Cuisine: Chinese
Price: <$15 for most mains
Location: 486 Queens Street. Auckland
Shaolin Kung Fu Queen Street is the latest branch of the restaurant, which originated on Dominion Road. Before you enter Shaolin Noodle I suggest you curb your expectations. Treat it like you are eating in Asia, not New Zealand. What does that mean? Expect poor hygiene, poorer service but great, cheap food.
The restaurant features a massive (literally) menu with numerous varieties of dishes including dry noodles, soups, dumplings and meats. It’s hard to know where to start! You will, however, be comforted by the knowledge that most of the menu tastes fantastic. Make sure you bring friends so you can share and try several dishes in one sitting. So far my favourites include the cleaved beef noodle (soup), chicken dumplings, cumin lamb and stir fried prawn. The noodle dishes (wet or dry) are arguably the highlight of Shaolin Noodle. Freshly made and with more gumption than the usual factory processed fare, these thick noodles are simply sumptuous. Definitely a must try! The soups are all incredibly savoury and rich, making my mouth water just to think of them. I also love how generous the portion sizes are. A $14 soup bowl can easily satisfy two people, and two dishes shared will satisfy the hungriest of pilgrims. Another fantastic aspect is how unique most of the dishes are, which take inspiration from the Henan region of China. So the food is great, there’s lots of variety and its generously portioned. What’s not to like?
For one thing the restaurant is not deserving of it’s 'A' hygiene rating. You’ll find cutlery, dishes and the table frequently dirty. If you are particular about cleanliness, just don’t bother visiting Shaolin Noodle. Perhaps the most egregious aspect is the poor service. Bowls, plates and cups (paper) are stored in a warm, wet cupboard (hmmm perfect germ breeding conditions!). Water is stored in a fridge. The expectation is you get the cups, plates and water yourself. Not the staff. Of the three regular staff who've served us, one in particular stands out. This person makes it obvious they don’t want to be serving you, even saying directly to our face that we were “picky” when we took a few minutes to choose our order.
You may be asking why I've rated this place highly when the hygiene and service is clearly so poor. For me, it’s about expectations. I love the food and the portion size. Everything I've tasted has been delicious and sharing several dishes with friends is heavenly. I treat the restaurant like I would one in Asia; dirty and chaotic but serving great food. I suggest you do the same and have yourself a delicious Chinese meal.
8/10
Price: <$15 for most mains
Location: 486 Queens Street. Auckland
Website: NA
The restaurant features a massive (literally) menu with numerous varieties of dishes including dry noodles, soups, dumplings and meats. It’s hard to know where to start! You will, however, be comforted by the knowledge that most of the menu tastes fantastic. Make sure you bring friends so you can share and try several dishes in one sitting. So far my favourites include the cleaved beef noodle (soup), chicken dumplings, cumin lamb and stir fried prawn. The noodle dishes (wet or dry) are arguably the highlight of Shaolin Noodle. Freshly made and with more gumption than the usual factory processed fare, these thick noodles are simply sumptuous. Definitely a must try! The soups are all incredibly savoury and rich, making my mouth water just to think of them. I also love how generous the portion sizes are. A $14 soup bowl can easily satisfy two people, and two dishes shared will satisfy the hungriest of pilgrims. Another fantastic aspect is how unique most of the dishes are, which take inspiration from the Henan region of China. So the food is great, there’s lots of variety and its generously portioned. What’s not to like?
For one thing the restaurant is not deserving of it’s 'A' hygiene rating. You’ll find cutlery, dishes and the table frequently dirty. If you are particular about cleanliness, just don’t bother visiting Shaolin Noodle. Perhaps the most egregious aspect is the poor service. Bowls, plates and cups (paper) are stored in a warm, wet cupboard (hmmm perfect germ breeding conditions!). Water is stored in a fridge. The expectation is you get the cups, plates and water yourself. Not the staff. Of the three regular staff who've served us, one in particular stands out. This person makes it obvious they don’t want to be serving you, even saying directly to our face that we were “picky” when we took a few minutes to choose our order.
You may be asking why I've rated this place highly when the hygiene and service is clearly so poor. For me, it’s about expectations. I love the food and the portion size. Everything I've tasted has been delicious and sharing several dishes with friends is heavenly. I treat the restaurant like I would one in Asia; dirty and chaotic but serving great food. I suggest you do the same and have yourself a delicious Chinese meal.
8/10
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