Last week we were invited to a tasting dinner at Niu Noodle House, a new Ramen noodle restaurant that opened about 4 months ago in Greenwich Village.
Do not be fooled by the interior- there are few Asian inspired design elements here. This restaurant’s vibe is modern, eclectic and feels very much like a pub with dark beams combined with funky wallpaper. At the front of the restaurant is a long, well stocked bar. There are a lot of interesting things to look at while you are waiting for your dinner to arrive but you aren’t there for the decor.
Niu Noodle House’s main focus is on creating freshly made soup noodles in a variety of styles, broths and flavors. And this, they do very well!
The menu features appetizers of dim sum, satays and spring rolls. Of the many options, we choose the Flank Steak Spring Rolls, Vegetable Spring rolls and the Special Steam Char Siu Pork Buns to start. Each of the appetizers were better than the last! The Vegetable Spring Rolls were extra crispy and filled with flavorful vegetables. The beef version was packed solid with a well seasoned ground beef. It was almost like a meatball encased in a spring roll wrapper. They were both accompanied by a dipping sauce that had just the right amount of heat to it and wasn’t too overpowering.
The pork buns though, were our favorite! Light, fluffy and filled with tender, juicy slices of pork that melted in your mouth. It was served with the house special Hoisin sauce, pungent and perfectly sweet.
For our main course it was hard to choose from all the varieties of noodle soups on the menu. With the help of our highly skilled and attentive server, she recommended some great choices based on our likes/dislikes. In the end, we picked the Niu Beef Trifecta and the Sangi Chicken.
Soon, large black bowls that were filled to the brim arrived with an abundance of savory delights in them. The Beef Trifecta was filled with homemade thin Ramen noodles, flank steak, short ribs, beef steak, scallions, and a spear of asparagus. The chicken soup had heartier noodles than the beef’s more delicate kind and tasted like a very good chicken soup- one that would seriously kick a cold’s butt. Mushrooms, thin slices of chicken breast, and vegetables were present in every bite.
A special delicacy – a wasabi, tempura battered piece of seaweed floated gracefully on the surface and a side bowl of sweet corn kernels accompanied both of the soups. The broths were both very flavorful and quite delicious. Ari preferred the beef and I loved the chicken, so we can safely say they both were excellent choices. We were hard pressed to leave some behind and not take a doggie bag to go- tempted as we were!
(A cute touch is the cow chopstick holder.)
After all the food we just enjoyed, we were hesitant to order dessert but we were so very glad we did! We shared the Green Tea Shaved Ice Cream. What a treat! A wonderful combination of Green Tea flavor and lightly sented Rose Water topped with Fruit Gels and tiny flavored Lychee balls that had been Spherified – their liquid interior bursting in our mouths. It was a delectable and refreshing way to end a delightful meal.
We are really looking forward to going back and tasting the soup dumplings that the manager strongly recommended we try. And, to have some more of that shaved ice cream! Yum!
Atmosphere:
Modern, Eclectic
Service:
Friendly and attentive
Price:
Moderate (approx. $55 for 2 people-sharing a dessert)
Our Rating (Out of 5 Whisks):
Location:
15 Greenwich Ave(between 10th St & Christopher St)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 488-9888
Disclosure: We were invited to experience a meal at Niu Noodle House but as always, the opinions expressed here are our own.