Zanyu Asian Noodles — Restaurant in Raleigh

My wife and I enjoyed a late lunch at Zanyu Asian Noodles for the first time. We placed our order at the front counter for two bowls of Won Ton Noodle Soup with pork and extra noodles and waited about 10 minutes to be served. It was the best noodle soup we have had in Raleigh anywhere and in fact the best we have had in our 30 years of US and international travel. How was that possible? Turns out the owner and chef is an experienced former hotel executive and restaurant owner, Michael, who actually moved here from Asia and brought his family and secret recipes for homemade noodles, homemade roasted pork, fresh vegetables and spices to Raleigh. He is American and originally from New Jersey! Italian at that.

So what was so good and different to make this dining experience special? To start with the chicken broth had just the right spice and seasoning to appreciate all by itself. Then the sliced roast pork was top quality, tasty, plentiful, and tender and would by itself be an outstanding dish.

Equally special were the 3 or so handmade pork filled dumplings that took 3 bites each to devour. Just the right texture, flavor and seasonings. I love fresh vegetables and the generous portion of bok choy was bright green, delicious, perfectly cooked and flavorful just by itself.

The extra noodles we ordered for a small upcharge was worth it because it prolonged the dining experience and satisfied both our lunch and dinner cravings in one meal. Extra noodles are not really needed unless you are like us who love pasta or like leftovers.

The owner graciously came out to our table and asked how we liked our meals. We chatted for a while as he shared his passion for creating superior recipes and sharing them with customers like us. There was steady takeout activity which reflected the fact that the environment is more like a cozy small diner with just a few tables with a pleasant window view of outside LaFayette Village grounds. This is a great community shopping area with Parisian architecture and dozens of small shops and restaurants to explore.

Background barely noticable quiet mixed pop and oldies eclectic music provide some ambience different from many asian restaurants which play oriental background music.

Prices were a couple of dollars more than some other local generic noodle places, but the quantity and quality here was well worth the price. Because it is a counter order and sit down place you save 15-20% in overall meal cost over traditional sit down asian restaurants where tips are expected.

Overall, I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who has discriminating taste in food, specifically asian noodle dishes, and wants to support a local entrepreneur who has quality of food and life as his main ingredient. Tell Michael you read this review and came to experience his special food...

AMAZING!!!! And SUPER YUMMY!!! I came here yesterday referred by a friend of mine. My date and I were amazed by how good it was! The Shrimp tempura was crispy on outside yet nice and fluffy inside. It came with a side sauce of spicy sweet sauce that was a great compliment. We then got the pork buns! MOUTH WATERING! I tried pork buns before but these blown me away! No fat with savory sweet sauce inside and has shredded pork with cucumber salad. VERY MUCH RECOMMENDED!! Then we got our bowls.

-Khao Soi noodle soup was very savory and comfy in the sense of having it be categorized as comfort dish. Very nice I loved it and the broth was creamy (giving the comfort sense) and yet savory from the sense of the fried shallots.

-Curry Laksa noodle soup was in a similar broth to Khao Soi but it had a kit to it still would very much order it again! Loved it very much!

-Spicy Miso ramen very much was spicy it was in the form that I had to take a bit of break from eating spicy ramen (yet again I am weak when it comes to spicy food but still try to build my tolerance) I would try it whenever I feel for the challenge.

In all I would come back to Zanyu and try again its all fresh and made with love! The employees working are very kind and outgoing! I personally think the patio and dine in is small but its in a rented location (you kinda got work with what you have). The place is located in a very unique trail of restaurant and cafes that I have yet to try! I very much like the location and thank my friend over and over for giving me the chance to check this place out with my date!

All in all would...

Obnoxious Khao Soi review!

I am very thankful that I have found a couple restaurants in Raleigh who serve my favorite meal: Khao Soi.

For that alone I am very grateful for Zanyu for putting for it on the menu. If it tasted even close, my wife and I would have been totally pumped. Unfortunately, it totally fell short. I don't write many critical reviews like this so hear me out...

The broth really lacked an honest curry flavor. Hardly tasted like curry. And secondly and I know this sounds picky but if you've been to Thailand you know how the red onions are like one of the most signature aspects of this dish... There were no red onions... So it hardly tasted like Khao Soi unfortunately :( I did like the noodles though!!

The atmosphere was decent and the service was okay.. I just noticed so many people ordering the Khao Soi and it's unfortunate because people don't know what they are even missing unfortunately and I call BS on all of the reviews saying this was authentic and down to a tee Khao Soi. All it needs is the red onions and to redo the curry soup taste and this could be dope!

For any other Khao Soi snobs out there I recommend Baan Thai down in Apex. It's the closest thing so far! Of course with an American twist but it was close enough that it gave us all the feels like we were back teaching English in...