Noodle Boat

[tighe]

I recently had dinner at Noodle Boat (NB), a restaurant in Issaquah that some Thai classmates of mine had recommended a couple of years ago. If you’d asked me before my visit to NB whether or not I liked Thai food, I would have said, “yes, I love it,” but the truth is it was a narrow and ignorant kind of love, based primarily on phad thai and the occasional curry dish. Believing that I might be about to experience the real thing and not wanting to miss it if I was, I asked mamster for a Thai cuisine tutorial. He responded with a thoughtful and thorough discussion of some particular dishes to look for, regional specialties that might be available and some notes on what the flavor profiles should be. I ended up boiling down this shared wisdom to “look for dishes with green papaya or mango, try the fried fish salad if they have it and get the people running the place to reveal what they like best on the menu.” (Sorry mamster, I know there was a lot more there, but my wee little brain can only reliably retain but so much information for immediate recall and application.)

We started with Som Tam, a salad of green papaya (check), pickled (I think) green beans and tomatoes and peanuts with a dried shrimp/lime juice dressing. If green has a flavor, this is what I think it would taste like. Very fresh but sour at the same time; it would have benefited from more heat. This was a problem throughout the dinner actually. NB has a ‘four chili-pepper’ heat scale. I kept ordering three chilies (hot) and the waiter kept writing down two (medium). I couldn’t stop myself from imagining his inner dialogue as being, “you want the heat?, you can’t HANDLE the heat!”

Our other starter was called Cotton Fish on the menu, although I’m sure there’s a Thai name for it. It was described as ‘deep-fried ground fish with mango salad (check, check). The fish was like a pillow or cloud of minute bits of deep-fried fish held together by a light batter. Airy, crispy with a powerful fish taste, but no discernable pieces of fish. By itself I think I could have only eaten a small amount of it because of the strong fish flavor, but the pungent mango salad wiped my palate clean after every bite, leaving me wanting more of the crispy fish to balance the astringency of the salad. As you can see, a potentially endless spiral (at least down to the bottom of the plate).

For our two entrees we asked the waiter to tell us what two things off the menu he would order for himself. This took a little convincing that we were up for anything and the fact that we had ordered the Cotton Fish on our own seemed to carry some weight. We ended up with Phad Pan Sian, stir-fired beef with vegetables and lemon grass in a ‘special sauce’ and covered with deep-fried basil leaves plus Young Coconut Green Curry, chicken balls, shrimp, scallops, chicken and pork with young coconut, green beans, bell peppers and basil. The two dishes balanced each other nicely with the stir-fry being rich and savory while the curry was light and clean. Interestingly, the basil in them set off both dishes. In general, I’m not a big fan of coconut curries, but the young coconut has such a subtle flavor that it didn’t overwhelm the other ingredients. One benefit of the curry not being as hot as I might have liked was that the full flavor of it came through, certainly the best I’ve had.

My saying that this was the best Thai food I’ve had lacks some gravitas given my opening statement, and I would really like to get the impressions of those who are well-versed in Thai food. I can confidently say that even for us city-folk, the trek to Issaquah to give NB a try is warranted.

[mamster]

Laurie and I had dinner at Noodle Boat yesterday after a tour of some of King County's best public libraries (if you had a librarian in the family, you would enjoy this too). I noticed on the way in that the place has a characteristic laid-back feel that reminded me a little bit of Thailand.

We ordered three dishes: the cottonfish that tighe describes, hor mok (red curry with egg) with pork, and we went off-menu at Laurie's suggestion and got yam woon sen, which is glass noodle salad. One of the treats (usually) of yam woon sen is that everybody puts a different combination of stuff in it, and here it was shrimp, scallops, squid, dried shrimp, onion, and lettuce. It was a great salad. I think this is the first time I've had scallops in an Asian restaurant that were not overcooked. (The squid was rubbery, the shrimp right on.) We asked for everything Thai-spicy and basically got it. I love that Noodle Boat spices things with a mix of sliced fresh green and red chiles and dried chile flakes--overuse of dried chiles is one of the things that annoys me about Thai-American restaurants.

