Fellow Yelpers, I am glad to announce: I HAVE FINALLY DISCOVERED A HIDDEN GEM. A hole in the wall. You know, the kind of place you want to believe in so much, but have half given up on. The HOGWARTS OF FOOD (am I pushing it?).
Sure, you could ask my mom what she thinks of the place: small, freezing, dubious, terrible washroom, servers are slow, speak neither French nor English, why do we see in the kitchen, are you sure it's clean, this TV's too loud, & hell why is it so empty?
But clearly my mom is missing the point, so you better ask me.
THIS PLACE IS FANTASTIC. From what I have seen in four visits there, it is still pretty much unknown outside the Asian community (& even then... the restaurant is small, but never full). I was referencing Hogwarts at the beginning, & there is a reason for it: what happens in this kitchen can only be described as magic. I have had the crystal & the egg-tomato noodles twice so far, plus the cucumber salad, and they were all impeccable, every time. The chunks of cucumber were deliciously fresh & crunchy, while the dressing was slightly acid, salty, & very spicy. I rarely crave vegetables, but I would go out of my way for this salad.
As for the noodles... Oh, these thick, smooth noodles... I'm scared I'm developing a new obsession. Seriously. I had them again yesterday, as a reward after an exam, & then I dreamt about it last night. The crystal noodles are served cold, thus excellent in summer, but what you need with the arriving of fall is the egg-tomato bowl. Piping hot, a little bit oily, but not greasy, covered with a delicately sweet tomato sauce & pieces of scrambled eggs - the epitome of vegetarian comfort. It is true the interior could benefit from the advice of a designer, but the walls are painted a pretty, warm yellow, & quite frankly... Who cares? The noodles, folks. They're all that matters.