"The Noodee Box, is a brand new concept by Lam's Culinary, featuring Springy Dry Ramen Noodles packed in cute American-style takeaway boxes for easy carry outs. Have your noodles wherever you like, whenever you want!"
If you've been to Marina Square in the recent past you would probably have noticed the newly opened 'The Gallerie", located on the fourth floor. Even if you haven't you might want to do so soon especially since it's situated so close to the 2011 Formula 1 Night Race Singapore Grand Prix, and trust me the atmosphere there is mind-blowing.
An exciting new concept store that The Gallerie boasts is The Noodee Shop - and the (food) critics have been quick to lap it up. I think I pretty much smell the latest food craze in Singapore. Don't believe me? Well here's my receipt. And here and here and here and here and here. There are many more online and I'm sure after this post gets posted there'll be more to come but you get my point. It's a hit!
Since so many people have done in-detail reviews of the food available at The Noodee Shop, I won't be going down that path, especially since I'm not even a food critic to begin with. Let's spare ourselves the cringing from reading my failed attempt at being a food critic, shall we? I just know what's good and what's not. As long as what I put in my mouth is good, I'm good. Leave the fanciful technical terms to experts, I'm just here to share some good stuff.
Basically the first thing that caught my eye was the American-style takeaway boxes that the noodles are packed in. YES. Oh yes. Being an Asian, I've always wondered when watching the characters of American television shows who eat Chinese takeouts (appropriate termed 'The Chinese') what it would be like to actually eat what I usually eat, but from a box. Brooke Davis from One Tree Hill made it look cool. I wanted to be cool. And The Noodee Shop answered my prayers. I can finally be a cool kid. Call me superficial, but you just cannot deny that a pair of chopsticks and a paper box is cool. At least to this Asian it is.
It's ready for its close up.
I also love their branding - the little people that serve as their mascots are awesome. Butt-kicking little Asian people? Count me in. They even have their own comic strip. Awesomeness, double up! If I'm not wrong, each character is tied to a flavour of noodles.
Weapon of Choice: Chopsticks
Noodee Legend - Black
Noodee Chaisiu - Blue
Noodee Duck - Red
Noodee Emperor - Yellow
We're so cool we get our own comic strip. (Click to enlarge)
So awesome I just can't.
Just look at that! I need to be part of this family. Is there room for one more?
Famous people who have graced their outlets include Fann Wong, Nancy Sit, Wu Meng Da, Rui En, Sharon Au, Edmund Chen, Fiona Xie, Christopher Lee, and Asian megastar Jay Chou. Even our current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong patronized them. (Proof) I was there with Dan and Van (ah, they rhyme!) and they really liked their food as well so that's two more testimonials you can add to satisfy your need for justification.
Slightly blurry but you and I both will deal.
Hungry yet?
Just in case the previous picture didn't make you salivate. This should do the trick.
For all you salmon peel lovers. My friend Cat says this was really good.
That Green Drink. No seriously, that's its actual name.
For all you health junkies (half of you are in denial by the way), there's a great new way to detox - That Green Drink. That's right. What you see is what you get. The Noodee Shop says that it is an all natural drink that blends fresh fruits and vegetables.
Here's the thing. I'm a taste-over-nutritional-value kind of person, so as long as I hear any drink with "vegetable", I'm staying away from it. Keep that thing away from me. And then lock it up. Or lock me up, as long as it stays away from me. But after hearing so many people praising the drink I decided to take a sip and lo and behold That Green Drink actually tastes pretty good! I tasted more fruit than vegetable even though the drink was deserving of its name. I was also convinced that the "secret ingredient" that The Noodee Shop says is part of the recipe is in fact a few drops of pure magic; if you could make vegetable drinks taste good, you deserve a prize.
Full menu. (Click to enlarge)
The current promotion they're having.
Here's the answer to our never-ending search for good food at low prices.
A cosy and cool place to hang out.
So that's about it. If you're looking for a new place to try out that is fuss-free and highly affordable, and yet serves food that tastes great, give The Noodee Shop a shot. It's value for money and I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed.
6 Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square, #04-102C
+6563360848
Mon - Sun: 11:00 - 21:00
enquiries@lamskitchen.com
Lam's Singapore Culinary Enterprise Pte Ltd
Make sure you visit (and 'like') their Facebook page here!
Once you do so, check-in to their location to enjoy another 10% off your total bill!
