This is a new place in the plaza; it's in the space that used to be Iron Chef.
My understanding is that this is connected to an existing place in a NW Waterloo neighbourhood I don't go to much.
I asked, and they're serving food from Shanxi (or maybe Shaanxi; I guess they're next to each other); I'm sure I can't hear the difference between those words.
I had a bowl of cold steamed rice noodles with cucumber in a sauce that tasted of rice vinegar, sesame, soy, cilantro and scallion, and had a handful of roasted soybeans. It was also pretty spicy. And quite tasty. Cold noodles are refreshing.
I also had a crepe; they make them filled with egg, scallion, a salty brown sauce, and crunchy pieces of what is probably deep-fried crepe batter. (This is kind of like the postmodern pancakes at Shopsin's, in NYC.) This was less exciting; it vaguely reminded me of the taste and experience of eating takoyaki in Japan, but without the yummy pieces of octopus.
Still, this is a welcome place to add to the plaza: it's Chinese food that isn't from the standard menu that we always see. Seems quite busy, but today is the first day of Orientation, and so everyone's back on campus. There were very few people speaking English at the restaurant.
I had: A bowl of cold noodles and a Chinese crepe
I paid: $10, including tax and tip
Verdict:
Speed: Pretty good. They sat me at the bar (which made me somewhat wistful, because I remember the previous tenants), and brought me the noodles first, and then a few minutes later, the cook, who was right in front of me, finished making my crepe and handed it to me.
Quality: This was good food. There are other cold noodle dishes I like more (I think I prefer peanut sauces to this more vinegar-y sauce), but it was refreshing. The crepe was messy to eat, but I enjoyed it.
Value: I kind of wasn't sure if I needed more food than the bowl of noodles. They have lots of small things on the menu (congee, etc.), but I decided I'd get both the noodles and the crepe. That wasn't a cheap lunch, in the end, but I think it might have been okay with just one or the other.
Would go back: Yes. I just wonder if it'll get slammed once school starts in earnest next week.
Huh! I might have to check this one out! I wasn't a fan of Iron Chef, but this sounds interesting!
ReplyDeleteIt was pretty good. The noodles were more exciting than the crepe, but I'm glad to have tried it.
ReplyDeleteAh, I didn't realize it was a branch of that other place. We spend more time in that neighbourhood than you would (because of Hogtails!) but haven't eaten there. However, a student in our lab brings us food from there from time to time. I like the crepes. I guess I'll try the one in the plaza.
ReplyDeleteTangentially, I was wondering the other day whether there's a barbecue joint somewhere called "OMG WTF BBQ". Surely that must exist.
Actually, Hog Tails, and my massage therapist, are the two reasons I do go there. But I've found that the wait at the Lancaster Smokehouse is better, and it's closer to where I live.
ReplyDelete(Do I know you? I vaguely think your handle is familiar, but ...)
John Champaign and myself decided to follow your footsteps and try every place on plaza.
ReplyDeleteI loved the small menu in Waterloo SOGO, and the food was decent too.
(Yes, we'll post comments to your reviews with our reviews. :).
You could always go with me to places I've not yet been. Misery loves company, and all...
DeleteThat would be fun! Let us know when you're going to try a new place.
DeleteI'll try to do that. Typically, it seems I do this most often on Mondays and Thursdays.
DeleteSounds great. (How many places are left unvisited?)
DeleteOlga and I have decided to join your experiment and start making a circuit of plaza restaurants (with a focus on ones neither of us have eaten at before). We started with Waterloo SOGO.
ReplyDeleteGoing in, we didn't know what to expect (and have thought it might just be a re-branded Iron Chef, we quickly realized that it's Chinese, not Japanese food now).
Independently we settled on the Beef Noodle which was a big bowl of thick noodles in a tasty broth with large chunks of fatty beef. The waiter asked for our desired spiciness and I got it spicy. Olga found it an overwhelming amount of food and only ate part of the bowl (taking the rest to go). I was a pig and polished it off (and found it very filling).
With just the bowl of noodles, I paid $10 after tax + tip, which feels pricey for lunch (but seems to be becoming the norm at the plaza). The place was packed (just about every table was taken), but our order was taken quickly and our food arrived in good time as well.
I'd definitely go back.
I don't eat beef, but I'm glad to know that dish was tasty, too. And I agree about it being pricey: I really think that the cost of lunch in the plaza has roughly doubled in the past ten years, which corresponds to 7% inflation annually, which is just not what you see in most parts of the economy. Then again, there's no outsourcing.
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