| rev:text
| - Overall Impression:
An "okay" noodle-ry for a quick lunch in Market Square that offers nothing to write home about--basically the Subway of Pasta. You're excited about it because you haven't had it in awhile, then you're sad after you eat it.
The Food:
This food just doesn't do it for me. It doesn't hit my Italian cravings or my Thai cravings. It always falls extremely short of my expectations, mainly because they label themselves as niche-style noodle place. When a restaurant wants to be known for something very specific I generally think it will be above average--but I was wrong. Even though their dishes LOOK good, they are generally bland and lack any depth of flavor even though they market them as very diverse flavors (Asian, Italian, southern, etc.). My usual go-to here is the small-portion Pad Thai + protein (I picked sautéed shrimp). The rice noodles stuck together and were lacking sauce. The dish was mostly noodle with little toppings-- the scrambled eggs, cabbages, Asian sprouts, and green onions were all scarce. I had 4 pieces of *sautéed* shrimp that didn't taste sautéed at all, they were very chewy and dry. The Thai Chicken Soup saved the day flavor-wise (coconut curry is hard to mess up) but was missing something very important--the chicken. I scooped my spoon through it and didn't find one hint of protein, just the lemongrass, online, cabbage, and carrots, and pepper. They must have ladled it from the top. Besides the obvious lack of quality in the food, the team there has extreme difficultly adhering to special dietary needs. You'll see this backed up in other reviews here and I've seen personally where they just miss the bar. You'll clearly omit something in an order and because they're moving so quickly they stop paying attention to the little add-ons. My coworker doesn't eat meat or dairy and they've wrecked her order every time we've gone--so it's definitely not the place if you need a special version of something. They just get into this mode where they stop reading the tickets the entire way.
The Restaurant:
I went to college downtown, and I've visited this place at least 10 times within that timeframe. I remember their menu being more robust and diverse; since then they have tapered down on the amount of noodle options and other dishes. I specifically remember a spicy chicken caesar wrap that's no longer available, and I thought that was better than the majority of their noodle dishes. The best thing about this location is there dedication to quick service. I placed an order online from my office and could pick it up 8 minutes later. I arrived at the location, walked into the dining room, and they had all mobile orders waiting on a shelf with your tag and ticket. You literally have to speak to no one--you just walk in, grab your bag (and check it because of how often they screw up), and go! It's one of the most hassle-free online pickups I've done down here next to Moe's Southwest Grill. Even though they have an iffy reputation, the place is usually packed, and the tables frequently in need of cleaning, which doesn't happen as often as it should. I would highly recommend the online order to take back to the office instead, as it's much quicker. The staff is neither unfriendly or friendly, just hyper-focused on filling bag after bag. I did have all of my eating utensils and napkins, but still check your bag before you leave.
TL;DR:
This place is great if you're in a pinch because of their fast service, but I honestly don't know why I keep going here expecting something different or better with their food, because I end my meal disappointed every. single. time. There's better fish in the sea of Market Square.
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