Jump to content

Noodle King Restaurant, Cantonese on New Hampshire and Hollywood Avenue in Colesville


Recommended Posts

We tried Noodle King Restaurant  last week.  It is on northbound New Hampshire Avenue, between White Oak and Colesville.  It's hidden between a pizza shop and a beer & wine store.  Parking and entrance are around back.  The cross street is Hollywood Avenue.  The lot is across Hollywood from JR Wright plant nursery.

They have been there for a few years but it was my first visit.  My folks heard about it from their firends.  Family owned, authentic Cantonese food.  Keep that in mind when ordering--they definitely do a better job with southern dishes.

Meal #1, dinner for 4.  We ordered:

beef satay--beef a little chewy, probably deep fried instead of charcoal grilled, would not order again

chicken wings--great crispy batter but served by itself, sauce (like Thai sweet chili) would make it better

Ja-Jain Mein(Beijing Style)--good egg noodles but sauce had muted flavor, not pungent with garlic and chilies like it should be; corrected with some of their house made chili paste

Beef Chow Fun (Dry)--great job, not too oily, just enough char on the beef

Seafood Pan Fried Noodle--outside of noodles was crispy but middle was soggy; sauce was watery and goopy at the same time.  I would ask them for sauce on the side next time.

Meal #2, lunch for 2.

sweet and sour spicy (pickled) cabbage

Diced Chicken & Salted Fish Fried Rice--great flavor, a little julienned lettuce for crunch; salted fish was reconstituted well and not too salty

Beef Chow Fun (Dry)--i liked it so much I had to order it again

On my next visit, I plan to check out their roast duck and Hong Kong style noodles.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We tried Noodle King Restaurant  last week.  It is on northbound New Hampshire Avenue, between White Oak and Colesville.  

Two items of pertinence (or not):

1) I'm probably the only person in this community who bought baseball cards at Hollywood Market (which was the very first business in this shopping center, and was right on the southeast corner). Five cents a pack. Yes, 5 cents a pack - with a strip of bubble gum. This sounds crazy, but I actually remember where the shelf was, and that it was made out of curved metal (something like this).

2) When I was in Kindergarten, I was dropped off right there at the corner. My baby sitter ("Nang" Schwartz) was way down Hollywood Avenue, probably about half a mile. Mr. Schwartz missed my ride that day, and I was left at that intersection all alone - I emphasize: I was 5 years old. I started walking down Hollywood Avenue towards her house, lost and scared, all alone in the world, crying my eyes out as I walked. Someone (I can't remember if it was Nang or Mr. Schwartz) drove up to their house about an hour later, and found me sitting all alone on their front porch, crying as hard as a five-year-old can cry.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My family and I are now addicted to this place.  We have all gone at different times and have yet to find a dish that we didn't like.

This weekend, my sister and I tried a couple of noodle soups (wonton and beef brisket) and the roast duck.  The duck was crisp but not Peking duck crispy.  The best part was that fat was rendered out. Nicely marinated meat and skin without the big fat layer.  (I know it sounds blasphemous to say that about duck fat.)

The brisket was very tender and well seasoned. Wontons were firm yet springy with large chunks of shrimp.  Be sure to ask for some of the house made chili paste, if you like spicy food.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had passed this dumpy place many times over the years but never thought to eat there, expecting that my lower GI would register a strong protest if I did.  A few weeks ago, on my way back from Heyser's (great cider), rather than turning onto Randolph to head back to stately SilverBullitt Manor, I continued on to Noodle King.  I remembered that DC Deb thought highly of the Beef Chow Fun so I ordered the "dry" version which includes bean sprouts (the waitress, who seemed to also be the owner, said she preferred it to the "wet" version which includes a brown sauce and Chinese broccoli).  Since it is a Hong Kong style restaurant and they have a section on HK soups, I decided to order that too.  I didn't know what type to get until I looked up and saw the cashier framed by a couple of roast ducks.  So I requested the roast duck noodle soup.



Both were delicious.  The chow fun had that combination of slightly charred, chewy beef and slippery noodles, that made it irresistible.  The owner, figuring out that I am Indian, brought out a couple of hot sauces, the standard red chili and the other she said was jalapeno simmered in soy sauce (I thought the fruitiness came from an habanero but it could have been a ripe jalapeno in the mix- unusual and very good).  The soup had a nicely flavored broth with chewy noodles and a few meaty, fatty pieces of duck.  I couldn't figure out how to eat the duck with just spoon and chopsticks without shards of bone going down my throat so I used my fingers.  



An excellent experience.  Thank you, DC Deb.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I forced my unadventurous family to come here.  There were seven of us and we ordered many dishes.  Rather than recite the dishes, I'll focus on two that really wowed me.  Both were on the specials board.  

The first was salt and pepper fried tofu.  It was soft tofu and was nicely fried.  When I bit into a cube, my teeth broke through the crisp coating into the custardy tofu.  Remarkable texture.  It was served on a bed of fried rice noodles and jalapenos were sprinkled on top.  Could have used some more salt but very enjoyable.  I found it had to be eaten really hot because the cubes delate as they cool.

The second was fried fish filet Hong Kong style.  Again, the food was nicely fried and the fish was fresh.  There was a little bit of sauce and it was sweet and salty and included scallions.  Another hit with the crowd.

We ordered some typical dishes (e.g., Orange Chicken) and some Szechwan items.  They were competently done but the restaurant's strength, not surprisingly, is the Cantonese dishes.  We were served by a lady who I believe owns the place.  Very friendly, good service, and the food came out fast.

My family loved it and I was a hero.  

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I happened to be right next door a few months back and luckily recalled this thread. Dropped by for a quick lunch and ordered the Beef Chow Fun and fried fish filet Hong Kong style. Really, really good. The best comparison I have would be East Pearl in Rockville, just really solid Cantonese cooking and great use of fried garlic as a garnish. Thanks for the tip!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Takeout dinner for three, ordered dry beef chow fun, peking duck, and crispy eggplant.  The eggplant suffered a bit on the drive back home, this was deep fried eggplant slices with a separate (for takeout) sauce. Peking duck came with puffy steamed bao instead of the anticipated thin pancakes - maybe this is a region variation in wrappers? My dining companions felt that the thicker bao masked too much of the duck flavor, but then I know a lot of people like these steamed type buns (I don't care for them in any form). I had the chow fun, which was nicely done and survived takeout pretty well.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...