Banh Hoi Tom Thit Nuong
Item Purchased: Banh Hoi Tom Thit Nuong
Location Purchased: The House of Noodle / 1063-1065 W. Argyle / Chicago, IL
Price: $8.95 + tax
Review: Very few of the items on The House of Noodle's menu had an English translation in the title. Instead, someone like myself who reads only a bit of German and a lot of Americanese has to read the descriptions of each dish to get an idea of what they are getting into. Not wanting to ingest more cow tonight, I chose this dish which consists of lemongrass pork and grilled shrimp served atop a bed of knitted vermicelli noodles. Also on the plate is a heaping hill of mint leaves, bean sprouts, carrot strips, onions, peanuts (yum!) and lettuce. I must not have read the entire description because the first thing the food runner brought to our table was a large bowl of hot water and a plate of dried rice papers. Essentially, what I ordered was a do-it-yourself spring roll kit. I have never made spring rolls before, so I needed a bit of guidance from my friends on how exactly to go about the process. What ensued was a joyous dinner hour of dipping the rice papers in water, dipping my fingers in the various foodstuffs on my plate and wrapping them up like finger-food burritos. Being a fan of interactivity, the process of constructing my dinner as I ate thrilled me to no end. The House of Noodle also stocks each table with three different chili sauces and several other condiments with which to garnish your meal. It was like eating 10-15 different pork-and-shrimp-based appetizers for dinner. Some were tangy and spicy, others were mild and luscious. Some had chewy noodles inside, while others only resonated the crunch of sprouts and peanut. The pork was delicate, tender and sublimely marinated and the shrimp were just the right size for the rice papers given to me. We all tried our hand at rolling a spring roll or two, but the prize has to go to Michaelia, who mastered the art on her first try. I felt bad because she made such a beautiful presentation of my food, but couldn't try it herself due to her being a vegetarian. She still had fun with the construction... and didn't even seem to mind too much that she was touching the flesh of dead animals in the process. Something tells me that her talents were simply an extension of her recently learned skill of rolling cigarettes. We spoke fleetingly about the prospect of opening her own restaurant where her primary task was to prepare spring rolls for people. Maybe if we sold tobacco, she could to both. Spring rolls and cigarettes! I'm not sure that combination has been attempted before!
Much like the restaurants in Chicago's Chinatown, The House of Noodle doesn't spend a lot of time on their cosmetic atmosphere. Simple tables and chairs, spaced comfortably, a small bar and simply uniformed servers. In my opinion, this is a good way to tell a quality ethnic restaurant from the places established simply to take tourists' money. The House of Noodle is one of the former. I will return soon and keep it on my short list of places to bring friends who visit me from out of town.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
Location Purchased: The House of Noodle / 1063-1065 W. Argyle / Chicago, IL
Price: $8.95 + tax
Review: Very few of the items on The House of Noodle's menu had an English translation in the title. Instead, someone like myself who reads only a bit of German and a lot of Americanese has to read the descriptions of each dish to get an idea of what they are getting into. Not wanting to ingest more cow tonight, I chose this dish which consists of lemongrass pork and grilled shrimp served atop a bed of knitted vermicelli noodles. Also on the plate is a heaping hill of mint leaves, bean sprouts, carrot strips, onions, peanuts (yum!) and lettuce. I must not have read the entire description because the first thing the food runner brought to our table was a large bowl of hot water and a plate of dried rice papers. Essentially, what I ordered was a do-it-yourself spring roll kit. I have never made spring rolls before, so I needed a bit of guidance from my friends on how exactly to go about the process. What ensued was a joyous dinner hour of dipping the rice papers in water, dipping my fingers in the various foodstuffs on my plate and wrapping them up like finger-food burritos. Being a fan of interactivity, the process of constructing my dinner as I ate thrilled me to no end. The House of Noodle also stocks each table with three different chili sauces and several other condiments with which to garnish your meal. It was like eating 10-15 different pork-and-shrimp-based appetizers for dinner. Some were tangy and spicy, others were mild and luscious. Some had chewy noodles inside, while others only resonated the crunch of sprouts and peanut. The pork was delicate, tender and sublimely marinated and the shrimp were just the right size for the rice papers given to me. We all tried our hand at rolling a spring roll or two, but the prize has to go to Michaelia, who mastered the art on her first try. I felt bad because she made such a beautiful presentation of my food, but couldn't try it herself due to her being a vegetarian. She still had fun with the construction... and didn't even seem to mind too much that she was touching the flesh of dead animals in the process. Something tells me that her talents were simply an extension of her recently learned skill of rolling cigarettes. We spoke fleetingly about the prospect of opening her own restaurant where her primary task was to prepare spring rolls for people. Maybe if we sold tobacco, she could to both. Spring rolls and cigarettes! I'm not sure that combination has been attempted before!
Much like the restaurants in Chicago's Chinatown, The House of Noodle doesn't spend a lot of time on their cosmetic atmosphere. Simple tables and chairs, spaced comfortably, a small bar and simply uniformed servers. In my opinion, this is a good way to tell a quality ethnic restaurant from the places established simply to take tourists' money. The House of Noodle is one of the former. I will return soon and keep it on my short list of places to bring friends who visit me from out of town.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
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