Henry D.
Yelp
Was exploring the surrounding area and stumbled upon Mecha Noodle Bar. My group came in with very low expectations and our overall experience here has left us confused?
Accessing the location was quite easy. If you park at the Crown Street parking garage, the restaurant is directly next to the staircase which was nice. When we arrived, staff was quick to greet us but the vibes were a little off. Overall service was probabaly average at best.
The restaurant is really spacious and has a nice modern, edgy, and woody feel to it. Since it was off peak on a Tuesday at 2pm, the restaurant was quite empty. There are a bunch of wooden planks hanging from the ceiling so I do wonder how tedious it is for them to keep those clean.
Next is the menu. It's 2 laminated sheets attached to a wooden board via rubber bands. I understand the aesthetic intention but I thought whoever designed it could've been more mindful. The band itself covers the price and some of the key points of the menu. It would be great if they adjusted the menu placement so the rubberbands don't become an obstacle for guests. As for the food choices, you plenty of options like pho, ramen, hand rolls, steamed baos, alcoholic boba, and more.
We ordered with the server and for some reason half of the staff that we interacted with mumbled so it was very hard to hear. Apps came out within 5 minutes of ordering whereas the mains took closer to 15-20 minutes. While waiting, our servers brought out a small bowl for our pho toppings and it was very sad looking - a pinch of bean sprouts and maybe 2-3 basil leaves that looked like it could've been leftovers from a previous guest. Like did they really think that would be okay when we ordered 2 bowls of pho? We had to request a second set of pho toppings and it was just a slight improvement.
**Red Oil Dumplings - This first appetizer raised our hopes because it's honestly a pretty solid dumpling dish. It reminded me of a Vietnamese take on a spicy wonton but fried. You have a dense pork and shrimp dumpling inside a fried wrapper and it's dressed with a szechuan vinnegrette topped with a bunch of fried shallots, onions, and cilantro reminiscent of Vietnamese food. A must order dish since it's the only thing I would ever reorder here.
**Saigon Egg Rolls - Served on a metal tray with poorly arranged greens that weren't properly cleaned and a large bowl for the fish sauce that was only about 1/5 full, this dish had our eyebrows LIFTED. Presentation and plating was very questionable. The taste of the eggrolls themselves were fine - it simply gets the job done.
**Pho Bo Vien - Pho broth itself wasn't too bad but I'm from SoCal so I am spoiled when it comes to Vietnamese food. However, we will have to say that the texture and taste of the meatball was just off. It was very mushy and was overly salty which left an unpleasant taste in our mouths.
**Pho Sizzle - The grilled flank stank for this is definitely a pass. For some reason, the texture of my pho noodles felt like it was precooked and sat around for a few minutes before it was fully plated. It reminds me of how the noodle texture tastes when I'd order pho togo and quickly slap it together at home. Trust me there is a noticeable difference in texture when the noodles are boiled and served immediately.
**Shoyu Paitan Ramen - Also passable if you have a ramen craving. Noodle texture is on the firm side so just a heads up if you're not into firm noodles.
To end on a positive note, I do appreciate how Mecha ramen donates a portion of their noodle bowl sales toward charity. That alone is a major green flag.