{"id":55421,"date":"2024-11-09T19:11:31","date_gmt":"2024-11-10T01:11:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=55421"},"modified":"2026-04-05T14:09:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T20:09:11","slug":"noodle-works-albuquerque-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=55421","title":{"rendered":"Noodle Works – Albuquerque, New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/a>
Noodle Works on Wyoming Just North of Academy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“To witness the birth of a noodle is a glorious thing. <\/em>
\nI have listened, spellbound, as an 85-year-old noodle chef in Beijing <\/em>
\ntold me why the act of making noodles helped him make sense of the world<\/em>.”
\n-~Terry Durack, Noodle<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the movie Mr. Nice Guy<\/strong><\/a>, martial artist cum actor Jackie Chan portrays a\u00a0 chef with a successful television show.\u00a0 In the movie’s opening scene, Chef Jackie is presiding over a flour-dusted table, stretching, twisting, and pulling a piece of dough into fine strands of noodles, a process the TV host can only describe as “alchemy.” \u00a0 For the culinary obsessed among us, that was the highlight of the movie, all the “special effects” we needed.\u00a0 Later on, Chef Jackie would be stretching, twisting and pulling a drug lord and his syndicate in much the same manner as he did the noodles.<\/p>\n

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The Interior of Noodle Works<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There’s something almost mystical about the artisan process of pulling noodles by hand.\u00a0 Certainly for the onlooker, it’s entertaining to the point of being mesmerizing.\u00a0 It’s not prestidigitation in that there’s no sleight of hand to deceive you.\u00a0 It’s sheer brilliant mastery of an time-honored craft.\u00a0 It’s performance art and scientific precision in one.\u00a0 Learning to repeatedly stretch dough to produce hundreds of thin strands requires months of intensive training under the watchful eye of a master.\u00a0 During this rigorous training, aspirants should expect to do nothing but making and pulling noodles all day long.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Pork Scallion Dumplings<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In China,\u00a0 chefs who have mastered the art and skill of pulling noodles are held in high esteem, both as culinary and performance artists\u00a0 (I would certainly be regarded as a buffoon, jester or maybe even Pho Kup<\/strong><\/a> were I to try pulling noodles). The dough has specific flours and oils and the temperature has it be right or it won’t pull.\u00a0 Noodle masters repeatedly stretch and fold a cylinder of dough then multiply it into progressively thinner strands.\u00a0 It\u2019s a principle and aesthetic similar to a pizzaioli forming a large pizza dough (something else I couldn’t do without risking personal harm).\u00a0 The fresh noodles are prepared in a broth and served in sundry ways, most commonly in a soup.<\/p>\n

Peruse the Noodle Works menu and you’ll find several dishes are named after Lanzhou, a Chinese city known for its noodles.\u00a0 Lanzhou is home to more than 1,000 beef noodle restaurants with a distinct culinary culture centered around different types of noodles, all hand-pulled. \u00a0 Until rather recently, Duke City diners had to travel to Las Vegas, Nevada or Los Angeles to enjoy the performance art of creating delicious noodles whose lineage can be traced back to Lanzhou.\u00a0 Then in 2019, the Fun Noodle Bar<\/strong><\/a> and the Iron Cafe <\/strong><\/a>launched.\u00a0 Both feature culinary acrobatics, the deft transformation of a clump of dough into hundreds of silken noodles.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Green Onion Pancakes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A third Duke City restaurant specializing in Lanzhou-style noodles launched amid the pandemic and myriad restaurant restrictions.\u00a0 Located in the North Towne Plaza on Wyoming just north of Academy, Noodle Works may be new (July, 2020) to Albuquerque, but as with the Fun Noodle Bar, is the younger sibling of a restaurant which got its start in Texas.\u00a0 In the case of Noodle Works, its elder sibling is Noodles & Dumplings<\/strong><\/a> out of El Paso, which isn’t elder by much, having launched in April, 2019.<\/p>\n

From the shaded patio and its handful of tables, you’ll have to use your imagination to marvel at the hand-is-quicker-than-the-eye dexterity of the noodle chefs who make all noodles fresh to order in an exhibition kitchen.\u00a0 What you won’t have to imagine is the intoxicating aromas of a sizzling stir fry dish that waft gently toward you from the kitchen.\u00a0 Even more than the menu, those aromas might just help make your decision as to what you should order.\u00a0 Regardless of those aromas, you should study the menu.\u00a0 It’s a veritable trove of deliciousness listed in several sections: Popular Items, Appetizers, Noodles\/Wontons, Dumplings\/Bun, Entrees, Fried Rice\/Noodles and Desserts.<\/p>\n

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Shredded Pork in Garlic Sauce Over Noodles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

