob's curry. It was just stir-fried in with the noodles, onions, and sprouts. The sprouts and onions gave it a nice crunch and the XO sauce added a tangy flavor. Yum! The Pea Vine Greens were cooked perfectly and were a welcome companion to the heavily noodled main course. The fish balls, however, were a bit too fishy for my taste.

Luncher: Adam

Lunch: Noodles in Soup with Roast Duck and BBQ Pork - $5.95
Rating: 5 Chopsticks

Adam's Review

The menu for 663 Bistro was pretty damn huge... so I was having a hard time deciding what to get. I thought the 663 was because of their address, but it turns out it's the number of items on their menu... <groan>. I saw some Meat in the Window, so I knew I wanted to get something with that. I opted for the Noodle Soup with Roast Pork and Roast Duck.

I didn't actually get roast pork in my soup, there was a bit of a miscommunication, and I got the Honey BBQ Pork. This little mishap ended up being quite a little pig-tastic blessing. The Honey BBQ Pork is sweet and salty (as opposed to just salty like BBQ pork from some other MIWs), and lent a nice flavor to the soup that it was in. The roast duck was good, but I wish there had been more.

I was going to give this place a solid 4-chopsticks review, until I tasted the Curry Fish Fillet on Rice. The curry sauce was very flavorful and creamy. The bowl that contained the curry was nearly overflowing with fish... they crammed-in at least 2 servings of fish. This is one of the best lunches I've ever tasted, and I'm heading back to this place to specifically get this dish! It was so good, I didn't even mind that the Vegetarian Rob ordered it.

Great prices. Great food. One of the International District Gems.

Luncher: Rob

Lunch: Curry Fish Fillet on Rice - $6.50
Rating: 5 Chopsticks

Rob's Review

I'd been to 663 Bistro once before well over a year ago (and I sat at the same table in almost the same seat), and the dish I had was fairly unremarkable (what Joey got, but sans beef). This time, however, I went with the curry fish fillet, in no small part to Joey telling me, "The curry is pretty good here," and I must say that I won today's lunch lottery (they even served me first!). The curry is actually pretty great -- creamy, flavorful, with a decent kick (didn't need any extra hot sauce) -- generously poured over an ample amount of breaded, tender, and moist flounder, onions, bell peppers, and potatoes. One of the best curries I've had in quite a while, in fact. The pea vines in garlic sauce was a great side dish to the curry -- the garlic sauce was nice and light (a smidge too salty on first taste, but fine on subsequent ones). So, there are great things here at the 663, but you have to choose wisely. Today was my first msg150 lunch in three weeks (I was out sick with a horrible, horrible flu and what have you), and it felt so good to be back that I didn't even mind Adam's feeble attempts at humor.

Luncher: Michael

Lunch: Tossed Noodles with BBQ Pork and Roast Duck - $6.25
Rating: 5 Chopsticks

Michael's Review

I had the opportunity to sample most of the dishes on the table and with the exception of Joey's RMV everything was far above average. My noodles with duck and pork, Rob's curry, and Geary's pan fried noodles were all spectacular.

This isn't your usual boring lunch fare with breaded chicken covered in sugar. Fresh noodles, tasty broth, juicy barbeque, and the most awesome pea vines in garlic sauce make this bistro a big improvement over the usual 'lunch special'.

If you consider that this feast cost maybe 10 bucks including tax and tip you will have to agree that this is one of the best lunch spots we've found in the ID.