ottawa foodies

We wanted to try the Merivale location the other night, but had to leave unsatisfied. I couldn't fit my legs under the table. All of the tables are built for tiny people. People who have abnormally small legs. The apron on the table sides is intricately carved, but is about 6 inches deep where 4 would have been sufficient.

I wasn't going to sit 2 feet back from the table and slurp noodles. That way lies madness and a very messy kilt.

The location in the market has the same tables.
[insert sad emoji]

Yes, the Clyde Avenue location has "build your own" noodle soup combos with no handmade noodles available. Combo pictured had spicy broth, ramen noodles, beef brisket, beef tripe, and choy sum. There was way too much chili oil for my taste (and I like spicy food), and the brisket and tripe was of poor quality.

PSA: Clyde location doesn't have the hand-pulled noodles. They do have a soup menu where you pick your broth, noodle (udon was one option, can't remember the others) and three toppings for ~$11, and then some assorted rice and bbq dishes.

A new location of La Noodle is set to open where Chen's Dessert House was, on Clyde. Not open yet but hopefully soon!

Had a lovely meal with friends on Friday night. Friendly service, lots of water topups, and awesome food!

Here's what we had, clockwise from top left in the pic:

* A1. XiYu Chicken Plate ($17) - Super flavourful Szechuan peppercorn sauce with succulent wide noodles, chicken, and potato.
* C11 - Lamb Skewer ($5.95) - 3 per order. Tender morsels of cumin grilled lamb.
* C8 - Chinese Scallion Pancake ($4.95) - The thick pastry wasn't thrilling on its own but became wonderful when dipped in the sauce from A1.
* J12 - DanDan Noodle (Large - $10.95) - Rich and lovely, this combination of chewy noodles, ground pork, and spicy peanut sauce is satisfying and yummy.
* E14 - Stir-Fried Chinese Kale w Sliced Beef ($13) - Soft slabs of beef and lots of gai lan in a flavourful sauce.
* E19 - Deep Fried Squid w Pepper Salt ($12) - Addictive and surprisingly tender scrolls of scored squid.

What a great meal! It's wonderful to have a good Chinese restaurant in the West end of Ottawa and we can't wait to go back and explore more.

I ate at their Kanata location (it is where Thai Fusion used to be). It was my first time trying it and I really enjoyed the spicy pork with hand pulled noodles. They offer a selection of thick or thin noodles and many ingredient options. The server gave me some great advice. I will be back.

Has anyone tried the Kanata location? This sounds awesome but I don't get downtown often.

Every time I walk by, even in the dead of winter, the odours from La Noodle are so amazing from outside!
After reading these reviews I'll be stopping in often!

Stopped into La Noodle for lunch in November 2016. The place was busy, with a line-up. Given the Chinese origins, and management, we were able to share a table with another willing patron. The soup was hot and steamy, if not the most flavourful, and the noodle quality was good. You do not hit noodle nirvana here, but you still get something different, and satisfying, especially on a cold day. Overall, this place reminds me of the random noodle shops one can find in China (including Mandarin speaking staff), and is a welcome addition to the Ottawa food scene.

I saw the restaurant on a visit to LCBO last weekend and made it there during the week after a meeting near there.

I had an early dinner but it was close to 9pm so was a tad peckish. Look over the menu and wanted something not heavy so opted for the traditional beef noodle and a medium wide noodle.

Tasty broth but I think I preferred braised beef than this thinly sliced beef. A medium was $10+HST and the portion was good and was a nice meal but would choose braised beef or maybe lamb next time.

They are cash only and if it is a young girl behind the cash, do check your change. For a $11.30 bill and $20 cash, I only got a handful of quarters. They ran out of loonies and toonies and I was okay with quarters as part of the change but apparently the girl cannot do math since she missed the $5 bill.

When I mentioned it to the server and he brought it back to the cashier, she brought out the calculator to try to figure things out. uhmm if you cannot do maths easily, maybe cashier is not the best job fit.. The server apologized several times when I was given the missing $5 while the girl still looked puzzled at the calculator :(

Dan Dan Noodle (Medium, $10) with triangle noodles at the ByWard Market location... so satisfying and delicious! There are few lunches that bring as much joy as this.

I enjoyed these delicious noodles at the Byward Market location. The medium serving cost $11.25 after taxes and was the perfect lunch-sized portion for an average sized lad like myself. You can buy fresh Chinese wheat noodles via retail in this city, but they just don't compare to what La Noodle makes fresh in-house. The decor is nice and the service was kind during my meal.

These hearty hand-pulled noodles in a wonderful peanut-chili-pork sauce were spectacular! The wheat noodles here are the best in town -- toothsome and satisfying. The spice level of this dish was perfect for me and there is chili in oil at the table for those who prefer even more heat. 👌

I hate you Warby.

*dumps salad in trash, goes in search of noodles*

The noodles here are the best and chewiest available in Ottawa. Just had to refresh this category with my latest pic! :-)

Figured it was time for some more noodle porn! During this visit, we overheard a customer loudly and angrily complaining to the server that this was the worst meal he's ever had and that the noodles were all chewy and stuck together. It sounded like he might have been expecting more of an Italian pasta experience... :(

These are not Italian noodles. They are lusciously chewy and carbelicious strands of boiled dough. They have about as much in common with Italian noodles as shaomai dumplings have with ravioli. Neither is really better or worse in any objective sense, they are just different. ❤️

The large handmade noodles in soup with beef and pickled cabbage made for a wonderfully chewy and savoury lunch on a bitterly cold day!

I chose the second widest noodle (out of seven!) and found them a little tricky to pick up but a real treat once I was able to manoeuvre them into my oral cavity.

So awesome!

Noodles ready for their bath..

It is fun watching the guy hand stretch the noodles and he is really fast. Had trouble getting a decent action shot..

I like the savory, sour, spicy flavor of the soup. The noodles are handmade and you can see the guy spinning and stretching them. It's hard work.

You have options for various thicknesses of noodles.

They just opened and were cash only when I went, and I'm not sure the girl added my bill correctly, but my total was under $20 with tip for a large soup.

Different than Pho. More savory and intense flavors.

New food options for Ottawa.