Bowl noodles are all the rage. They come in different forms, depending mostly on nationality or language. In the end, it’s the same concept – a bowl of broth, filled with noodles made from rice, wheat, egg or whatever, and then a variety of flavors. What annoys me is how everyone loves ramen and thinks it’s the best when in my opinion, there are many bowls of noodles that are much better. Don’t get me wrong, ramen is amazing, but let’s look at my favourite type of soup noodles … because this is a music blog.
1. Bun Bo Hue
A Vietnamese dish, this magnificent bowl of noodles comes from Hue, which is in central Vietnam. A beef broth heavy with lemongrass and other ingredients, it’s a flavour bomb that hits all the right notes of sour, savoury and spicy. The rice noodles are refreshing given the strength of the broth and it’s usually paired with all sorts of meats, mostly beef shanks and even cubes of congealed pig’s blood which is not as gross as you think.
Best place I’ve had it – Orange County
Favorite place in Toronto for it – Pho Linh
2. Dan Dan Noodles
This one is less soupy but more dippy I guess, and a lot of different countries have a variation on this. However the Dan Dan noodles from the mainland are absolutely delicious. This is one of those bowls where the noodles don’t matter as much as the sauce. The sauce is amazing, usually a combination of sesame, sichuan peppers, chili mixed with ground pork, preserved veggies and green onions. It’s a hella thick sauce and basically you coat the noodles with the sauce before slurping it down in a tasty package. The mix of sesame and sichuan pepper is an amazing taste and this bowl has the exact combination of flavours to leave you wanting more.
Favorite place in Toronto – hard to tell, sometimes Asian Legend is good, sometimes not. Probably other places in Markham are better but I never know their names
Best place I’ve had it – Hong Kong. There’s a restaurant in Whampoa that specializes in it.
3. Beef Brisket Noodle Soup
You are probably thinking I only love complex flavors but the simplicity of the beef brisket noodle soup is what makes it amazing. A Hong Kong staple, it’s a taste that simply defines what home is for me. A simple beefy broth with a bit of anise taste, paired with spring noodles and brisket that has been cooked for hours and hours, the combo is just hard to beat. The texture of the brisket is usually offset by the crispness of some lettuce that’s included and it’s just a great bowl of noodles. People in Hong Kong are obsessed with it. Sometimes you can get tripe and tendon in it, although that’s often just called beef tendon noodle soup. The broth is similar flavour.
There are some variations on this from other places, you can make an argument that Taiwan has a similar beef noodle soup, but I think that’s a different flavour.
Places to have in Toronto – Any HK syle cafe in Markham is good.
Best Place I have had it ever – Hong Kong
4. Thai Boat Noodles
I’ve only had it a few times in my life but it is delicious and unfortunately really hard to find in Toronto. Frequently sold from boats in the Canals of Thailand, this bowl of soup is absolutely packed with flavour. The broth is dark, rich and complex, it typically includes pig or cow blood which, as you could probably guess, adds to the richness of the broth. As with all southeast Asian dishes, the heaviness of the broth is balanced out by an assortment of fresh herbs and the dish is usually complemented by variety of meats, fried pork skin and meatballs. It’s got this tangy richness to it that I really enjoyed.
Best Toronto place: ???
Best place I’ve had it – Sapp’s Coffee Shop, Los Angeles
5. Laksa
Probably the most iconic noodle dish from the Malaysia-Singapore-Indonesian area, Laksa is a rice vermicelli dish that’s broth is a curry-coconut flavour. The ingredients for Laksa are much different than most of the other noodle dishes, as it is comprised mostly of seafood, fried tofu
and an egg. The broth for this noodle smells amazing and the taste is equal to the smell.
Favorite in Toronto – Gourmet Malaysia
Favorite ever – Probably some place in Hong Kong