One evening, we were on our way to an event and decided to stop by The Noodle Box. We were curious about this place because it always seemed busy and popular. There is a Noodle Box restaurants in Vancouver, but there seems to be a great many more in Victoria.
The interiors are nice--modern, though a little generic.
Shane ordered the Spicy Peanut Box with pork ($11). One thing I can say about this place is that the portions are HUGE. Two people could easy share a dish and be stuffed. The noodles were actually pretty tasty, with a not too overpowering peanut flavour. The coconut milk added a nice richness to the dish. However, the problem with this dish is texture. It's a gloopy mess. Fried noodles are supposed to be a little crispy and chewy, not overcooked and dripping in gluey sauce, as this was. You would not find this on any street corner in Asia.
I'm not sure why I did it, but I went for the "Tom Yum" with Prawns ($11). Again, this was really big. But see the red oil slick at the top of the container? Let me assure you that it shouldn't be there. It was a little unappetizing. I taste the broth. It is fine. Not great, but fine. The weird addition is the noodles. Why would you do this? This is unheard of in Thailand. The noodles again were overcooked and emitted that white starchy flavour that just ruined the broth. However, I can say that they were tremendously generous with the shrimp. These were huge, plump and pretty delicious.
I wouldn't say that the food here is bad--actually in many aspects they provide tasty meals. However, don't come here looking for any authentic Southeast Asian dishes.
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