25 July 2020<\/strong>: Chinese legend has it that explorer Marco Polo missed scallion pancakes so much that when he returned to Italy, he tried to find a chef willing to make the pancake for him.\u00a0 A Neapolitan chef is said to have accidentally created pizza by putting the scallion pancake filling on top rather than inside the dough then adding cheese.\u00a0 Culinary historians long ago debunked this legend, but agree similarities between scallion (green onion) pancakes<\/strong><\/em> and pizza do exist.\u00a0 For one thing, Chinese pancakes are round in shape.\u00a0 For another, they’re sliced into wedges. It should also be pointed out that though they’re called “pancakes,” there’s little similarity between what denizens of the fruited plain call pancakes and what Chinese call pancakes.<\/p>\n

Typically savory, Chinese pancakes are traditionally fried and have a crispy and crunchy crust with scallions sandwiched between layers of pastry inside.\u00a0 Eight wedges per order will make them a very popular appetizer option at Noodle Works.\u00a0 The green onion pancakes arrive at your table fresh, hot and inviting with a golden hue punctuated by the neon green of fresh onions.\u00a0 Instead of a more common soy based dipping sauce, the pancakes are served with a chili oil that just doesn’t have much bite.\u00a0 Considering the pancakes were very lightly salted, they could have used a little help.\u00a0 My Kim asked for the restaurant’s plum sauce which actually went quite well with the pancakes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Westland Beef Noodles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

25 July 2020<\/strong>: Pork scallion dumplings made for a much better appetizer.\u00a0 Get them fried instead of boiled and they’ll arrive at your table with a brittle umber tuile connecting all eight of them.\u00a0 Yes, each order rewards you with eight pork scallion dumplings<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Best of all, they’re soup dumplings which means you’re well advised to exercise a bit of caution when you bite into them.\u00a0 Start by nibbling a corner, just enough so you can sip (not slurp up) the soup.\u00a0 That way it doesn’t scald your tongue\u00a0 Then you can eat the remainder.\u00a0 Both the pork and scallions are terrific.\u00a0 As with the green onion pancakes, the dumplings are served with a rather insipid chili oil.<\/p>\n

25 July 2020<\/strong>: We’ve come to the portion of this review in which a public service announcement is probably necessary.\u00a0 Diners at Noodle Works should be aware that portion sizes are probably double what you get at most restaurants.\u00a0 Neither my Kim nor I made a significant dent in our entrees which turned out to be a good thing because those entrees were even better the following day when flavors had fully penetrated.\u00a0 Ingredients on my Kim’s entree, shredded pork in garlic sauce<\/strong><\/em> (julienne carrots, green and yellow peppers, woodear mushrooms, scallions and chili) over flat noodles proved the perfect complement to tender, shredded strips of pork in a sauce that might best be described as piquant with a hint of garlic.\u00a0 Okay, it wasn’t that piquant or my Kim wouldn’t have been able to enjoy it so much.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Chocolate Buns<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

25 July 2020<\/strong>: Leave it to me to order a menu item about which very little information seems to exist online–the curiously named westland beef noodles\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>(the menu also lists westland chicken noodles and westland lamb noodles).\u00a0 We surmised the wide, flat noodles might be called “westland” because the dish is a sort of “Italy meets China” fusion (insert another Marco Polo legend here) of ingredients. \u00a0 Red, green and yellow peppers as well as white onions are probably as common in Chinese food as they are in Italian cuisine, but tomato sauce skews heavily toward Italian food.\u00a0 Noodle Works creates its own tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes which they season in a manner not entirely unlike some Italian dishes.\u00a0 Shredded cabbage is perhaps the most Chinese outlier and it’s probably the least flavorful.\u00a0 This is stir fry fusion magic at its best, a dish you could enjoy whether you’re in the mood for Chinese or Italian food.<\/p>\n

5 September 2020:\u00a0 <\/strong>In many regions of China,\u00a0 locals subscribe to the custom of making steamed buns to celebrate the Spring Festival, China\u2019s Lunar New Year. The steamed bun (bao) is the symbol of reunion and happiness and is also used to pray for favorable weather and prosperity during the coming year. Steamed buns, which can be sweet or savory, are often made into different shapes<\/strong><\/a> that represent each of the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac (for example, in 2020, the “Year of the Rat,” steamed buns were fashioned into cute, fluffy, edible rats).\u00a0 Steamed buns have been part of China’s culinary culture for nearly two-thousand years.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Pork Scallion Bun<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Along with a variety of dumplings, Noodle Works offers several types of steamed bun.\u00a0 Deciding which to order is always a challenge.\u00a0 A very safe bet is the pork scallion bun<\/strong><\/em>, served four to an order on two-tier bamboo steamer baskets in which the bun are actually steamed.\u00a0 Wisps of that steam are released into the air when you open the top tier of the basket, an aromatic introduction to the deliciousness that awaits.\u00a0 David Chang, a Chinese restaurant impresario describes steamed buns as: \u201cThey\u2019re just our take on a pretty common Asian food formula: steamed bread + tasty meat = good eating<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 That’s an apt description for the pork scallion buns, about the size of a “slider,” but wholly different and thoroughly satisfying.<\/p>\n