The hor mok was not exactly what I expected, but the fact that it had a choice of meat tipped me off. Generally speaking, hor mok is a curry custard--you make curry, beat in eggs and cooked fish, and steam it until mousselike, wrapped in banana leaves. There's a slightly blurry picture of hor mok at this Thai restaurant site (in the upper-left under where it says Salathai). This was just a good red curry with bits of egg and pork.

Finally, the cottonfish, which was problematic but promising. This is a version of a very popular Thai salad called yam pla doog foo, which is usually translated as "fluffy catfish salad". I'm not sure what fish they use at Noodle Boat, but I'd be surprised if they were actually using the fish known in Thailand as cottonfish, since it's only imported whole and frozen and is not usually served this way in Thailand. Anyway, they've really nailed the fish--as you describe it, tighe, and as it was served to us, that's exactly the way it's supposed to be. The problem was with the mango: the mango they're serving is way too ripe. When I go back I'll ask about this--maybe people complained about the unripe mango, but it's supposed to be served with slivered green mango, tart and slightly crunchy.

We were awfully tempted by that young coconut green curry and will definitely try it next time. Overall, quibbles aside, this was easily the most authentic Thai meal I've had in a restaurant outside Thailand. This wasn't a function of any particular dish, but the attention to spicing and flavor balance was intense. If any of the rest of you want to check it out, I'd be happy to come along and, y'know, help out.

[girl chow]

I'm planning to eat here, of course, after hearing such lavish praise

A few questions... How kid friendly is this place? Would my active toddler be welcome? Is it a more upscale Thai joint or a typical family friendly Thai atmo kind of place? Is there linen on the table? That's usually my key to not bring the child along.

Also, the dishes sound pretty high quality... does that translate into higher prices? If so, how much higher than the average $7.95-$12.95 typical Thai price?

[tighe]

Noodle Boat is definitely not 'up-scale', at least as far as I'm concerned. It seems like a very family oriented place, so taking the munchkin shouldn't be a problem. Price-wise, it may be a little higher than you average Thai joint, but no much.

[mamster]

I didn't think the prices were any higher than, say, Siam on Broadway. Our off-menu noodle salad, loaded with goodness (I forgot to mention there was also ground chicken), was $7.95.

[ScorchedPalate]

Since I was lookin' it up for myself, I figured I'd post NB's particulars:

Noodle Boat Thai Restaurant

700 NW Gilman Blvd

(425) 391-8096

Map

Dunno if I can make it there (and back) in a lunch hour from Redmond, but I'm gonna try.

~Anita

edited to add map

Edited September 18, 2003 by ScorchedPalate (log)

[LaurieA-B]

A mom and small daughter were dining there the same evening as us. I think they had sort of plastic/oilcloth covers on the tables. It is quite casual, definitely family-oriented (the hostess is expecting a baby, in fact).

[girl chow]

Thanks for the feedback! I hate being one of *those* people who come into a nice restaurant packing the kid along. Glad to hear Noodle Boat is a family joint.

That's why I love Thai places. They're extremely kid friendly, to the point of almost being an amusement park for tots (as are most ethnic/Asian restaurants).

With the exception of Typhoon (which *could* be kid friendly if it wanted to be), I've never been to a Thai restaurant that gave the evil eyeball to families packing the kids along for the ride. Besides, kids love Thai food. Noodles are the perfect device to keep kids busy for at least 11 consecutive minutes

I've never experienced sticker shock at a Thai restaurant, so glad to hear that Noodle Boat is as cheap as all the rest of the Thai restaurants around here. I love Thai restaurants

I'm on vacation next week and before I head to SF (woohoo!), my game plan is to eat at Matt's in the Market for lunch and Noodle Boat for dinner. How's that for a day of eating?

[girl chow]

Woohoo! Mr. GC and I will be eating here Tuesday (tomorrow) for dinner

Are ya in? PM or post here and pick a time if you so desire.

(A note to MsRamsey.. if you can make it, don't forget that the premiere of a certain show is at 8 p.m. .... don't forget to set the vcr)

[mamster]

I'm certainly in if Laurie is up for it and we can get a ride. MsR? heyjude?

[MsRamsey]

Yes, I'm up for it and can drive if you need me to. PM me with specifics. (And thanks for the heads up on GG, GC!)

Edit: Oops, no. I can't go on Tuesday. Going to Rocky Horror Show.

