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Five Noodle Bowls to Try at Mendo Affordable noodles with fusion twists in Xintiandi

By Adam Smith | Mon, Aug 7, 2017 04:30 PM

If you work in the Xintiandi area, often times it's a flip of the coin—order a cheap meal or take your chances with either one of the mall offerings or pricier dining options in the tourist destination. Well, this is where Mendo Noodle Bar comes into play.

Mendo is the latest addition to The House on Xingye Lu (located above El Luchador), and serves up a variety of noodle dishes from regions across Asia, mostly with a French-twist, seeing as it's operated by the same people behind Paris Bleu and Paris Rouge. More importantly, it's all for a very reasonable price for the area. Here’s what we tried:

French Style Vietnamese Beef Pho Bun (RMB58)

The standout here is the generous helping of pan-seared angus beef, slathered in a thick, sticky sauce which could easily be enjoyed on its own. It also comes with three spring rolls. The noodles rest on a bed of mint leaves, which add little flavor and could do without.

Chinese Beef Noodles (RMB42)

Mendo's take on Lanzhou Lamian, a Gansu Province classic. It's just as comforting as you’d expect, with fresh hand-pulled noodles and wafer-thin slices of peppery beef cementing this dish as one of China’s favorites. Their version has a thicker, more peppery broth than the ones you'd find on the street. It works well, adding more body and kick.

Spicy Pork Noodles (RMB45)

If it was possible to order an entire trough of the smoky, tangy minced pork topping of these wavy noodles, we would do so with gusto. The pork has a great balance of spice and sweetness, which makes the gratuitous pile of pickled cucumber much more tolerable. Despite being listed as “level 3” spicy on the menu, this is a decidedly mild option, but is still sufficient enough to clear out your sinuses.

Vegetarian Soba (RMB42)

Another gutsy attempt at reinvention. Traditionally served cold, this Japanese dish is instead fried, and it works well, resulting in the kind of simple, unfiltered pleasure you get with a street-side bowl of cōngyóu bànmiàn but with less of the greasy aftermath. The herbs are kept to a satisfactory minimum and the noodles are topped off with chunks of fried tofu which has that balanced texture of soft and crispy. Gluten-free.

Vietnamese Beef Pho (RMB55)

Mendo keeps it pretty traditional with their classic pho, served with thin strips of Australian beef and beef balls. The soup is a little on the light side, but the seasoning that is used is stellar, making for a perfectly salty, fragrant base to soak up with the chewy beef balls. An admirable attempt and good value for money.

Mendo also offers a limited variety of non-noodle dishes, such as their Japanese-style Chicken Curry Rice (RMB58) and their Thai Fried Rice with Duck (RMB48). They’re undercutting the prices of their more upscale neighbors by an almost criminal degree, whilst providing fresh and high-quality food, making this place a more-than-adequate pit-stop when you inevitably find yourself in Xintiandi.

Details

What: Mendo Noodle Bar

Address: No. 205, 2/F, No.5, The House, Xintiandi, 123 Xingye Lu (near Huangpi Nan Lu)兴业路123弄5号新天地新里205铺2楼 (近黄陂南路)

Tel: 6333-3603

TAG Noodles Xintiandi

Adam Smith Editorial intern for City Weekend Shanghai.

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