Meet Noodle 又见壹面 — Restaurant in Ottawa

Location is under new ownership with a new and smaller menu offering deliciously chewy fresh hand pulled noodles. I had the braised beef with thin handpulled noodles (holds that tasty number housemade hot oil) with slices of meaty beef, fresh refreshing daikon, and garnished with cilantro. Something I enjoyed often in Hong Kong when I was a teenager so it made me terribly nostalgic.

I tried the broth before mixing. It was light, clean, simple, beefy, delicate, yet warming to the soul. The key is too enjoy the fresh noodles right away before they soak too long in the broth and get soft. So after my first few sips, I mixed the hot oil with the noodles, coating my bowl in a sea of red from the chilies, and green from the minced coriander/cilantro. The beef slices are generous, a cut allowed to rest over night to chill, making them perfect to slice thin, lean, tendon, some fatty bits, all in one bite. I'll use my chopsticks to grab a slice, wrap it over some noodles, have my bite, followed by a gentle slurp of the soup before I chew (trust me, it's essentially the seasoning of this dish, in fact, when mixed with the hot oil, there was absolutely no need to add salt or soya sauce).

Now I've had pulled noodles at "Le Mien" and "La Noodle", it's a bit difficult to compare. I would say this place tastes more like what i had in China, although "La Noodle" off Cumberland when I went had the closest authetic ambience from my experience but equal. "Le Mien" was good but my issue was the broth was too hot to start eating so by the time it cooled enough, my noodles started to get sogged. But, all three have similar yet different menus. "Meet Noodle", which is by my office, offers a truly satisfying experience. Staff are friendly. The owner is like an Auntie you'd grew up with. You can see them making the noodles guaranteeing it's made to order. Happy to say it was full of patrons and deliveries by the time I finished my bowl.

They have a limited but traditional menu. There's no aoli drizzle, or fusion fare, just straight deliciousness. I noticed they had what seemed like dandan noodles. Sadly no biang-biang noodles, but they do have cold noodles. Cold noodles are great in the summer. Fresh noodles immediately chilled in ice water which helps seize them, making them bouncier. Served with julienne cucumber , carrots, cilantro, sesame seeds, with a soya sauce, hot oil, and Chinese vinegar, which is like a cheap balsamic but not as sharp. Cucumber salad is also addictive. Another bonus... soya eggs. 😉

So in conclusion, a most welcome addition to the neighbourhood. Previous business had some issues, I can say with a warm heart and a full belly, "Meet Noodles" is NOT them and was an absolute treat. The owner mentioned she only officially opened over a week ago. I expressed my enjoyment and pointed out my empty bowl. Suffice to say, I look forward to my...

First time there. Never again. We came here just trying out places we never been to. The reviews looked convincing enough. But when we went there the service was terrible, the food was just okay. The server was so rude, literally just threw bowls and plates on the table and never checked in on us for our refills or my friend order that she missed, we tried getting her attention and she noticed us but never came over (which was a bit weird) so we decided to share the food we have since we ordered a lot of foods anyway. I confronted her about this when I went up to pay, I even tipped her too thinking maybe she’s just not in a good mood that day and looking back in old days as a server myself I want to relate to her, but there were no reaction from her and she just waved us out. We don’t know each other nor do any of my friends know or has have any beef with her before. Talking about the food, I do not know the hype around this place. “La mien”at the Byward market taste wayyyy better, everyone’s there more friendly and the restaurant, judging from utensils, chairs, tables and the atmosphere is wayyy...

I’m a Singaporean Chinese. My group of friends ate here twice in our three days in Ottawa. The food is excellent. I tried the classic beef noodles and braised beef noodles. The beef in both is very tender, though I prefer the braised beef which comes in chunks instead of slices. (Note the braised beef has lots of fat so not suitable for those who prefer lean beef.) I liked the noodle texture which is firm and chewy. “Er Xi” is the thickest and likely chewiest noodle type, “Jo Ye” is flatter and softer. The classic soup tastes clean and mild. The braised beef soup has more flavour from the beef sauce. The chili and vinegar taste authentic too. Noodle amount is huge. Nobody in our group could finish the noodles both times we ate here. Please ask for less if you’re a small eater. Also tried the sour shredded potato and cold chicken in peanut sauce. Both were excellent. Peanut sauce was thick and savoury, potato was very tangy and crunchy. Restaurant is only 3 months old, head chef is from Dalian. Wish him success in the restaurant! I...