Edited September 23, 2003 by MsRamsey (log)

[girl chow]

DARN!! Sorry we will miss you MsR!! You will have a blast at Rocky Horror! I went on Thursday and it was completely righteous. Remember your feather boa!

To keep this food centered, I went to Palomino before Rocky Horror last Thursday. I don't know if it was because it was packed w/theater peeps or what, but the staff seemed completely overwhelmed and less than attentive. I'll have to go back and check it out on a less frantic night, but I wasn't very impressed. We actually had to leave our table and go to the bar to get a drink. Ugh.

Ok, back to Noodle Boat!

Mamster/Laurie/HeyJude, et al... if you all want to meet us, Mr. GC and I are planning on eating there at about 6:15-6:30. Post here if you can make it (or PM). I'll check in a few times tomorrow. I'm officially on vacation, so I won't be online much tomorrow

[Schielke]

I managed to get myself to Noodle Boat last night and had a great time. I had the best version yet of Coconut Chicken Soup. I also tried the Cotton Fish, which was really great too.

I am going back for sure next time I am in the area.

Ben

[girl chow]

Yum... yum... YUM! This is a great Thai restaurant! We had dinner last Tuesday and loved every dish we tried. We took my mom, who has never really eaten Thai before, and she did ok (at least I think she did!).

We ordered the cotton fish (fantastic) and the Talay seafood platter, which was an assortment of prawns, scallops and squid. I didn't get a prawn (!! I was too slow !!), but the scallops were perfectly cooked. The squid was a touch overdone, but the scallops made up for that.

Mamster, Laurie AB and MrHeyJude ordered my favorite dish: the larb! YUM!! It was the perfect mix of spicy and sour. If only I could cook like this at home.... I can never get the balance of Thai food quite right.

The young coconut curry was outstanding as well. The flavor of the curry broth was amazing.

I am by no means a Thai food expert, but after eating at more than three dozen Thai spots around the area over the last decade, I think Noodle Boat is at the top of my list for all-time best Thai meals. It's right up there my other favorite Thai joint, Indochine in Federal Way

Thanks Tighe/Mamster et al for telling us about this great spot.

[mb7o]

Noodle Boat got two writeups in the last week, a review today from Penelope Corcoran, and a mention last week, I believe in her column.

Oddly enough, I made it out there for the first time last week. Now I'm afraid it'll get mobbed... good for them, bad for me.

We ordered everything 0 star. Which it was--quite impressive, the food was still well balanced. I'll have to go back with people who can handle more than that.

[skyflyer3]

New egullet member here. My partner and I tried Noodle Boat this evening, and overall, our impression was "ehhhhh." We got there at 8 o'clock, and it was about 75% full. We were seated right away, ordered phad thai with pork, medium spicy, BBQ Chicken, a side of rice and a Coke and thai iced tea. Lots of great looking food walked by our table, so we were eager to see what ours was like.

Ten minutes goes by, and then we get cups of water. Twenty minutes, then our plates were set. Another twenty minutes, and nothing. Finally, after 48 minutes our phad thai and the chicken came to the table. But then we had to wait another five minutes for them to finally bring eating utensils, and then another ten to tell us the thai iced tea was sold out for the evening, but they'd shortly bring our Coke.

Needless to say we scarfed the food in about 15 minutes, we were so starved. The chicken smelled incredible, and was spiced perfectly, but was a tad dry. The pork in the phad thai was also dry. The noodles were good, but very saucy - I think more so than I've had at Thai households. The sauce for the phad thai was tangy with lime and fish sauce, nicely balanced with chilies but not very spicy. Noodles were perfectly textured. I didn't ask if there was dessert.

It seems that like most new places that are quickly overwhelmed with early praise, they are probably under-equipped (and maybe didn't expect) to handle the huge response. While we were eating, we overheard a woman complain to the manager about not receiving her food after an hour. She had been seated 15 minutes late, ordered at 7 p.m., and then got her food at 8 p.m. I'm not sure if her meal was comped, but she was not happy when she left. And then there were people who had called in orders that would come to pick them up and wait for a very long time. At 9 p.m, maybe 50% of the restaurant was still full - with many people at tables customers who were still waiting for a takeout order.

