Meet up at Meet Noodle for an unforgettable meal

• Name + address: Meet Noodle, 160 Metcalfe St.

• Type of food: Northern Chinese

• Prices: $5-$18

• Diet: Meat, modest selection of vegetarian

• Wheelchair accessibility:No

• LCBO Licensed: Yes

• Website: https://meetnoodleottawa.com

If you were to just hear the name, it might produce some confusion. This is, however a great choice for terrific northern Chinese wheat noodle dishes.

During the pandemic Ottawa lost some very good northern Chinese eateries but a resurgence has been brewing and Meet Noodle is the latest incarnation. Ottawans are clearly keen for these flavours and when the food is this good, it deserves an audience.

I started with appetizers of spring rolls and egg rolls. Both rolls had a proper ratio of filling to wrapper and were nicely seasoned. The egg rolls were packed with greater flavour and a larger amount of meat and I did prefer them although they were less photogenic. The accompanying plum sauce was complex and a nice reprieve from the usual commercial packets.

The next dish, a humble cold noodle salad, was like rolling thunder on a sunny day. Out of nowhere my taste buds were challenged to make sense out of something so seemingly simple.

Owner Dan explained to me that it takes her team almost eight hours to produce these noodles and the gluten cubes that substitute for meat.

These thicker cut noodles carried an eye-opening sauce of fire and flavour all courtesy of an abundance of garlic paste and a foundation of sesame paste. The shredded cucumber and carrot provided both colour and a cooling contrast.

The noodles had an appealing chewiness with the occasional gluten bite bursting with sauce adding more garlic burn to each mouthful. This dish, shall we say, lingered many hours after lunch, so take note if you have a public event later the same day.

According to the menu, these noodles are gluten free and you can choose to leave the cubed gluten out of the dish. Because it’s so labour intensive and it’s made fresh every day, there is a limited supply and it sells out quickly. No surprise at all. It’s one of Ottawa’s stand-out noodle meals.

Dining here on one of the hottest days of the year, I naturally ordered a vegetarian noodle soup.

You’re given the option of five different noodles that vary in shape and thickness and the server asks you if you’re okay with scallions and the house-roasted chili oil. You’ll want to say yes. If you’re experienced with this type of chili oil you’ll know that it’s primarily about flavour and less hot than it appears. Meet Noodle offers this excellent oil by the jar for home use as well.

The broth was clear and clean tasting with the vegetables having been properly blanched to preserve both colour and crunch. The broccoli was a little too crunchy so I let it sit stewing a bit longer.

I did build up a sweat on this particular day so I was glad that they had some beer options that actually worked well with the food.

I expect that Meet Noodle will continue to rack up success because they deliver delicious traditional cuisine that’s very affordable. Add to that the fact that everything is made in house and you have an eatery worth supporting. If they care that much about their food, so should you.

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