5 September 2020: <\/strong>According to one Chinese legend, some five millenniums ago, a deity bestowed the world with natural treasures including medicinal mushrooms.\u00a0 The shiitake mushroom was believed to provide aphrodisiacal qualities and is a symbol of youthfulness and virility.\u00a0\u00a0 While the Chinese still view mushrooms as “storerooms of the powers of healing,” Americans have begun to prize them for their umami which the New Yorker<\/strong><\/a> describes, “that deep, dark, meaty intensity that distinguishes seared beef, soy sauce, ripe tomato, Parmesan cheese, anchovies, and mushrooms, among other things.”<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Mixed Mushrooms Beef<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to the Mushroom Council<\/strong><\/a>, “all mushrooms are a rich source of umami and the darker the mushroom the more umami it contains. Widely available mushrooms with the most umami: shiitake, portabella, crimini and white button<\/em>.”\u00a0\u00a0 Noodle Works’ mixed mushrooms beef<\/strong><\/em> dish is a treasure trove of umami with a blend of umami-rich mushrooms that enhance and complement the flavor of the beef.\u00a0 This “wok of life” dish is absolutely perfect, needing absolutely no noodles or rice to sop up all the meaty flavor.\u00a0 There’s enough variety from the two or three piece of broccoli and carrot slices, but mostly there’s umami and you can never have too much of that.<\/p>\n

5 September 2020:\u00a0 <\/strong>Though your humble blogger will happily eschew noodles and rice when mushrooms and beef are available, my Kim (and our debonair dachshund The Dude) love noodles.\u00a0 For her, Noodle Works’ Chinese fried noodle<\/strong><\/em> dish is comfort food, a balm for her appetite.\u00a0 Tangles of long, chewy noodles; julienne carrots; crispy cabbage; and pearlescent onions in a deeply satisfying sauce are the essence of Chinese deliciousness for my bride.\u00a0 As during our inaugural visit to Noodle Works, neither of us was able to polish off even half of what we ordered so we were able to enjoy our dishes the following day when flavors were even more improved if that’s possible.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Chinese Fried Noodle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

25 July 2020<\/strong>: Three dessert dishes–chocolate bun, cheese bun and milk bun–are available should you have any appetite remaining.\u00a0 When you use the term “bun” in Asia, you’re typically talking about steamed buns, a very popular festival food, particularly for Chinese New Year.\u00a0 Steamed buns are a delicious, warm, fluffy treat of stuffing wrapped inside a sweet, white dough.\u00a0 That’s what we expected when we ordered chocolate bun<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Instead of steamed buns, three donut hole-like obs sprinkled with sugar arrived at our table.\u00a0 Bite into them and a molten chocolate deliciousness is released.\u00a0 They’re good, but not what we were expecting.<\/p>\n

26 September 2020<\/strong>: Orange chicken is believed to have been inspired by Hunan cuisine in China.\u00a0 Made specifically for Chinese restaurants in America, purists denounce it as “not an authentic Chinese dish<\/em>.”\u00a0 They argue that Hunan dishes are typically spicy and sour, not sweet like orange<\/span>\u00a0chicken<\/span><\/strong><\/em> stir-fry.\u00a0 The counter argument is that orange chicken is true to Hunan cuisine because the main flavor dominates the dish and it is very fragrant.\u00a0 Whatever your perspective, you can’t argue that orange chicken isn’t delicious.\u00a0 At Noodle Works, each piece of boneless, skinless chicken breast is at about a bite in size.\u00a0 Dredged then fried until golden and crispy, it’s imbued with personality courtesy of chili flakes and orange peel.\u00a0 Have it with noodles and it’s even better.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Orange Chicken with Noodles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

9 November 2024<\/strong>:\u00a0 If you’ve been reading Gil’s Thrilling…for any length of time, you’ve probably read one of my lamentations about Chinese egg rolls.\u00a0 \u00a0Though egg rolls date back to ancient China, a “modern egg roll” (translation: Americanized) was invented at a New York City Chinese restaurant in the early 1930s.\u00a0 The recipe for this “modern” egg roll \u00a0included “bamboo shoots,\u00a0roast pork,\u00a0shrimp,\u00a0scallions,\u00a0water chestnuts, salt,\u00a0MSG, sugar,\u00a0palm oil, and pepper,” but notably did not include cabbage, which is the main filling ingredient in modern egg rolls.<\/p>\n

