Relish Noodle

184-186 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai
Visited 16th June 2010
I was talked into going to the Mika concert by a very excited Joey; surprisingly I enjoyed the flamboyant show and catchy pop tunes a lot more than expected. Before the gig started we strolled into Relish Noodle for an early dinner. Out choice was based upon the simple reason that it is conveniently opposite the 968 bus stop on Hennessy Road. Inside it was pretty basic setup with an open kitchen and single line of booths. For a 'local' style place it was pretty well decked out; simple, but clean and a touch of the funky with orange chopsticks matching the wall tiles.

The menu included a mix of different noodle dishes from places like Malaysia, Vietnam and regional China. As I hadn't had one in ages I went for a laksa with thinly sliced pork, while Joey chose la mian with chicken. We also snacked on honey glazed chicken wings and spring rolls. When my laksa arrived the first thing I noticed was that it stunk. The fish cakes floating in it were really strong and while tasting OK were just too pongy to be pleasant. The whole dish was really disappointing; the soup was watery and lacking spice and flavour, the meat was overly fatty pork-belly and the whole dish really needed some fresh herbs vegetables. Joey's soup noodles were better, but still just OK and she really wasn't impressed with the flavourless, shredded chicken they came with. The chicken wings were pretty tasty with an obvious honey flavour, though they were just too oily and the dripping fat was off putting. The couple of spring rolls we got were OK, but went soggy as dipping sauce was sloshed all over the plate. To drinks I enjoyed my coconut milk with jelly cubes, while Joey though her red been and coconut milk crush needed more than three red beans.

I obviously wasn't impressed with the food at Relish Noodles, but the service was just as bad. I can't speak Cantonese, but even I could pick up the rudeness in the manner and body language of the lady who served us. The only positive was that I didn't have to cough up too much coin to be served bad food by a surly woman; the total for both of us with drinks and snacks was $97. I had no preconceived ideas about Relish Noodles, but walked away disappointed; lucky Mika came through with the goods.