Team FUCHSIA took a trip to Noodle Woodle. The real question though: are they really the most wanted noodles in town?
Dubbed as the most wanted noodles in K-town by the eatery themselves, most saw it when the YouTuber Momina Munir announced her noodle cart turning into an entire noodle place. The generous spread housed Ramen; all different varieties of flavoured noodles, appetizers in the form of special Korean fusion bites (even corndogs) and Dumplings! It’s one of the few ONLY noodle dedicated places in Karachi and don’t we all love it!
With its beginnings from a humble cart, the noodle place has popped up into 2 full-fledged locations in the city – Bahadurabad and DHA. The YouTuber says she wanted to build a place where friends can chill, play games, and enjoy food in a comfortable zone! The Korean domination has trickled down into our part of the world too and apart from the K-pop, K-dramas you see a massive representation of all things K creep into our food choices too and so it’s no surprise Gen Z and Millennials are noodle obsessed. Hence, after waiting for weeks, we finally got to try what Noodle Woodle is about and here is what we thought!
So before we begin, for context it’s a quaint place where the food is just right for your cravings and hunger pangs, JTBC, don’t expect luxury or real fancy food!
The Ambience
The owner’s wish did come true, because in terms of the ambiance it really is a place you can visit with friends and family to just chill and play games. The aesthetics are lowkey casual, with hand-painted walls adorned with unique art pieces that house elements like noodles and pandas. We were very excited to spot our friend Po from Kung Fu Panda on one of them! This charming interior also throws out super cool neon lighting in multiple places which makes it the perfect vibe for midnight ramen runs. The owners transformed the small corner space into a cozy hangout. It is important to note that the seating is limited because of its size, making the arrangement somewhat uncomfortable.
Service & Additional Things
As we were seated, we were provided with the menus immediately and also given recommendations, though the service lagged. The apparently quick order took quite some time considering only 3 tables were occupied but the many options available for games at the restaurant made up for the wait. These include UNO, Pictureka, Guess Who, and many more! You also get absolutely adorable word search game placements which we felt were totally reminiscent of our childhood. The staff was also very cooperative and receptive to our feedback which we appreciate.
Now let’s get to the mains – the food in question, or rather, noodles!
Thoughts On Our Order
We ordered the chicken dumplings, Korean fried chicken noodles, Alfredo noodles, and chicken lollipops. Here is how it all turned out:
Chicken Dumplings:
Tiny but yummy, the dumplings were definitely our favorite. They’re sweet and spicy, with the right amount of sesame seed seasoning and the kind of spice that hits you right in the throat. Definitely worth the price considering you get six dumplings for the price of Rs.450.The sauce was the best part, making the dumplings a strong start to our meal. We even ended up using the leftover dumpling sauce for everything else, so that says ALOT! Just the right amount of well done too.
Chicken Lollipops:
The chicken lollipops were underwhelming in taste but the presentation gets five stars from us. Totally Insta-worthy! The sauce was well distributed over the chicken in terms of proportion, which we appreciate but the flavor fell flat and the spice level felt like too many desi masalas mixed together. To our dismay, we discovered some chicken pieces weren’t cooked entirely through and showed a pink on the inside. While the sauce wasn’t as appealing as the dumplings, it was a good spice level for those who prefer it mild.
Korean Fried Noodles:
The first flavored noodles we tried were Korean fried Chicken noodles. They immediately took over our taste buds with a hit of flavorful herbs. The taste was more reminiscent of garlic butter noodles than Korean noodles but it was an interesting and unique flavor nonetheless. The dish served a generous helping of sesame seeds so beware if you’d rather have less, though we did like the crunch hit. Also the Korean fried chicken noodles were a medium spicy, quite tolerable. Would we have them again by choice? Not really but wouldn’t mind eating them if they are served up again.
Alfredo Noodles:
As for the alfredo noodles, we unfortunately found a strand of hair in (oops)! but they did replace it right away! Perhaps the quality and hygiene standards could be improved like, ASAP? The noodles were a little bland but the flavour profile was just like any other alfredo pasta. We mixed in noodles with the dumpling sauce and let us tell you, it was the perfect combo! Our flavour tip? Do mix in some of the dumpling sauce for a bit more of a kick and flavor. Also, the chili flakes over the top added a kick to the dish. If you aren’t a fan of spice, this choice is the one for you.
Our Verdict
So if you are a huuuge Ramen and Noodle fan, you should try out Noodle Woodle, but it would be best to not expect a life changing or revolutionary experience. Your best bet would be to go in for a quick bite when you get those noodle hunger pangs or just want to go for a fun meal with friends. To sum it up, the menu is a fancy version of instant noodles – quick and comforting food. Are Noodle Woodle the most wanted noodles in town? Not really but well on their way to be, perhaps, one day?