If you were dissatisfied by the above 'review' by yours truly, then here's my saving grace - by blatantly ripping off the real deal. The following is an article on The Noodee Shop by Chen Jingwen via SoShiok:
In the Nineties, Mr John Yap Eng Lam created culinary waves in the food scene by adding slices of abalone to his humble prawn noodles and including premium Mexican abalones, lobster, shark's fins and bird's nest in his menu repertoire at a Race Course Road coffeeshop. His Ah Lam Abalone noodles with delicious soup presented in a mini wok became famous quickly and he expanded his business through franchise. He also opened outlets in Hainan, China and also developed a Chinese restaurant concept for his more upmarket restaurant-standard creations. Today he has at least eight outlets brandishing the reputable name of Ah Lam's. Inspired by the gastronomic daring and 40-year success of his father, son Vincent has launched The Noodee Box, a modern noodle cafe to cater to a new generation whose tastebuds are more cosmopolitan. While Vincent's noodles were not the same as his dad's, he showed the same flair for innovation that made John stand out from other noodle sellers.
Basically modern Chinese and Singaporean in terms of taste, the noodles and their co-starring ingredients were influenced by Taiwanese, Japanese and Western cooking methods and flavourings. Instead of the traditional Mee Pok and Mee Kia noodles, The Noodee Box's version was custom-made to taste close to Japanese Ramen which has been enjoying rising popularity here. Other Japanese-influenced items were the Char Siew, similar to the round thick ones served in Ramen, and the creamy pork-bone Tonkotsu soup which also flavoured his marinated Char Siew for three hours.Vincent even made a roux French style to create a creamy sauce as a flavouring for the tossed noodles. He also blended a few western vinegars to add a hint of sharpness instead of using his father's traditional Chinese vinegars.
The other flavourings included Kikkoman soy sauce, fish sauce and his father's hot sambal belachan. The traditional minced meat was a traditional touch too. But lard, not favoured by the young, was left out. If these mish mash items sound too experimental together, fret not. The fusion actually worked. And almost magically too. The blend of seasonings was expertly judicious and balanced. There was no heaviness of cream sauce or blatant sharpness of vinegar. The subtle nuances of ingredients all added up to one common factor: a local modern Chinese taste.
The recipes had obviously passed lab tests before Vincent's small collection of noodles dishes were rolled out at The Noodee Box. The delectable noodles were served in convenient take-out boxes, hence the shop's name. And Vincent called his creations Noodees, not noodles.Whether you think the idea is cutesy or bizarre, you can't fault his sincere attempts to give his food a distinctive branding to woo a generation who embraces uniqueness and creative twists that dominate their lifestyle pursuits. Even the names of several dishes were given a bent too. Also on the menu were interesting bites, from crispy chicken skins and salmon skins to a carrot cake stuffed with otah.
Tasting notes:
Noodee Legend, $5: This is Vincent's original dry ramen. It has a piece of fishcake, a piece of char siew and a Taiwan sausage. The latter should appeal to a kid more.
Noodee Chaisiu, $6.80: This has char siew slices (in place of the sausage), half an egg done ramen style as well as a piece of fishcake. The marinated char siew was decently done, cooked till tender in pork-bone broth, and not salty. I would prefer the yolk in the egg to be slightly runny and not overcooked.
Noodee Duck, $6.80: The hickory smoked duck tasted like it was from a commercial source but it was seared to enhance the flavour.
Noodee Emperor, $11.80: The noodles were also topped with a French-style abalone sauce to boost the shellfish taste. It also had a prawn, a scallop on shell and two slices of an abalone-like shellfish. There was also half an egg and a piece of Taiwan sausage.
Tonkotsu Fruit Soup, $2: Do order the lightly creamy pork-based soup to accompany the 'dry' noodles. There's hint of sweet fruit in it. Try guessing which one. We are not going to give away his trade secret.
Carro-tah Cake, $5.50: This fried carrot cake (picture above) had chunks of spicy fish otah in it. Surprisingly a good combination. A must-try. More flavourful than most carrot cakes because of the partnership with the rich fish paste.
The other small bites were less interesting though delicious, like the fried chicken and fried salmon skins. The cold marinated appetiser of Japanese squid tentacles was what you would find in an izakaya, like the smoked duck and char siew. A good thirst quencher and detox drink should surely be That Green Drink ($3.80), a concoction with fruit and caixin green and salted plum powder.
This old zesty-sweet-salty concoction of Ah Lam's is still popular at their eateries.
Alright, if you still aren't satisfied with that review then you sure have really high standards and must read the encyclopedia as a hobby. So we've come to the end of this little (who am I kidding, I know it's long) review of mine, and here's a picture that basically summarizes everything I've said.
Obviously more interested in eating the food than taking a picture. Thanks Dan.
Long story short, The Noodee Box is good stuff. Just look at the picture above. There you go. Priceless.
