61 Normanby Road,
Mt Eden
Auckland,


(09) 630 6651

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If you're a listener to George FM, you will have come across a new celebrity in our city - Lee from Wok'N Noodle. To be honest, it took me a few times to understand exactly what he was saying on his ads, but in a short time his enthusiastic rants have won me over. With the backing of friends who have raved about the place, it was time to see if the excitement on the radio translated to the plate.

Wok N Noodle is in a great spot - tucked away in Mt Eden but right opposite the fantastic CAC and just down the road from Galbraiths, it's a perfect location that on first impressions raises this above a small fry noodle bar. This is a nicely styled if small restaurant that buzzes with energy and on the night we were there not exactly easy to get a table at. You'd also be recommended to ring in advance if you want takeout, as the wait can be longer than expected.

We got some money bags and chicken satay sticks to start. These were packed with flavour, the money bags in particular having a beautiful herby punch to accompany the minced prawn and crabstick within. The satay sticks were big and juicy, not overdone and chewy like so many elsewhere.

The mains were also great, the thick egg noodles in my Cashew Chicken smothered in a delicious sauce that also worked brilliantly with the chicken, baby corn, capsicum and mushroom. Our friend's Mee Goreng just disappeared, such was his enjoyment. No sharing at this table! The only slight misfire was the Wok'N Noodle Speciality dish - Thai rice noodle with prawn and calamari. This came with a chilli paste that actually was pretty tasteless, though the prawns were juicy and plentiful. I'd definitely recommend the thicker egg noodle over this.

Lee is awesome - you couldn't ask for a better front man for your restaurant. Always beaming and full of energy, you can see why he's developed a bit of a cult following. It did seem sometimes like the kitchen and front of house were careering off course but they always stayed on track. Perhaps the popularity of the place on a Friday night added to the longer-than-usual wait that we had for our meals, but what came out was so tasty that it was forgiven. Some people waiting were less accommodating, so this may be an area to improve on.

Wok N Noodle will now be a definite choice for us for good Asian food. It's a step above Renkon and Otto Woo in overall taste and that combined with its enthusiastic front man means that Wok'N Noodle is more than a little bit special. Just a tweak or two on timings will make this superb.

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