Gastrolust

Dish: Buckwheat Noodle Salad
Place: Cha:n, Downtown
Price: $9.00
In the bowl: From the menu: “buck wheat noodle salad with mixed vegetables, hardboiled egg and spicy vinaigrette.” Those vegetables include shredded cabbage, red onion, cucumber, bean sprouts, kaiware (daikon sprouts), and maybe some microgreens.
Supporting cast/What to do: Some of the dishes at Cha:n, [...]

[Read more →]

Dish: Bamboo Shoot Duck Noodle Soup
Place: Sub Sand, International District
Price: $7.99
In the bowl: Rice vermicelli noodles, bamboo shoots, fried shallots and peanuts, and Thai basil.
Supporting cast/What to do: Along with your soup, you get a plate of cold duck pieces (on the bone), shredded cabbage, more fried shallots and peanuts, Thai basil, [...]

[Read more →]

Dish: Sweet and Spicy Beef Noodles
Place: Lucky 8’s China House, Capitol Hill
Price: $9.95
On the plate: From the menu: “Thin egg noodles with beef, garlic, and sweet chili sauce.” You’ll also notice bamboo shoots, onions, carrots, water chestnuts, celery, and green onions on the plate.
Supporting cast/What to do: You’ll find soy sauce [...]

[Read more →]

Dish: Thukpa
Place: The Everest Kitchen, Lake Forest Park
Price: $7.95
In the bowl: From the menu: “Noodle soup with chicken or vegetables, peas and herbs.” Clarification coming, below.
Supporting cast/What to do: You can choose between chicken or vegetables. The latter will be one dollar less than the price above. Your server will ask your [...]

[Read more →]

On the heels of my return from Tokyo, where I restrained myself in only eating four bowls of ramen in eight days, I’m excited to see Seattle’s ramen scene on the rise. We’re not likely to see certain items like niboshi (dried sardine) broth in the near future, but we’re lucky [...]

[Read more →]

Dish: “Salted fish w/chicken in vermicelli & rice sticker”
Place: LA Café, International District
Price: $8.99
On the plate: Two types of noodles, which require a close inspection to see. Onions, green onions, carrots, bean sprouts. Shrimp, which are presumably not the intended salted fish, with the chicken missing in action.
Supporting cast/What to do: [...]

[Read more →]

Dish: Cheng Du Dan Dan Noodle
Place: Bamboo Garden, Bellevue
Price: $6.95
In the bowl: You’ll see slightly yellowish egg noodles topped with little bits of ground pork and thin slices of green onion. The chili sauce is at the bottom of the bowl.
Supporting cast/What to do: It’s all there, in the bowl. What’s [...]

[Read more →]

Dish: Gourmet Chow Mein (Lo Mein)
Place: Bamboo Garden, Queen Anne
Price: $8.95
On the plate: Per the menu: “pan-fried thin noodles with mixed vegetables, sausage, and chicken.” That description will warrant further explanation.
Supporting cast/What to do: Dig in. There’s no option for spice level when ordering. You’ll find chili sauce on the [...]

[Read more →]

With food trucks a-travelin’ and pop-up restaurants a-poppin’, a lot of people are talking about different dining options these days. As for me, I like the idea of kitchens cooking just about any time and any place. Preferably preparing anything interesting.
Just over a month ago, I enjoyed a terrific soba dinner [...]

[Read more →]

Dish: Drunken Mushrooms
Place: Araya’s Vegetarian Place, University District
Price: $13.95
On the plate: Per the menu: “Classic Thai spicy wide rice noodles stir-fried in garlic & chili with veggies beef, Portabello and other mushrooms.” The other mushrooms are shiitake and white button mushrooms, and there’s also red and green bell pepper, asparagus, [...]

[Read more →]