I met a friend there after work and sat down at the communal tables where your menu is rolled up in a vase. The interior is minimalistic with wood furnishing and a large mirror at the back giving the illusion the restaurant is bigger than it is. The holistic, natural look goes with the theme of taking a health-minded approach and omitting MSG. Apparently, there is free wifi considering the number of diners with their laptops out.
I ordered the spicy beef noodle soup with 1.5mm hand-pulled noodles (you can also choose hand-sliced noodles or 5mm hand-pulled noodles) and got some tofu to share. The tofu was quite nice in texture and absorbed the flavor of the sauce it was marinated in.
Out came the noodles. It looked good. There were nice hunks of beef in there. It looked like it should be really good.
It wasn’t. The flavor of the broth was flat, tasting more watered down than anything. Maybe this impression was due to all the MSG-laden food you get in Shanghai. But it did not help that the flavor of the broth was lacking in any body or richness you would expect out of a Taiwanese soup. Where was the flavor? This seeped into the characteristics of the noodles and vegetables, which were also flavorless. I ordered the spicy soup and it did not taste spicy in the least. The only item in my bowl that carried any weight was the few, but tasty pieces of meat.
Was it a bad soup day? Did the stock not marinate enough? Is my Chinese palate becoming more MSG-dependent? Either way, the meal was completely disappointing aside from the tofu and the few pieces of beef. Someone convince me again why Noodle Bull is so good.
Noodle Bull. 1f3b, No.291 Fumin Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China. 上海市徐匯區富民路291號悟錦世紀大樓1F3B
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