There has been a bit of turnover at 9127 West Broad in the Shoppes at West Broad since I’ve been around the area. The first was Charles’ Kitchen—a Caribbean eatery—which moved further west on Broad Street to the Parkside Marketplace in Innsbrook (I’m making a mental note to prioritize a review for them; I consider them a rotational piece in my typical lunch break lineup). The second was Chao Tian Fu, a pay-by-weight self-serve hot pot restaurant that was trying to capitalize on Richmond’s newfound interest in the hot pot concept; it shut down within about a year of opening operations. As someone who greatly appreciates finding local gems in the suburbanized sea of chains in the West End of Richmond, I was very hopeful when I heard a hand pulled noodle shop was moving in. And after a few visits to Mr. Noodle, I will say I am a fan of the food, but the service has room for improvement.
Walking into Mr. Noodle I immediately notice the remnants of Chao Tian Fu’s influence—the seating structure with the high top bar in the middle and the booths lining the walls still remains, and a mural of cute pandas and other hot pot related imagery, but now that is painted over, with a tapestry hanging over it that more closely aligns with the hand-pulled noodles concept. On the other side of the restaurant is a gigantic mural of downtown Richmond painted on the wall. It’s an inviting décor that creates a fun lunchtime atmosphere, and it’s a nice homage to the intersection of Richmond culture and Chinese cuisine.
I find a seat at one of the tables near the entrance of the restaurant. There’s a steady flow of customers and nearly all of the seats are occupied. Throughout the meal I notice several times the wait staff hanging around the entrance of the kitchen idly playing on their phones. I mostly do not have a problem with this (although it doesn’t send the greatest message of hospitality to the guests), because the restaurant has decided operationally that the wait staff’s main purpose is a vehicle for food delivery to the table and that is all. Besides the moment where a red Solo cup of water without ice is delivered to your table after sitting down, and when the food is awkwardly dropped off by a member of the staff who seems to have taken a vow of silence, you should not expect to ever see or hear from them again. Jarring is the word I’d use. Not welcoming at all.
This is the area that Mr. Noodle needs to improve upon the most if it wants to succeed. The first time I went there, we ordered some pan-fried buns for the table (which on consumption were delicious). The main meals came out staggered and the appetizer of buns never arrived. Even after finally flagging down someone on the staff and raising this to them, they lacked any awareness or complicity. In much the same way that all their other customer interactions are handled—by doing their best Gary Cooper impression; strong and silent—the buns arrived without any apologies for the delay or any explanation given for the inconvenience. Actually, as I write this review, it does seem like a miracle that I even went back, because I remember being extraordinarily frustrated at the service. That should say something about what I thought of the food.
That was the worst experience I had there, but it was shortly after they opened so we can likely chalk that up to growing pains. I haven’t had any issues in the times I’ve been back since, but there is still a cold disconnect amongst the staff about how to warmly handle their guests that I find extremely off-putting. In my most recent visit, which this review is based upon, one of the waiters did come by to stand way too close to my table (like torso above the edge of the table) and silently pointed to my water and mumbled if I wanted more. I really shouldn’t have to answer that if you’ve already made the effort to come by with the pitcher of water in hand. Just give me the water.
The food is ordered through a QR code at the table. I alluded to my feelings about this in practice in the Doro Soul Food review. That can be found here. (another mental note that I need to write an essay on QR codes in restaurants). Unlike the Doro Soul Food review, Mr. Noodle did manage to accurately label everything on the menu and provide pictures for most items, so I did not have an issue ordering two cans of Coke like I did at Doro Soul Food. The experience is relatively painless to order through the app, so I don’t really have any complaints about Mr. Noodle choosing to operate this way. If they believe it can lead to a more operationally efficient experience without losing the charm of being doted upon by a wait staff, then by all means. As I’ve previously harped on in this review, I don’t think doting is a strong suit possessed by this wait staff anyway. So maybe it is best that we limit our interactions to dropping off food and drinks, and we just let the QR code handle the ordering and payment fulfillment.
I ordered the spicy beef noodle soup which comes with sliced beef, green onions, cilantro, and white radish, as well as a serving of their hand-pulled noodles (the star of the show). I also ordered a side of beef ribs. This is my secret, albeit expensive, pro tip. The beef ribs are braised low and slow until they come out tender and only slightly clinging to the bone. I’m providing a picture of the ribs as delivered to the table. They do not look particularly Instagram worthy: I wouldn’t hold that against the restaurant, because they are a delicious addition to the soup. Pull and scrape all the meaty bits off the bone and drop it in. It delivers an additional beefy, umami kick to the meal. Unctuous and savory. You will get a little bit messy trying to get all the bits off the bone but trust me when I say its worth it.
The soup is incredible. It’s topped with a heap of chili oil painted across the surface, which I’m given space to mix around in the broth with my own paintbrush: my soup spoon. The hydrophobicity of the chili oil makes it cling to the beef and to the noodles and allows the spiciness to shine through without being diluted by the broth. And I’ll tell you what: it is spicy. I have to balance the urge to shovel it all into my mouth at once like a hungry hungry hippo against the physical response of coughing it all up because I moved too quickly. In other words, the spiciness forces me to reflect and to savor the moment more completely.
Speaking of my negative compulsions, I will offer a word of warning: spicy foods do not belong in your eyes. I often want to meld all of the flavors at once into one bite, and so there’s an impulse to dredge up the noodles from the bowl and to slurp them up at once. If you’re like me and you’re finding that as you age you are becoming more and more clumsy, you may find eating a spicy noodle soup to be a dangerous game. I pulled up some noodles out of the bowl and they all fell off my spoon and splashed some spicy broth right into my left eye. The pain is searing, and I’m embarrassed as I scramble for some napkins trying not to make a scene. In my mind I’m making the biggest scene though. Everyone is looking at me. And laughing.
I manage to blot the broth out of the area around my eyes and my vision starts to restore, but then I’m of course hit with a coughing spell that turns into a sneezing spell. And at this point I’m very glad I’ve chosen the table in the corner away from most people. Finally I manage to compose myself and continue on with my meal. The food is too good to throw in the towel now; even if I almost took my eye out in the process.
The noodles, by the way, are the star attraction of the meal for a reason. They are tender and delicate. And they have swam around in my mind for weeks. I would gladly choose to live in a world in which Mr. Noodle’s hand-pulled noodles are a major food group, necessary for continuation of life.
The noodle soups at this place are extremely good. I will recommend you stick to those items; though the menu is expansive in other areas. It’s what they’re going to be known for, because it gives the greatest stage for the noodles to shine. Normally I might say at this point that I will be back. I’ve already uncovered the lede that I have been back. But I do think I may find myself slotting Mr. Noodle into the rotation more often, especially if they can see clear to making their service another priority in line with the quality of their noodle soups. And if we can do something about avoiding hot chili oil in my eyes.