Noodlecat

Our new favorite activity, afternoon vacations...

Hannah and I decided to try this new concept for the first time last week and Noodlecat was the restaurant of choice!

Hannah had been dying  to go here for a while now, so she was super excited.  I was excited but I ate here for the first time during the Winterfest this year, where I was lucky enough to meet Jonathan Sawyer as he passed out spiced ciders outside.  He was super sweet and of course adorable.

This time we were able to take advantage of the Happy Hour, which apparently was voted Best Happy Hour in Cleveland by scene magazine.  They also made the list for Best New Restaurant.

The happy hour was for sure one of the best I have been to.  Our entire meal came out to like $23 bucks a person and that included two drinks each and all the yummy food we ate, and after you read on you will be thrilled as well.

We started with the drink special of gin and ginger beer, which I must say might be my new favorite drink, it went down so very smooth.  We shared the large size of the "Super Salad"  Yes that was what it is called but it really is Super.  It is by far the best salad I have ever had, I am craving it writing about it right now.

It was a salad of Kale, topped with adzuki beans, dry blueberries, green tea granola and ancient grains, garnished with mandarin oranges and avocado.  The dressing was light and full of flavor, sort of citricy.  It was sweet and salty, it was satisfying without being over dressed and it was filled with equal amounts of the all the ingredients which made it possible to enjoy all the flavors in every bite.  I was tempted to order another just to take home!  A must try at any first time visit.

Next we both ordered a Steam Bun, which is a special on the happy hour menu.  There are two that I can eat as a vegetarian.  We both tried the Tsukemono Pickle one.  My picture did not come out but it was super yummy.  The bun is a fluffy white flour bread that almost has a not all the way cooked texture but is so tasty.  It was stuffed with cucumbers, miso, mayo and sprouts.  A perfect bar food for us vegetarians at happy hour.

For our main dishes I went with the Tempura Veggie Plate.

Another winning dish.  It seems simple or overdone, but this was done just right.  It was tempura fried snap peas, mushrooms and veggie cakes.  I could have ordered two of these because it was so good.  The veggie cakes, not something I had before were crunchy on the outside and stuffed with veggies, like zucchini.  It reminded me of a potato pancake but sweeter with all the veggies.  I have also never had fried peas and they were delicious and the mushrooms were also a hit.  The dip also paired perfectly, it was very spicy but I just could not stop eating it.  Winning dish to share.

Hannah went with a small order of the Ohio Beef Brisket and Matzo Ramen.

Hannah enjoyed the dish.  It was chicken broth,brisket, a matzo ball, dill, carrots and surrounded by ramen noodles.

Hannah finished by enjoying a milk stout that the waitress recommended as a good choice for those people that don't quite enjoy stouts but are adventurous. 

She did not hate it, but I am not sure she believed it was far off from the stouts she knows she does not enjoy.  I am more of a stout lover and enjoyed the taste of this beer.  It was not nearly as heavy as a typical stout but did still have the bitter taste that may not be desired by some. 

I ended my meal with another gin and ginger beer and tried the dessert version of their Steam Buns.

A very creative dessert.  It was a chocolate peanut butter banana steam bun.  My favorite part of this dish was the shot of milk.  I am not a milk drinker but found it to really make the dish whimsical.  This was a perfect size dessert.  Large enough to satisfy your sweet tooth and small enough to not weigh you down.  Highly recommended!

Bottom line, Jonathan Sawyer got it right again.  Greenhouse is my favorite restaurant and Noodlecat is a close second.

Don't forget to stop by the Cleveland Clothing Company while here though and pick up something to show your support for our city, we did!