Noodlee fast emerging on the food scene in Cork.

Noodlee fast emerging 

on the food scene in Cork.

Beef Noodle

Great to get the opportunity to check out the food at rapidly expanding Noodlee the other evening. 

Noodlee is fast becoming known in the city and county. We dined at Noodlee UCC and they have another branch in Mahon. This month, restaurants are opening or have opened in Mallow, Carrigaline and Fermoy. Douglas, Ballincollig and Midleton will shortly see their newest stores open.  

An additional three stores are slated for Blackpool, Mayfield and Cobh, with discussions continuing for other locations. Oh, and it is not just in Ireland. They have also opened one in the UK, in Nottingham.

When I heard the name first, I thought it was an amalgam of noodles and Lee. But no.  Noodlee in Chinese culture means Chinese street food. Sunny Islam (left) is the company's Operations Manager and we met him the other night. He was keen to stress that Noodlee is more than a noodle bar – they offer an extensive array of Chinese dishes with vegan and vegetarian options available. 

And if you are in, do keep an eye out for the specials. They had three running last week and they included Chicken Zha Jiang for just a fiver!

Sunny was also very keen to let us know that their noodles are fresh and that that marks them out from other restaurants. The noodles are produced in a premises on Center Park Road. They are proud of their fresh noodles and that “you will always get the freshest tastiest meal” and that you’ll get it in double quick time, no contradiction here between fast food and good quality.

Besides, they support local. All their beef is 100% per cent Irish and their experienced Chinese chefs are helping train young Irish chefs.  

You often hear people talking about ethnic food saying that it is “dumbed down” for the Irish or European palate. Noodlee is of course conscious of this and their goal is to create Chinese food that is “as close as it gets” to the real thing. They are encouraged by feedback from their Asian customers “that it is 95% there”. 

So how does all this work out in practice? On an Irish palate? We would soon find out. The menu is extensive and comes under a number of headings. Under starters, you’ll find Chicken Yakitori and Steamed Edamame, a selection of Spring Rolls, and more. 

Singapore Noodle

Mains include Satay dishes, curries, stir-fries, Noodlee Specials and Set Meals. There are sides also of course, Vegan choices, and a few kids' meals, and drinks (all non-alcoholic).

We started with a Spring Roll, three pieces of crispy thin pastry rolled with chicken, carrots, green bean sprouts, green pepper and onions and served with a little tub of sweet chilli sauce.  A big thumbs up for that one, everything, the pastry and the filling and sauce just perfect,  the best Spring Rolls I’ve had in a long while.

Some of the mains allow choices of boiled rice or chips (fried rice for 60 cent extra) but we were keen to try the noddles and one of our picks was the Singapore Noodle with chicken and which consisted of the chicken, the stir-fried fresh noodles with eggs, onions, carrots, bean sprouts and scallions. This had a mild curry flavour, and the noodles certainly impressed as did the dish as a whole.

I hit the jackpot with my special, the Beef Pull Noodles with the in-house broth. Here the fresh white noodles stood out, especially as they absorbed the amazing broth. I was a little worried that the Pak Choi would be tough to eat but Asians seem to have a way with these and the Noodlee version was perfectly cooked and perfectly edible, both the green and white parts nicely crunchy and adding to the tender flavoursome meat. All in all, another winner on this wide-ranging menu.

So wide-ranging, one will have to return, maybe not to the Western Road venue (not that it would be a hardship) but to a Noodlee nearer home in Mayfield or Blackpool! Roll on Noodlee and roll out!

Cork Chinese food chain Noodlee announce €3m investment with up to 200 new jobs

press release

Cork Chinese food chain Noodlee announce €3m investment with up to 200 new jobs

Pictured at their flagship premises on Western Road is Noodlee owner Song Ye with Noodlee operations manager Sunny Islam. 

 

Authentic Chinese street food to take Leeside by storm with 15 store openings in 2023 

 

Popular local Chinese street food restaurant Noodlee has announced a €3m investment across Cork city and county as they are set to open 15 new stores of chain in the coming months, resulting in the creation of up to 200 jobs.

 

The major investment in Cork’s food and hospitality industry is part of a significant expansion by the brand, who hope to bring their authentic Chinese-style cooking and recipes to a broader Cork audience.

 

The decision to expand the brand further afield comes following the initial success of two of their stores – one located in Avenue De Rennes in Mahon, and the flagship store next to UCC on Western Road.

Three additional stores in Carrigaline, Fermoy and Mallow will open in the coming weeks.

 

Not to be confused as a noodle bar – Noodlee offers an extensive array of Chinese dishes that have been slightly modified to appeal to Irish and European taste pallets, with extensive vegan and vegetarian options available. They are also currently the only Chinese restaurant who offers fresh to order noodles.

 

Popular options currently include their famous authentic braised beef noodles and pulled beef noodles which are both served with their own special recipe house broth.

 

Each Noodlee recipe has been created and developed by Chinese chefs and aim to provide a healthy, nutritious, affordable alternative option to the conventional Chinese takeaway options and other fast food outlets in Ireland.

 

The restaurant’s concept was developed by owner Song Ye. Mr Ye is well known in Cork as a long-standing and highly respected restaurant owner – he is also behind the hugely popular Fudi and more restaurants in both Douglas and Blackpool.

 

Explaining the concept and ethos of Noodlee, he says:

 

“Noodlee in Chinese culture means Chinese street food and that’s exactly what we are pioneering in all of our Cork restaurants. We believe this is the future for Asian and Chinese cuisine – both in Ireland and internationally.  People have become increasingly more health conscious in recent years and Noodlee represents a healthier and affordable nutritious option for takeaway food.

“We have a long tradition of offering our customers affordable, tasty and high-quality food through Fudi and More and our existing Noodlee stores and that will continue,” he added.

 

“We will continue to maintain our highest standards of food and hospitality excellence and continue working closely with our Irish producers and suppliers for our high-quality poultry and meats,

“We’re very proud of this brand and we are excited to expand further and bring it to more local communities across Cork. Our goal was to create Chinese food that was “as close as it gets” to the real thing and our feedback from our Asian customers is that it is 95% there,

 

“We’re very excited to bring our latest stores to Carrigaline, Mallow and Fermoy this month and we’re currently recruiting for staff across our existing stores, you can apply by contacting info@noodlee.ie ), Mr Le concluded.

 

In addition to providing investment and employment opportunities across all of their Cork stores, both Noodlee and Fudi and more offer training opportunities for young Irish chefs.

 

Due to staff shortages in the hospitality industry, and a lack of availability of chefs familiar with cooking Chinese dishes, Song admitted it was difficult to find staff to make their dishes but says they  wanted to support the local economy in Cork by embracing the challenge of hiring staff with no experience and investing time to train them in the Noodlee way.

 

Song began hiring Irish chefs – specifically with the intention of training them to create their own authentic Chinese dishes. This is a policy he has successfully implemented, with Irish staff across all restaurants now skilled in recreating Asian dishes.

 

It is expected that Noodlee restaurants will open in Douglas, Ballincollig and Middleton shortly after their newest stores open, followed by an additional three stores in Blackpool, Mayfield and Cobh, with discussions continuing for other locations.

 

Mr Ye says that the long-term goal for the brand is to become an international franchise – with one Noodlee restaurant already in the UK, located in Nottingham.

 

For further information on applying for a job at Noodlee, visit info@noodlee.ie download the “myNoodlee” app to view their full range of Chinese dishes.