There don’t appear to be any hard and fast rules about the construction of Chinese egg rolls.\u00a0 That seems to apply even to what they’re called.\u00a0 At Noodle Works, they’re called “spring rolls<\/strong><\/em>,” a term often reserved for rolls constructed in thin flour or rice wrappers.\u00a0 Spring rolls are usually not fried as they are at Noodle Works.\u00a0 Ingredients on the Noodle Works spring roll include cabbage, carrots, onions, green beans, tofu, vermicelli and mushrooms in a deep-fried crispy roll.\u00a0 Six rolls per order are served with an insipid “candied” sauce.\u00a0 Thankfully the condiment caddy offers a chili, a much better alternative.\u00a0 These spring rolls are reminiscent of egg rolls we’ve had at Thai and Vietnamese restaurants, preferable by far to the “usual” Chinese egg roll.<\/p>\n

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Spring Rolls<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

9 November 2024<\/strong>:\u00a0 Hot\u00a0 and sour soup along with egg drop soup are de rigueur offerings at most Chinese restaurants where a cup of one or the other is typically served with an entree on restaurant specials.\u00a0 The fact that hot and sour soup<\/strong><\/em> was posted on a board listing the day’s specials intrigued me.\u00a0 Just as intriguing was the listing of ingredients (edible tree fungus, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and tofu).\u00a0 If the notion of eating “tree fungus” even if prefaced by “edible” gives you a queasy stomach, you might opt for the more benign egg drop soup instead.<\/p>\n

This is a hot and sour soup with personality.\u00a0 It’s not especially sour, but it packs a definite punch.\u00a0 Not piquant as a chile would be, it relies on ginger and white pepper for that punch.\u00a0 Chinese black vinegar lends sour notes.\u00a0 In New Mexico, Chinese restaurants offering hot and sour soup seem to use dried wood ear and shitake mushrooms, both cut into small pieces.\u00a0 Noodle Works’ version is brimming with full-sized mushrooms of several varieties.\u00a0 Tofu inherits the flavors of other ingredients.\u00a0 It’s a soup most fire-eating New Mexicans will enjoy.<\/p>\n

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Hot and Sour Soup<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

9 November 2024<\/strong>:\u00a0 If you’ve ever asked yourself why some Chinese food is so “shiny” (as pictured below), the answer is corn flour or corn starch which is commonly used as a thickening agent in Chinese cooking.\u00a0 Corn flour helps create a glossy texture and enhances the consistency of Chinese dishes.\u00a0 Sometimes \u00a0a relatively small amount of cooking oil poured over the finished food after it is placed in the serving dish.\u00a0 This practice also gives Chinese food its sheen.\u00a0 Okay, so you may not ever have asked why Chinese food is so shiny, but now you can stump your friends with this small bit of useless knowledge.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As the world’s largest producer of lamb meat, China has been consuming lamb for a long time due to its delectable flavor and texture. Most of the lamb meat is sold as fresh cut-up parts for cooking at home or in the restaurants in China.\u00a0 Stewing and hot pot are the two popular cooking methods for lamb in China.\u00a0 \u00a0As a lover of lamb (no baaad jokes here, please), it makes me very happy to find lamb dishes on the menu at Chinese restaurants.\u00a0 Among my favorites is Noodle Works version of curry lamb<\/strong><\/em> (stir-fried with onions, diced potatoes and carrots) even though you’ll need carrot-enhanced vision to find a single carrot in the version below (but you will see plenty of red and green peppers).\u00a0 Chinese curry has a milder spice level than Indian curry and it’s not nearly as sweet as Thai curry.\u00a0 It does have a unique and wonderful personality.<\/p>\n

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Curry Lamb<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even if you don’t get to watch a skillful master stretch, twist and pull noodles into hundreds of strands of pure delight, there’s a lot to like about Noodle Works, a Chinese restaurant as good as any in Albuquerque.<\/p>\n

Noodle Works<\/strong>
\n5901-S Wyoming Blvd., N.E.
\nAlbuquerque, New Mexico<\/strong>
\n(505) 990-0055
\nWebsite<\/strong><\/a> | Facebook Page<\/strong><\/a>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>:\u00a0 9 November 2024
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>: 25 July 2020
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 5
\nRATING<\/strong>: Very Good<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0Good to very good food; generally solid; delivers consistent quality, strong technique, and a comfortable, enjoyable dining experience
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>:\u00a0 Pork Scallion Dumplings, Green Onion Pancakes,\u00a0 Shredded Pork in Garlic Sauce Over Noodles, West Land Beef Noodles, Chocolate Buns, Chinese Fried Noodle, Mixed Mushrooms Beef, Pork Scallion Bun, Pork Ribs, Orange Chicken with Noodles, Curry Lamb, Spring Rolls, Fried Rice
\nREVIEW #1173 <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“To witness the birth of a noodle is a glorious thing. 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