Come in out of the cold! Photo: Kazuri Photography.
Opposite the Canberra Centre, Warming Rice Noodle beckons all cold and hungry passers-by to come in and wrap their chilled fingers around a steaming bowl of noodles in a fragrant broth. Beautiful noodle dishes from the Northern part of China, a region renowned for comforting noodle dishes served up with a fiery splash of spice.
The noodle restaurant opened its Canberra store in December last year.
Owner Icey says, “Warming Rice Noodle is a famous chain brand in China, with over 3000 stores in China. That’s why, when we came to Canberra, the Chinese community was very excited.”
The noodles are gluten-free and absolutely scrumptious. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
Warming Rice Noodle’s interior is bright and modern. We slide into our seats and check out the menu. Noodle bowls with exotic ingredients like river snails, pickled fish and pork intestines vie for our attention among the comforting and spicy options you might expect – dishes like hot and sour noodles and combination bowls.
We are on the brink of ordering the river snails noodle bowl when Icey cautions us with a disclaimer. She says that while the river snails taste delicious, they exude a strong smell that may take a bit of getting used to. We chicken out and go the vanilla route, selecting combination bowls of marinated beef and pork mince, with lamb skewers and a marinated egg as starters.
The main dishes! Photo: Kazuri Photography
Icey says that regulars most enjoy the hot and sour sweet potato noodles, the chicken noodle soup and marinated beef noodles. The tomato beef brisket also rates highly with the Canberra crowd.
“I like the marinated beef noodles best because when we marinate the beef, we use a lot of traditional Chinese spices that add the perfect flavour. We offer vegan options, and all our dishes can be made without the spice heat. We also have a range of take-home meals. Everything is packaged separately, and you can finish the dish at home with instructions. Customers enjoy the same quality at home this way.”
The tasty, spiced lamb skewers have a crisp exterior yet are tender inside. The marinated egg is warm and salty.
Our bowls of noodles arrive, and the heartiness of the servings surprise us. Fragrant wafts of steam billow up into our nostrils. Large servings, comforting and aromatic, packed with rice noodles, shallots and coriander. Mine is a combo bowl of marinated beef and minced pork in a delicate broth.
The long slurpy rice noodles have absorbed the broth’s umami elements. My favourite part is the abundance of spices and fresh coriander on top of our bowls that we stir in to infuse each mouthful with flavour.
We really enjoy the packs of at-home pork noodles that we leave with. The clear instructions help us recreate the same deliciousness the following evening. The pack’s aromatic sachet is exceptionally tasty and the broth even more exquisite than I remember it being the day before. Ask about the take-home noodle options. I highly recommend them. You can also buy Warming Rice Noodles’ signature green chilli sauce!
The tasty, spiced lamb skewers have a crisp exterior yet are tender inside. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
Warming Rice Noodles is located at G04/65 Cooyong St, in the city. It is open seven days from 11 am to 8:30 pm. Order in on Uber Eats. Follow Warming Rice Noodles on Facebook and Instagram.
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