Noodle Theory Provisions

The family and I had a tasty lunch here on an early Saturday afternoon. Great location, lots of space, with attentive (but not overbearing) service. Appetizers: Pork wonton with a red chili oil (yum!) and sweet potato fries. The fries came with an AMAZING Thai green curry aioli sauce (hint of a ginger taste to it) that really should be bottled up and sold in stores. Main entrée: Ground Niman Ranch Pork noodles (sautéed, w ground pork), Grilled Fulton Valley Chicken over Ginger Noodles (sautéed), and Chicken w Spicy Thai Red Curry (my wife substituted the duck with chicken, also sautéed). Everything was SO good! Huge portions that were fairly priced. Found a new spot to bring friends when they come visit.

Great Asian Fusion Restaurant in Oakland. Went for lunch right when they opened and walked right in. Really enjoyed the crispy wings (arguably the best Asian wings I have ever had), the pork wontons, and for a main I had the Shredded Roast Duck in a Spicy Thai Red Curry with Noodles, which was a wonderful explosion of flavors. Highly recommend.

Awesome Food!!!! Can't wait to come back and try more! I really recommend their Spicy Duck and "Mocktails". Plus the severs were so kind and helpful with the menu. A++!

The food was good! The chili Oil Wonton wasn't as specify as I had hoped or had in the past. The mushroom ramen had a lot of truffle oil in it. I love truffle oil but I think this may be a bit too much for my own liking. Overall, still a tasty meal.

Generous portions, Asian style flavors cooked in the Mexican style, interior is cribbed from Starbucks. If you want a hipster place to eat delicious $12 wings and $8 fries, this is the place for you.

Spicy Szechuan beef noodle stew is delicious but not spicy. My favorite was the fried wontons with goat cheese inside and the pink lemon drop cocktail. Happy hour is from 5-7 weekdays.

No room for dessert! Group of 5 enjoyed an early dinner grilled korean marinated short rib over kimchi ckowmein (spicy) just the right amount of heat, spicy sauteed basil rice noodles with five spiced pork belly and green beans, grilled fulton valley chicken over ginger green beans that were so flavorful oh, and the crushed peanuts added a good texture, Tofu veggies garlic noodles good dish but heavy on sauce. Loved the hipster vib but hard to hear dinner companions. Would go back for drinks and other provisions.

Noodle Satisfaction (4/5 green stars) Have been three times now (and once to their smaller spot on College Ave.) and it’s becoming a fav place for healthy comfort food. My go-to dish is the Tofu and Veggies Garlic Noodles – I could eat it on a weekly basis and I appreciate that it’s cheaper than the meat-based dishes. At $12 it’s a bargain because it’s not only delicious but also probably enough for two meals – for those who have good self-control ;) Recently tried the Mushrooms over Spinach Ramen ($16) and also liked this dish. The Crispy Veggie Seaweed Dumplings ($7) were also pretty good – the Chinese black vinegar dipping sauce elevated them. Service is decent – it ranged from slightly chilly (hostess) to efficient (waitress) to warm (person who brought the dishes over). The place is well laid out – I particularly like the wood and art. I’m giving them 4/5 “green stars” for social and environmental impact, based on these reasons: • Would like to see a few more veggie dishes on the menu but at least what they do offer is very good. • For meat-eaters, they do list sources for some of their meat (Niman’s ranch, Mary’s chicken). • They could provide a bit more info here (e.g., Mary’s chicken has three levels of certification from the Global Animal Partnership, so clarifying if they are pasture-raised would be helpful). I know, I sound like an episode of Portlandia right now :P • For fish-eaters, they do appear to be aware of (and have made some) sustainable fish choices. But again, it’s not really clear – for example, is their salmon wild or farmed? • For tofu-eaters (like me) I’d like to know if the tofu is organic. I’ve only recently starting realizing how important this is (to me). Consider that at least half of the soy in the US is grown from neonic-coated seeds and grown under extremely intensive conditions. Having spent over a month (full-time) researching the literature, I’m now 98% sure that neonics are harmful to honey bees and other pollinators (check out my site below for blog posts on this). • Similarly I’d like to know whether their noodles are organic. • Overall, the pattern is that it would be nice if NT provided more info (on their menu or website) on these issues. • Food to-go is served in simple cardboard boxes. Interested in writing green star reviews? If so, contact me! (greenstarsproject)