Bob S.
Yelp
I'm stoked! We finally made it to Shake Shake Fresh Noodles, catty corner from Goshi's, open two months now. What a thrill to finally have some sophisticated food in SLO to go along with all the burger joints and mostly so-so fine dining! We've been needing this place like forever.
The room is Shenzhen-chic, open and moderne. And it's an open kitchen so you feel the energy going into the food, which is intense, efficient and professional. The menu is very streamlined--two kinds of noodles, soup or dry, just five ways to go when you include the rice plates. But go!
Then there is a limited choice of "appetizers," and there you will find just two go-alongs for your noodles along with some heavier fare like dumplings.
With cauldrons at a constant boil, service is super express, less than five minutes, so it's a great place for a satisfying 30-minute lunch experience during the workweek.
We went for House Special Beef Bone Noodle Soup and it was an absolute knock-out. Tender beef sliding off its rib bone that gave way perfectly to chewing, spiced with perhaps a bit of 5-spice. We had it with thin, "round" noodles that were silky as could be and finished a bit rich and creamy. Godful.
We also had The Braised Beef Noodle Soup with flat noodles. The chunks of lightly-spiced stew beef again were cooked to chewy-melting tenderness, like perfect. And the flat noodles, although made from the same dough, were a hearty contrast to the thin noodles. Both broths were fantastic.
The cucumber salad came neat, just garlic. You dress it at the table with chili oil, soy sauce, black vinegar.
The portions are Cantonese style. They tend to eat 5 smaller meals a day. It probably might not be quite enough food for hearty eaters. But they got you covered. It's just $5 to add some more noodles. Other add-ons are options. Or, share a plate of dumplings to start, $16. The garlic cuke is mandatory, imo, $9. What a delight to go to a restaurant that doesn't think overfeeding is a beautiful thing. It isn't.
There's more to be said, but I don't want to ruin it for you. Thank you, Vue Vue and husband, for following your hearts and settling in the SLOtown you find so friendly. We've been waiting a long, long time for you!