Dec 06, 2016 Hello, Needle Noodle Shop!
I always look forward to seeing my cousin Ryan over the holidays because he has interesting stuff to say about the restaurants he’s been working at around Los Angeles not to mention a spell in Hong Kong. This Thanksgiving, he told me that he was taking a break from that grind and was trying out his own thing–a respectful take on a wonton noodle shop, which was unveiled in a pop-up location on Melrose last weekend.
The namesake dish was great, with springy noodles, flavor-popping wontons, and a hot, hearty broth that was perfect for a chilly evening. To complement the noodle soup, there were simple but perfect veggies and white-cut chicken. I took home a full stomach and a jar of custom chili oil, and then followed up with some questions about Needle Noodle Shop.
Tell me how your experiences in big-time kitchens in Los Angeles and sweating in anonymous ones in Hong Kong add up to making deluxe wonton noodles on Melrose?
Working in all these different kitchens shifted my focus from what I wanted to cook to what I really wanted to eat. Early in my career, I wanted to learn high-end cuisine and work in highly regarded kitchens—learn all the cool tricks, be a badass, and plate food up like a gangster. The more experience I gained, the less this type of food resonated with me. It wasn’t really what I wanted to eat. I’d find myself eating at a lot of ethnic Asian restaurants after a long shift of work or on my days off. Nothing was more comforting than a hot bowl of noodle soup.
After years of cooking other chefs’ food that I have no connection to, I became nostalgic for the food that I grew up eating. My family is from Hong Kong. Wonton noodle soup is a staple there and a classic dish that I thoroughly enjoy eating. I wanted to go back to my roots while adding a touch of finesse to the food. A friend of mine suggested I do a pop-up event to try out some of these ideas. She had a space that we could set up shop in, and that was the spot on Melrose.
The thin noodles are classically used in wonton noodle soup everywhere in Hong Kong. I wanted to stay true in my representation of the dish. But the name “Needle” actually came about as a play on the direct pronunciation of the word “here” in Cantonese (“nee-doh”). It was appropriate because I’ve always wanted to open a restaurant where guests feels like they’re eating in my home. And when you’re here, you’re here. You’re present to experience an honest effort to make good food. There’s a few more reasons for the name. The word needle suggests a certain level of precision that I associate with what I do in the kitchen. There’s the pairing of the words needle and thread, with the thread representing noodles in this case. And for the Game of Thrones fans out there who think Arya is a badass, there’s needle as your weapon of choice.
And the broth. What went into it?
The broth has a lot of ingredients. Among them are chicken bones, pork bones, dried shrimp, dried fish, onion, ginger, garlic, scallion, carrot, pepper, and soy sauce.
I’ve been working on this sweet garlic soy sauce mixture that goes well on almost anything. I knew that I wanted to use that as the base. The shiitake mushrooms that were on top of the noodles were actually used to flavor the sauce. The fried tofu adds a nice textural element and protein. The choy sum—well, you gotta have your greens.
Where did your excellent staff come from?
The staff consisted of industry friends. Some of us worked at Ink together, and the rest were friends of theirs in the industry. My wife, Karen, ran the service side of the operation.
It was a toss up between Fists of Fury or God of Cookery. I wanted an old school, retro Hong Kong feel for the pop-up. We ended up with God of Cookery because it was more fitting since Stephen Chow makes noodles in the movie. My friend, Mei, put together the music playlist. Apparently she grew up (in Michigan) listening to Canto Pop, to my surprise. She insisted that we play this music. It all ties in with the Hong Kong we’re nostalgic for.
What’s next? Are you going to keep evolving this idea or are you going to try a bunch of different things?
The plan is to find a permanent home for Needle. In order for us to truly live out our vision, we need to plant our roots and become part of a community. In the meantime, I’ll be R+D’ing more recipes and dish ideas. Maybe do a few more events or just keep selling chili oil.
