Fragrant Noodles鼎香面馆
Anju Road Rating: ★★★★
Run, don't walk to Ottawa's charming braised meat and noodle shop that captivates the senses with a rich array of flavours and dishes that evoke the comfort of home.
It's very rare that a restaurant makes you verbatim exclaim "WOW" after your first sip. Yet here I was finishing my first soul-warming slurp when the sentiment escaped from within me. The owner turned to me and chuckled, pleased with himself, and returned to his massive array of open pots and woks.
My first time attending Fragrant Noodles was in late August when a friend recommended they'd heard it was surprisingly good. Surprisingly good for Ottawa is an important distinction. We walked down Rideau St. and quickly found the place gleaming in the late afternoon sun. As you walk in, you find yourself right in front of the cash register, to your right 2 small tables nestled in front of the window. The main event as you walk further into the restaurant is the open kitchen where the chef welcomes you in as he tends to his pots. Walking past the kitchen leads you to a set of 4 tables for 2 people each, and that's it for seating. The fact that you can see the kitchen from any angle really reinforces the fact that there's nothing to hide. It shows a commitment not only to the quality of the taste, but a transparency of how it's made.
Okay, enough about the ambiance, you're here for the good stuff, so I won't keep you waiting any longer. The star of the show is clearly the braised meat. How that is incorporated into each dish is quite unique. On one side of the menu is a Braised Specialties section where you will find offerings of Beef, Chicken and Duck which you can buy by the pound or 1/2 pound. If you want the pure flavour of that red gold then this is what I recommend you try. On our first visit the chef gave us a taste of some of the fresh beef he had just pulled off his last cook session and it was truly melt-in-your mouth tender with hours and hours for all the spices to blend into the meat and fat. It was spectacular. But we weren't here just for the meat, we were here for the soup we'd heard so much about.
Flipping over the menu to the main page shows the options of Noodle Soup / Mixed Noodles / Rice and appetizers. We knew we wanted A2. The Braised Beef Offal Noodle Soup (Beef Tripe, Beef Tendon, Braised Beef). As soon as the bowl (the size of my head) was delivered I took in the smell immediately. The spiced steam coming off the top of the bowl makes you salivate.
The first thing I tried was the broth. The broth was lighter than I expected from a beef noodle soup. The initial flavour is the richness of the beef followed by a medley of spices enlaced in a thin coating of fat.
"This broth is not the heavy, oily broth you find in different types of noodle shops, it was refined, subtle, elegant."
The bowl itself is compromised of a large quantity of broth, a perfect handful of cilantro and scallions, the selection of meat (based on which bowl you order), some shanghai Bok choy and a reasonable amount of noodles. One thing I appreciate is that its actually less noodles than you think would be in a bowl this size, and that's a good thing. So many restaurants I see make the mistake of LOADING the bowl so full there's barely any broth, leaving you with a broth that changes and waters down halfway through the bowl. Not the case here, the final thing i will say about the broth is that it tasted the same from the moment you start sipping until you're drinking the final sip out of the bottom of the bowl (and yes, I definitely do finish the entire bowl by drinking the last few sips like a hilariously oversized cup). The richness and the depth of the broth were constant throughout the eating experience; the result of intentional care about how the broth was made and the broth-to-noodle ratio decided.
A few of the other options we tried over the course of a few visits (pictured above) were the Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice, the Braised Chicken Feet, and the Braised Chicken Wrap.
For the chicken feet, I'm used to the gelatinous spicy Korean style or the deep fried Chinese take many dim sum houses will have but I've never tried this style of braised chicken feet. The fat is gelatinous but firm, which makes a very satisfying chew before melting into your mouth. The spices also make their way into the meat and fat for you to discover with every bite. Wonderful experience, and would highly recommend you try them!
The final two dishes I wanted to touch on were firstly, the Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice which I was a little underwhelmed by. The pork was incredible as previously mentioned but due to the sauce being added to the already soft rice, I ended up eating more of a wet risotto then a fried rice bowl. The pickled mustard greens were lovely, but I wasn't thrilled with the bowl overall.
Secondly, was the Braised Chicken Wrap which I was pleasantly surprised by. As a fun menu item I took a chance on ordering to see how it taste, and what I received was a tortilla wrap filled with braised chicken, pickled vegetables, some sort of hoisin or savoury sauce and a crispy wok-fried egg, what's not to love!
Final Verdict
The best thing about Fragrant Noodles is the simplicity of the dishes. No BS, just elegant flavours with nothing extra that doesn't need to be there. The depth of the broth and the quality of the braised meat is on another level, which demonstrates the chef's care and skill. This has quickly become a favourite go-to spot for us, and I cannot recommend you try this restaurant enough.
Fragrant Noodles鼎香面馆
358 Rideau St, Ottawa, ON K1N 5Y6
613-866-9518
Total Visits: 5
Anju Road Rating: ★★★★