Noodz the Ramen Shop at the Arcadia Mall Review
Have you ever had ramen at the mall?
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| The Noodz storefront and menu |
The Arcadia Mall has got to have one of the best food courts I've ever seen. The food court has many choices, ranging from Asian food to burgers. If the choices at the food court don't entice you, you could also eat at one of the restaurants elsewhere in the mall. I've been to many malls in SoCal and have eaten at many places inside their food courts. Despite this, I don't think I have ever tried ramen at a food court before.....until this past weekend.
It's been over 100 degrees in California these past few days which limits where our family can go on outings. I mean, do you REALLY want to walk around outside in triple-degree weather? Going out with the family has also been difficult because not all restaurants are stroller-friendly. As a result, we ended up at the mall where there is ample space and family restrooms.
After walking around the mall for 10 minutes, my husband said he was hungry. I said, "Aight, let's go to the food court then." I chose first since my husband was indecisive. I almost got Mcdonald's because they were still having the Sanrio x Yu-gi-oh toys, but decided against it. As you probably have already guessed, I ended up choosing Noodz for ramen.
I was immediately drawn to the bright pink logo that was displayed at the Noodz storefront. My first thought was that this place looks like it's for youngsters. "I still feel young...sometimes...", I thought. My husband and I approached the cash register and used the self-help kiosk to order (so if you have social anxiety, you can order food with no interaction. The younger me would have been ecstatic to order food with no interaction). There were several broth choices including miso or tonkotsu. I chose tonkatsu ramen with extra spice. The egg was extra so I decided to skip that. I also decided to not upgrade to chashu meat which cost extra. The default choice of protein was tofu, which I happily accepted. The ramen was 10 dollars (which I considered to be quite cheap considering it was mall food) and the spice was an extra 50 cents (so 10.50 before tax).
After walking around the mall for 10 minutes, my husband said he was hungry. I said, "Aight, let's go to the food court then." I chose first since my husband was indecisive. I almost got Mcdonald's because they were still having the Sanrio x Yu-gi-oh toys, but decided against it. As you probably have already guessed, I ended up choosing Noodz for ramen.
I was immediately drawn to the bright pink logo that was displayed at the Noodz storefront. My first thought was that this place looks like it's for youngsters. "I still feel young...sometimes...", I thought. My husband and I approached the cash register and used the self-help kiosk to order (so if you have social anxiety, you can order food with no interaction. The younger me would have been ecstatic to order food with no interaction). There were several broth choices including miso or tonkotsu. I chose tonkatsu ramen with extra spice. The egg was extra so I decided to skip that. I also decided to not upgrade to chashu meat which cost extra. The default choice of protein was tofu, which I happily accepted. The ramen was 10 dollars (which I considered to be quite cheap considering it was mall food) and the spice was an extra 50 cents (so 10.50 before tax).
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| Tonkotsu ramen with slices of tofu |
My husband convinced me to use the name "Ben" as my order name. Less than 15 minutes later, a man yelled out "BEN!!" I approached the counter and got my order. Pictured above is the ramen I received. The spice was conveniently placed on the side so that you could adjust the amount you wanted to put into the ramen. I dumped the whole container in because I'm a spice fiend.
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| A close up of the ramen noodles |
Upon first bite, I was pleasantly surprised by the texture of the noodles. The noodles weren't hard or overcooked. "Pretty good," I thought. Next, I tasted the broth, it was on the blander side, but flavorful enough that I couldn't really complain. Then, I took a bite of the tofu pieces that were nicely cut into rectangles. The tofu tasted good, although slightly cold. The toppings were pretty much just bean sprouts, which could be fresher, but were decent. I thought the portion was just enough to make me full.
Overall, I thought it was an okay meal. In fact, I actually thought this ramen was better than Kura's ( which I usually find too salty). I would also rather have Noodz than ramen at a few other sushi restaurants (which I find way too bland and meat tasted like it came from the fridge). If you are expecting Noodz to taste like a restaurant dedicated to only serving ramen, you'll be very disappointed. If you've had extremely bland or super salty ramen at restaurants that serve ramen only as a side item, you might actually like Noodz.
The Rating:
Food: 6/10 I would eat here again.
Price: 8.5/10 Decent price for mall food.
Overall, I thought it was an okay meal. In fact, I actually thought this ramen was better than Kura's ( which I usually find too salty). I would also rather have Noodz than ramen at a few other sushi restaurants (which I find way too bland and meat tasted like it came from the fridge). If you are expecting Noodz to taste like a restaurant dedicated to only serving ramen, you'll be very disappointed. If you've had extremely bland or super salty ramen at restaurants that serve ramen only as a side item, you might actually like Noodz.
The Rating:
Food: 6/10 I would eat here again.
Price: 8.5/10 Decent price for mall food.
Customer Service: 7/10 Standard, self-kiosk for ordering if needed.
Ambiance: 2/10 - It's crowded and loud, but hey it's a food court. At least there was air conditioning.
Stroller-Friendly - Yes, lots of space due to the location being in a food court
Would you visit Noodz, next time you're at the mall?
Would you visit Noodz, next time you're at the mall?
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