Located on 242 South Highland Avenue in Shadyside, Noodle Head is a place worth visiting. They cater to different taste buds, both for those who are spice-sensitive and for those who can take lots of spice.
Before entering, from outside you could see that they were very busy. Both the inside and outside seating areas were almost filled. I was in the mood for noodles and became more excited after seeing the kind of business they brought in.
When my friend and I entered, they sat us at a high table for two. We were really lucky to not wait long at all to be seated because, soon after, the dinner rush began. When I set my purse on the counter, I realized that it was lucky we were in a noodle restaurant, and I picked the one that looked like a bright yellow Chinese take out container.
Looking through the menu – which fit onto a single card – we picked three noodle dishes, giving them all a medium or number two spice level. At this point in my life, I should be conscious of how much spice I can take, yet I clearly still have no idea. I blame that on each place ranking their levels of spice differently.
The see yew noodles, $12.50, came either with shrimp, chicken or tofu. Ours had chicken, big flat rice noodles, egg broccoli, napa cabbage and sweet black soy sauce. The noodles were indeed pretty flat. In the beginning the flavor was sweet and the noodles were slimy, but shortly after chewing, it coated our mouths in a spice a little too unbearable to keep chewing. While it was tasty, we didn’t come close to finishing the dish. I wish we picked spice level one or put no spice at all on this one.
After ordering, our waitress told us she could bring out two dishes first. Around five to 10 minutes later she brought out our crispy veggie spring rolls, $4.50, and the Love Boat soup – probably pre-made – in a boat-shaped bowl, $10. Titled under soups, it was more affordable and tastier than the other noodle options.
I assumed that the broth diluted the spice more than the other dishes did. The menu lists its ingredients as thin rice noodles, thin-sliced beef, bean sprouts, cilantro, bok choy, basil and galangal. It also had wontons on the top that had a sweet balancing flavor to the broth. The stringy noodles had a delicious, diverse texture with crunchy thicker noodles spread throughout.
The egg rolls weren’t greasy and the vegetables were tasty. I didn’t realize there wasn’t any meat inside both while ordering and while eating them.
My friend ordered street noodle one, and although we shared everything, I became jealous that she picked the good dish while I ordered the too-spicy see yew noodles. Street noodle one comes with rice noodles, thai fried chicken, bok choy, bean sprouts and cilantro. The chicken on top of the dish was so crispy it almost hurt my mouth, and the inside was very moist. The noodles were more spicy than the love boat, but less spicy than the see yew noodles. It had the texture of a plain pasta, but had a crunch every now and then that I didn’t like.
Although they were busy when we finished our dishes they didn’t try to push us out quickly. The restaurant is entirely cash, and their ATMs charge a $3 fee in the back when you go to pay, so be ready when you go there! The food was so good I would even recommend Uber-Eats-ing it.
