Chongqing Noodle House

After a very busy week, the boyfriend and I finally were able to spend some quality time together one evening. We found ourselves in Richmond, with the original intent to go to G-Men Ramen but as usual, we couldn’t find parking. So, we went on the trusty Yelp and found Chongqing Noodle House not too far away! But this was the one time Yelp disappointed us lol…..

Chongqing Noodle House is located in a large plaza, with plenty of parking. Right next door, there was a restaurant with the similar colours and branding as Chongqing which we thought was amusing.

We like to eat dinner early because a) I don’t understand how people aren’t hungry after a long day at work, and b) we hate waiting in lines. The restaurant wasn’t full when we arrived, but it filled up throughout out meal.

The inside is pretty clean and not crowded, which is something I always appreciate. Dining out should be comfortable, not crowded and continuously being interrupted by other customers trying to squeeze their way past you!

Spicy beef noodle soup: My go-to! I ordered this half spicy due to my  stomach problems. Even though I love my spice, I gotta make sacrifices for health. The initial first bites were delicious, and then it sorta went downhill from there. The soup was very salty and did not have much depth to it. It tasted like MSG water with a ton of spice.

Then, the spice numbed my tongue in an odd way… not like a fire-y and hot way, but more of a numbing feeling like after the dentist. The boyfriend felt the same way with his bowl, and after Googling it, we found out it was due to the Sichuan peppercorns. Never again.

Don’t remember what the boyfriend ordered, but he did not enjoy his noodles either. He also found the soup to be very flat and salty only. I guess you can already tell from the broth and how clear it is, although yes, I know that sometimes clear broth could be tasty.

Remember the numbing tongue feeling I got? Well, it was double the unpleasantness for him because he ordered full spice! But we were both troopers and finished our bowls. At the end of it, our mouths were just very parched from all the salt, and also tingly from the Sichuan peppercorns.

Just like leaving the dentist office after they numb you, but to a lesser extent.

Nay!