No.1 Noodle — Restaurant in Fredericton

I just returned from this restaurant and there is a lot on my mind.

Atmosphere: 4/5 Comfortable (yes, there are booths) environment that makes it easy to enjoy pleasant conversations. not too loud and not too quiet. (when it's slow) Great for a semi romantic date with a long term partner. Purely speculative but I could see this being very much louder during peak times.

Staff: 5/5 The staff at this establishment were almost too nice... almost. The head of house/ host was not against helping out to ensure that we had a seemless experience within.

Food: */5 This is the one point I see being a make or break for a lot of people. Personally I rate it incredibly high 4 or 5 stars. I know what I like and I have a little experience in the kitchen to know based on smell and taste to mix the sauces and broth to make my own world of flavor right for me. For some this might be too hard but a similar idea in a more common restraunt is Subway. If you like a flavor add it to the sandwich. In the case of the Pho noodles as well of the other foods they are designed specifically to adapt to the flavor of each customer. When you sit down at a table and don't pay attention to the five sauces then you are in for a 3 star experience at best. But if you are willing to experiment and mix things up a little you can literally create and endless array of flavor profiles to suit your mood. If that's too daunting they have plenty of staff willing to provide their opinions and suggestions on sauces and flavor combinations.

Cost: 4/5 Yeah it's priced fair which means a little more money is required to barter for the authenticity and quality that is embodied in this cooking. Portion sizes are a little unfair to the restraunt in my honest opinion. It's not McDonald's but it's about the same price as any other sit down diner for a cut above in quality.

Overall: Full/Full yup! I gorged myself accidentally. Once I started eating the noodles it was like they had a boot against the pedal in my brain. I didn't stop until there was only a little broth left in the bowl. I don't feel sick or nauseated like I would with the normally greasy and too heavy foods. Quite frankly part of me wanted seconds. But that will have to wait until another trip.

Final Thoughts: Go here! Eat here! But don't be afraid to ask for help knowing which sauces to add. And read the giant chalkboard on the wall. Give yourself a chance to enjoy the "No.1 Noodles" in Fredericton!

disclaimer: most of this review is based on the Pho noodles. while I did sample a few other things I was not intending on doing a review just going out for a bite to eat with the family. end of critique -

PSA: Regarding the low quality and/ or low starred reviews on this place... please, do yourself some justice and ignore them outright. For the most part those reviews were made by people who weren't adequately prepared to enjoy the beauty and culture of this type of noodle shop. (Admittedly this learning curve is it's biggest drawback.)

There is literally a limitless ocean of flavors possible within every bowl of those silky noodles and while they might not be the best in the whole world (compared to a noodle cart in the orient for example) they are most definitely the best that this city...

I'm Vietnamese, from a big city with some great Vietnamese food. I've been visiting Vietnam regularly over the years. So, when I came here, I didn't set my expectations too high, even though this place had great reviews. It's a smaller town with less competition, after all. To put it plainly, if you're not a frequent Vietnamese foodie, you might find this place alright. But trust me, you don't need to be Vietnamese to notice that they're missing out on some essential Vietnamese flavors.

Let's talk about the lunch special Chicken Vermicelli bowl. It was the only thing we ordered that didn't disappoint too much. It's reasonably priced at $14.95 and comes in a generous portion with plenty of chicken. But, truth be told, the chicken lacked a punch in the flavor department. I'm used to loads of fresh herbs like basil and cilantro, which were obviously absent. It felt like they took the easy route with a basic marinade.

Now, onto the lunch special beef pho. When this dish arrived, the size difference compared to the vermicelli bowl was startling. Same price, $14.95, but this pho portion was shockingly small – almost like a personal sized bowl. The broth was okay, but it had a bit too much ginger for my taste. They boast about using a 9 hour stock with fresh herbs, cilantro, and basil, but guess what? None of those signature pho elements were in sight. I think there were some friend wontons but there was no filling at all. It was all wrappers . The picture attached has a spoon for size reference as the first photo is deceiving due to the angle.

And then there were the spring rolls. As soon as I walked in, I had to ask if they used egg paper or rice paper. The server assured me it was rice paper that's the only reason I wanted them. Turns out, they weren't rice paper rolls, and the taste was just ok.

In a nutshell, if you're not too familiar with authentic Vietnamese cuisine, this place might do the trick. But if you've savored the real deal before, you'll probably feel like something's...

I stopped by this restaurant during a road trip across Canada, coming from Vancouver. As a Vietnamese person born and raised in a big city known for amazing Vietnamese food—and someone who regularly visits Vietnam—I came in with tempered expectations. After all, this is a small town with limited competition, even though the place had some strong reviews.

To be honest, if you're not too familiar with authentic Vietnamese cuisine, this spot might seem okay. But even if you're not Vietnamese, you'll likely notice something essential is missing.

Now, about the lunch special beef pho: the portion was shockingly small—more like a personal-sized bowl. The broth was just okay, but it had too much ginger for my taste. They advertise a 9-hour simmered broth with fresh herbs, cilantro, and basil... but none of that showed up in my bowl.

What really turned me off was the bean sprouts—pre-mixed into the bowl instead of served on the side with herbs. That’s not how pho should be served, and it felt like a tactic to make the bowl look fuller than it was. The total came to $40 CAD with tax and tip—easily the most expensive and most disappointing bowl of pho I've had in Canada.

In short: if you've had the real thing before, you're probably going to feel...