The bf and I went to dinner at Noodle House on 35th and National with a group of good friends. The restaurant serves Vietnamese/Chinese/Thai food and is run by a Hmong family. It's a typical mom and pop joint and the food has a homemade feel to it. Compared to my favorite Vietnamese/Chinese restaurant, Phan's Garden, it's only so-so. Nevertheless, we like to go there because it's one of the only restaurants in town that serves stir fried frog legs and curried catfish.
I was not feeling too adventurous that night but supremely hungry so I ordered a huge Combination grilled chicken, pork and shrimp salad, which came with a spring roll (popiah) and the bf ordered Thai Iced Tea and Mussamun Curry with rice. We also had an appetizer dish of summer rolls (the ones with the clear skin) but due to aformentioned hunger, I did not have time to take any pictures. The bf sensing sustenence, immediately pounced on the poor roll and devoured it. I followed suit. If you can't beat them, join them-la.
Mussamun curry: It had fried potatoes and chicken meat in a curry sauce and spring onions. I thought that the curry was too sweet and watery. Furthermore, the onions were raw. I like raw onions but they were cut too thick to be eaten raw and did not enhance the taste of the dish. I gave it a D+ but the bf must have liked it because he finished everything.
Combination Grilled Salad: I took a look at this dish and though, "Hey, in the picture, the shrimps were grilled" But I sucked it up and decided not to make a fuss. Go watch the movie 'Waiting' and see if you ever dare to send anything back. If I have a problem with the food, I tell them AFTER my meal so that they can improve things in the future and not have the chance of spitting in my food. Think I am paranoid? Go watch the movie. I dare you.
So, I poured the sauce into my salad and mixed it all up. It was delicious. The barbecued aroma of the pork and lemongrass flavored chicken was enhanced by the accompanying sauce (made of fish-sauce, chilli and vinegar). The softness of the vermicelli was balanced by the crunchiness of the julienned carrots and cubed cucumbers. Finally, the oiliness of the meat was countered by the crisp, fresh taste of the vegetables, making this dish not only great tasting but rather healthy as well. I enjoyed every bite. And so did the bf.
A friend had this dish...forgotten it's name but the grilled pork was similar to the one in my dish. This dish came with some stirfried vegetables to compose a balanced meal of carbs, veggies and meat. Except that the proportions are whacked. See food pyramid for correct recommended proportions.Another friend ordered the Curry Catfish with rice and it was rather good. The catfish was deboned, cut into cubes and then deepfriend before having curry sauce poured on top of it. I took a small morsel and was prepared to encounter a mouthful of fishy mush. Surprisingly, it had no fishy odor and was permeated with the aroma of the lemongrass based yellow curry. Yes, I think turmeric was a main ingredient in the sauce besides lemongrass and pepper. The bf liked it as well but if you are going to order this dish, tell the waitress right away as it takes a while to cook. Fish is not my thing, unless it's sushi or sashimi, so I give kudos to this dish as I did not gag at all but I certainly won't be ordering this in the future.
We filled up our bellies and moseyed over to Potawatomi Casino, hoping for lady luck to smile on us.
Noodle House
3433 W National Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53215
(414) 672-6693
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