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| - It has been a while since I've walked around downtown Cleveland and wow, has it changed. Lots of trendy restaurants, bars, and clubs have opened up or are being planned. I really do hope that the trend continues. Having said that, I really wanted to LOVE Noodlecat and give it 5 stars as I hope this restaurant and all these newer places thrive and help rejuvenate the downtown area.
But my first visit to Noodlecat for an off-Friday lunch was a bit of a let-down. The food was good, and according to Yelp, three stars = "A-OK" and the meal was just that. It did not blow me away. I had the Lunch Complete (see the photo) which cost $17 and includes any noodle bowl, a side salad, a rice ball, some pickled veggies, grilled pepper (not shown) and a tiny chocolate/orange covered pudding-like dessert. For my noodle, I picked the Pork Miso Ramen. The actual ramen noodles were ok, but the broth which is so important in such noodle soups was on the salty side to me and wasn't particularly savory. I just ate the noodles and wasn't tempted to spoon up and slurp the broth. For the price, a bit more shredded pork would have been appreciated. None of the accompaniments really stood out other than the miniature dessert which was very tasty.
I'm willing to go again at some point just to try a few other menu items or possibly as part of an evening downtown enjoying other area attractions. But if I'm in the mood for a great noodle soup, I would probably choose an authentic Chinese or Vietnamese place which also avoids having to deal with downtown parking. Best of luck to the Chef and Noodlecat -- I'll update this review if I go again and if my opinion changes after meal #2.
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