Overall, I don't think I'll go back - or at least, until the popularity dies down a little and they eventually find their groove. The people who served us were very, very nice, the food was decent and fairly priced, but everything took too long, and they were overall kind of ignorant of us as customers - water cups were never refilled, it took them forever to clear our dishes and bring us the check, and the other things mentioned before that add up to a poor experience. And we were sitting right across from the waitstaff, so it's not like we were easy to ignore. At any rate, I'm glad to see that other people have had better experiences - just wish I'd had one of them.

[mb7o]

Umm, that's dissapointing, it's the problem with reviews in the paper.

But I must warn you, service like that can be very authentic.

[tighe]

Gleaned from the web site who's name shall not be spoken...

Noodle Boat has a slick new (?) web site with pics of all their dishes.

[creepygirl]

It seems that like most new places that are quickly overwhelmed with early praise, they are probably under-equipped (and maybe didn't expect) to handle the huge response.  While we were eating, we overheard a woman complain to the manager about not receiving her food after an hour.  She had been seated 15 minutes late, ordered at 7 p.m., and then got her food at 8 p.m.  I'm not sure if her meal was comped, but she was not happy when she left.  And then there were people who had called in orders that would come to pick them up and wait for a very long time.  At 9 p.m, maybe 50% of the restaurant was still full - with many people at tables customers who were still waiting for a takeout order.

Overall, I don't think I'll go back - or at least, until the popularity dies down a little and they eventually find their groove.  The people who served us were very, very nice, the food was decent and fairly priced, but everything took too long, and they were overall kind of ignorant of us as customers - water cups were never refilled, it took them forever to clear our dishes and bring us the check,  and the other things mentioned before that add up to a poor experience.  And we were sitting right across from the waitstaff, so it's not like we were easy to ignore.  At any rate, I'm glad to see that other people have had better experiences - just wish I'd had one of them.

It's been two and half months since skyflyer3 reported these problems with service at Noodle Boat.

Has anyone been there recently to see if The Curse of the Good Review has been lifted yet?

I'll be visiting Seattle in 10 days, and I'd like to check this place out, so long as they're not overwhelmed.

[MsRamsey]

Tried to go on Saturday for lunch, but they're NOT OPEN for lunch on the weekend. I couldn't believe it.

[tighe]

I'll be visiting Seattle in 10 days, and I'd like to check this place out, so long as they're not overwhelmed.

I haven't been back, but based on my one experience, I think its worth taking your chances on....

[ScorchedPalate]

I've been there twice; once about 2 months ago and once last week (midweek). The place wasn't busy either time, and the service was 'fine' -- that is, about what I expect from a thai restaurant.

Neither time was my food very good, though. I had a hard time seeing what all the hype was about. Special green curry, tom kha gai, a forgettable 'specialty' noodle dish the first time; tom yam goong, pad thai, and cottonfish salad the second time. Nothing was great, and a few dishes had such a bad balance (salty, sweet, sour, hot) that they were downright bad. We solved some of the problems with nam pla prik, but since our 3-star dishes were borderline inedibly hot (even for two confirmed chileheads) that wasn't a panacea.

For my money, there are much better thai restaurants in the area, at least on the Seattle side of the lake.

~A

[tighe]

I've been there twice; once about 2 months ago and once last week (midweek). The place wasn't busy either time, and the service was 'fine' -- that is, about what I expect from a thai restaurant.

Neither time was my food very good, though. I had a hard time seeing what all the hype was about. Special green curry, tom kha gai, a forgettable 'specialty' noodle dish the first time; tom yam goong, pad thai, and cottonfish salad the second time. Nothing was great, and a few dishes had such a bad balance (salty, sweet, sour, hot) that they were downright bad. We solved some of the problems with nam pla prik, but since our 3-star dishes were borderline inedibly hot (even for two confirmed chileheads) that wasn't a panacea.

For my money, there are much better thai restaurants in the area, at least on the Seattle side of the lake.

~A

Wow, this makes me sad.....

[seacrotty]

Sad indeed. I had the cottonfish, and the ground and loosely deep-fried fish gave me -- very briefly -- one of those wonderful food discovery moments where I thought, "I've never had anything like this before!" But then I tasted the cartoonishly sweet sauce. Ugh.

c