I really wasn't too interested in checking out Spicy Noodle when I first noticed the place back in September. The restaurant had been Sunny Noodle for what seemed to be a blink of an eye. I had thoughts that perhaps the place had just changed names and redirected the "ship" to another destination of sorts. But, while looking at some info on the place a few months back, I noticed that the place opened at 1030 am, which for me, not being too interested in crowds, seemed like a good time of the day. So, I decided to head on over to Mercury Village Shopping Center to check the place out.
It was a rainy day here in San Diego, so I thought it would be a perfect time to get some Niu Rou Mian.
The interior looks basically the same as when the shop was Sunny Noodle, except for the pictures of various dishes and the menu and ordering process is still QR code based. The woman working is quite friendly, at least to me.
I ordered my Beef Noodle Soup ($15). Soon enough it was delivered to my table.
This was a fairly straight-forward bowl. The broth had a decent beefiness, hints of five spice, and was not as spicy as it looked. The broth was not very rich either.
There were five "chunks" of beef in the bowl, the beef was mildly flavored, though it was more tender than it looked. It could have used more flavoring and been simmered longer.
The big difference between what I'd had at Sunny Noodle and Spicy Noodle was...well, the noodles. These were thicker, with a decent "spring" and pull to them if a bit on the doughy side. Much better than what I'd had at "Sunny".
This was fine, if not outstanding. Of course I needed to return, but wasn't quite sure what I would order. Then the Missus and I drove past and I pointed to the shop. The Missus told me the name in Chinese is "Chongqing Spicy Noodle", so perhaps I needed to try that on my next visit. Of course, the Missus wasn't going to join me for that visit!
The woman remembered me from my previous visit and seemed happy to see me. I decided to try an appetizer as well as the Chongqing Xiao Mian. I was tempted to order the cucumber or kou shui ji, but those are more like "summertime" dishes for me. I decided to try the Spicy Crispy Pork ($9).
Man, this as a mistake. The pork, which seemed like strips of super lean, pounded pork chop were really tough, almost hard and dry. The batter was on the chewy side as well. The strips were lightly seasoned and not particularly spicy. I ended up using the dried chilies and a big splash of chili oil to help me consume this. I had a ton of it left over.
I also got the Chongqing Spicy Noodle ($12) and added an egg ($2).
In retrospect, the egg was also a mistake, it was ice cold, the yolk severely overcooked and dry.
On the interesting end of things; I'm thinking that the pork sent some kind of telepathic message to this bowl of noodles as it was serious spicy! Not much in the "ma" (numbing) end of things, but definitely "la" (hot and spicy). Being that Chongqing Xiao Mian differs form the usual dan dan mian in having a broth, this got me sweating in no time. The woman working saw this and cracked up, bringing me an entire pitcher of H2O.
Not a fan of the ground pork mixture as it was mealy and kind of bland....in total contrast to the broth!
The noodles were the same as on the previous visit and did a great job of picking up the broth; to the detriment of my sweat glands!
Well, at this point I thought having two visits meant I'd get a post done. However, I noticed a dish ordered on the only other table occupied during my visit. It seemed like something I'd enjoy. So, a couple of weeks later I returned.
The Server, remembering my previous perspiration filled visit smiled and instantly brought me an entire pitcher of water! I guess I must now have a reputation, eh? I had actually brought a handkerchief this time and showed it to her which cracked her up.
On the previous visit, the bowl I had seen is called the Fat Intestine Noodle ($15), which is what I ordered.
I don't know if they went easy on me, but this wasn't particularly spicy...I mean, it did have some heat, I actually enjoyed the funk induced broth, which was lightly permeated with the flavor of the "fat intestine". The broth edged on the salty side but was by far my favorite of the three visits. I enjoyed the offal-ly, funky, earthy pork bung. Yes, it was a bit chewy, but in a pleasant way.
The noodles seemed a bit different on this visit.
Thinner a straighter, lacking in the nice broth lifting springiness that I enjoyed. It was cooked adequately, but I would prefer something with a bit more pull and heft. I'm hoping if I order this again, I'll have the other noodles.
Yes, I said order this again. I'll probably return when the weather turns warmer to get some of the liang cai and perhaps a bowl of bung noodles...... I think Spicy Noodle is a definite improvement over Sunny Noodle.
Spicy Noodle
8046 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 1030am - 230pm, 5pm - 9pm
glad this is better than what was here before
Posted by: kat | Tuesday, 19 March 2024 at 06:46 PM
Yes, it's much better than the former business Kat!
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 20 March 2024 at 04:54 PM