Strangely I have never come down to writing about a city I frequently transit through and often visit. Dubai. A city which amazes me to no end with all that it has to offer and the massive transformation it continues to go through from the trading port of the 60's to the gleaming metropolis of today. All this in the middle of a desert.
A recent trip left me with ample time to sample numerous restaurants, tourist attractions and of course, malls which are the mainstay of the Dubai economy. The latest entrant on the mall scene is the expansive and glitzy Dubai Mall. Honestly, I have never been to a better (and bigger) mall. There is plenty to offer everyone. Kids will love KidZania and the giant aquarium, shoppers will always be short on time to do justice to 6 floors of retail therapy and for others, there is the Gold Souk, Reel cinemas (with a movie starting every ten minutes) etc. For foodies like me there is an entire lower ground floor dedicated to restaurants, coffee shops and dessert joints.
Dubai has an enviable offering of gourmet destinations catering to everyone from the well heeled jet setter (Zuma, Hakkasan et al) to budget diners. In this fairly crowded scenario, it is hard for a reasonably priced joint to garner a big fan club but somehow, Noodle House has managed to do this and this piqued my curiosity. So off I set for the Noodle House. Located along with a cluster of restaurants in the lower ground floor of Dubai Mall (close to the entrance of Burj Khalifa), Noodle House offers outdoor seating as well. I would not recommend the al fresco seating in summer months for obvious reasons. For those hoping to catch the daily shows of the Dubai fountain, Noodle House does not offer full views of the mega attraction and you'll have to do make do with enjoying the soundtrack only.
The interiors of Noodle House are inviting and give off a warm vibe. The self-ticking menu is a mixed affair of Chinese and Thai dishes. The fresh wok fried noodles (AED 25) are a must try. With no smattering of vegetables or meat, this simple dish is a winner. At par with the noodles, are the meat dumplings. Available in portion sizes of 4/6/8 pieces ranging from AED 25 to AED 35, the dumplings are supposed to be far better than what neighboring Ping Pong restaurant offers at double the price. I highly recommend the Prawn Hacao and Chicken Siew Mai. Thin dimsum layer stuffed with a lot of tasty prawn and chicken meat make these the perfect lunch order. The Mushroom Gyoza on the other hand is avoidable. The mushrooms had a bit of an after-taste and I stopped at one piece. If it is Thai food you want to try at Noodle House, proceed with caution. The Tom Yam Soup with Prawns (AED 40) was absolutely delicious and spiced just right for Asian taste buds. Mind you when a Thai restaurant asks you in Dubai how spicy would you like your dish, always say extra spicy and this is when you'll get a regular spiced dish. Caught unaware of this key point, I asked for the normally super hot Thai Red Prawn Curry (served with jasmine rice) to be mildly spiced and it was sweet! It barely reeked of any Thai ingredients like lemongrass, kafir leaves and all I could taste honestly was sugar. You get the point.
Noodle House has an interesting collection of drinks (non-alcoholic of course) to offer priced in the range of AED 18-AED 25. On various occasions, I have enjoyed the Iced Tea (you'd be surprised at just how few restaurants get this drink right) and Lemon Cooler which is a Middle East staple on any drinks menu. The service at Noodle House is decent. The prices are on the higher side for a noodle / dim sum eatery but this is to be expected with its Dubai Mall location.
I would recommend the place any day for lunch over dinner. Given the sheer footfall at Dubai Mall, expect dinner time to be crowded, loud and overall, not the best dining experience. If it is at dinner time you must step out, then I'd recommend the Noodle House at the quieter Burjuman mall. Asian specialties including most of the Thai dishes and other side dishes at Noodle House didn't look appetizing enough to attract diners who are not fans of dumplings and noodles. So if you belong to that club, Noodle House is not for you. For others, go ahead and dig in.
A recent trip left me with ample time to sample numerous restaurants, tourist attractions and of course, malls which are the mainstay of the Dubai economy. The latest entrant on the mall scene is the expansive and glitzy Dubai Mall. Honestly, I have never been to a better (and bigger) mall. There is plenty to offer everyone. Kids will love KidZania and the giant aquarium, shoppers will always be short on time to do justice to 6 floors of retail therapy and for others, there is the Gold Souk, Reel cinemas (with a movie starting every ten minutes) etc. For foodies like me there is an entire lower ground floor dedicated to restaurants, coffee shops and dessert joints.
Dubai has an enviable offering of gourmet destinations catering to everyone from the well heeled jet setter (Zuma, Hakkasan et al) to budget diners. In this fairly crowded scenario, it is hard for a reasonably priced joint to garner a big fan club but somehow, Noodle House has managed to do this and this piqued my curiosity. So off I set for the Noodle House. Located along with a cluster of restaurants in the lower ground floor of Dubai Mall (close to the entrance of Burj Khalifa), Noodle House offers outdoor seating as well. I would not recommend the al fresco seating in summer months for obvious reasons. For those hoping to catch the daily shows of the Dubai fountain, Noodle House does not offer full views of the mega attraction and you'll have to do make do with enjoying the soundtrack only.
The interiors of Noodle House are inviting and give off a warm vibe. The self-ticking menu is a mixed affair of Chinese and Thai dishes. The fresh wok fried noodles (AED 25) are a must try. With no smattering of vegetables or meat, this simple dish is a winner. At par with the noodles, are the meat dumplings. Available in portion sizes of 4/6/8 pieces ranging from AED 25 to AED 35, the dumplings are supposed to be far better than what neighboring Ping Pong restaurant offers at double the price. I highly recommend the Prawn Hacao and Chicken Siew Mai. Thin dimsum layer stuffed with a lot of tasty prawn and chicken meat make these the perfect lunch order. The Mushroom Gyoza on the other hand is avoidable. The mushrooms had a bit of an after-taste and I stopped at one piece. If it is Thai food you want to try at Noodle House, proceed with caution. The Tom Yam Soup with Prawns (AED 40) was absolutely delicious and spiced just right for Asian taste buds. Mind you when a Thai restaurant asks you in Dubai how spicy would you like your dish, always say extra spicy and this is when you'll get a regular spiced dish. Caught unaware of this key point, I asked for the normally super hot Thai Red Prawn Curry (served with jasmine rice) to be mildly spiced and it was sweet! It barely reeked of any Thai ingredients like lemongrass, kafir leaves and all I could taste honestly was sugar. You get the point.
Noodle House has an interesting collection of drinks (non-alcoholic of course) to offer priced in the range of AED 18-AED 25. On various occasions, I have enjoyed the Iced Tea (you'd be surprised at just how few restaurants get this drink right) and Lemon Cooler which is a Middle East staple on any drinks menu. The service at Noodle House is decent. The prices are on the higher side for a noodle / dim sum eatery but this is to be expected with its Dubai Mall location.
I would recommend the place any day for lunch over dinner. Given the sheer footfall at Dubai Mall, expect dinner time to be crowded, loud and overall, not the best dining experience. If it is at dinner time you must step out, then I'd recommend the Noodle House at the quieter Burjuman mall. Asian specialties including most of the Thai dishes and other side dishes at Noodle House didn't look appetizing enough to attract diners who are not fans of dumplings and noodles. So if you belong to that club, Noodle House is not for you. For others, go ahead and dig in.
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