Grill Noodles Bar on Zaragoza

Grill Noodles Bar on Zaragoza is one of two locations in the city (the other is at 11335 Montwood). The concept of the restaurant is much like I have seen at Kungfu Noodle in San Antonio where almost all the menu consist of dumpling or noodle dishes.  In fact Grill Noodles Bar apparently started out by being called Kungfu Noodle. The restaurant’s web site explains that it features special knife-cut noodles and authentic rice noodles.

Internet searches indicate this type of restaurant is becoming more popular in various cities. This is not the standard type of Chinese restaurant that has six to eight pages of menu items but where most customers order the most familiar ones such as orange chicken. Here the menu is shorter but even though some of the items are unfamiliar you get a pretty good idea what they are.

The “Kungfu” movement (if there is such a thing) may be more an attempt to break people away from thinking Chinese food is equivalent to the familiar Cantonese style and to bring in food from the other 22 provinces and regions of China. Two characteristics of “the rest of the country” are that you get a lot of noodles and dumplings. Within these two types of food, though, there seems to be an endless diversity, making sure these restaurants are not just copies of each other as I sometimes feel at the Cantonese restaurants where they are trying to compete on the basis of their version of hot and sour soup,egg rolls, and chicken chow mein.

Main Dishes

Szechuan beef

In my travels I have found that real Sichuan food is seldom served, and seldom patronized by non-Asian people. The Szechuan Beef here is an example of what I would say is not authentic. At the same time, though, I would say most people would like this dish better than much of the “hard core” food from this province, known for its fiery cuisine. (Kungfu Noodle in San Antonio did not try to do fiery Sichuan food either). Instead you get a flavorful dish that might be served and enjoyed by Chinese people in many areas of the country, as well as internationally. I enjoyed the dish and thought that it was less “Americanized” than the dish would be at many of the traditional Chinese restaurants where the word “Szechuan” is nothing more than just their own mixture of sauces that is slightly more spicy than the others. The vegetables in particular seem to be ones that would please an Asian palate (says someone who cannot say this with authority, but with some observation). Whether the sauce is authentic or not, I thought it was pretty good.

Hunan chicken to go

The Hunan Chicken has a sauce similar to the one in the Szechuan beef, with the biggest difference between the two items being the vegetables. Either one makes a good meal. Both are better than the “Szechuan” and “Hunan” dishes in the majority of restaurants where I have tried them.

Dumplings

Bao with BBQ pork

Many Chinese restaurants in town have dumplings but it is special when they have Bao with BBQ Pork. This is a taste treat, and I think one of the better dumplings in town.

Drinks

Green tea

I did not find hot tea here but they do have Cold Green Tea.

Wrap-Up
Other Chinese restaurants have similar food such as Noodles & Dumplings, but I think the stir-fry dishes here such as the hunan chicken are better here than at the other similar restaurants.

The main issue with me here is the price. I like bao but they won’t let you get single bao’s served dim sum style. If I try to get something more interesting than I find at the typical Chinese restaurant it ends up being a big bill with more food than I can eat.

All the food I tried here was very good.

There is nothing wrong with taking food home if you can’t eat all of it in the restaurant.

Patronize this and the similar restaurants if you can so that we can get more like them. (Just my personal opinion–unbiased of course)

RATING: 24

Asian Food Details

Tea:	Green (iced)
MSG:	No
Buffet:	No

 

Special Ratings

	Spicy Szechuan Style Beef
	Hunan Chicken
	Bao with BBQ Pork