Restaurant review: Zoodles of flavour

The Zoodles Box

Zoodles
Food: Good
Service: Quick
Ambiance: Quirky

Walk into Zoodles and you'll definitely flash a smile in an instant. Its walls sport caricatures that include everyone from Kung Fu Panda slurping up a cup of noodles, to a samurai scaring enemies off with what seems like a pair of butter knives, and other eccentricities. Add to this, endearing quotes and ridiculous puns, and Zoodles lifts the mood, nicely.

The Zoodles Box is meal in itself

The décor has a dash of drama too - an open kitchen, with a clear glass separating us from the chefs. Besides, we like that at this quick-service restaurant, you approach the cashier to place your order, pay up, and enjoy your meal.

The Thai Green Curry with Chicken was a deligtfully done accompaniment. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Soon, a server lays out bright orange plastic plates. Minutes later, our starter, piping-hot Red and Crispy Mixed Vegetables (Rs 170) arrives. It is crunchy, piquant, and the dish lives up to its name.

Zoodles' interiors are high on the quirk factor.

We only wish the spices don't overpower the vegetables such that we are not sure which vegetable we are biting into.

Egged on by its interiors, we get a bit experimental with our mains, and plumb for the Fiery Red Fried Rice (vegetarian - R165), and Thai Green Curry with Chicken (Rs 210). Both orders come in generous portions. The Fiery Red Fried Rice has a top layer of spicy sauce and without an accompaniment too it tastes yum. Mixed with the milder Thai Green Curry, this odd combination actually works beautifully.

With portions too large for two (with an average appetite), we're stuffed and pack away the rest. But we lure towards the desserts, with lines like, 'Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first'. We order the only option on the menu (ironic given the line they use to advertise it), the Chocolate Brownie Cubes (Rs 50).

When they say 'cubes', we picture a small portion. Again, we're surprised by the generosity. A plateful of cubed brownies arrives; it has a spongy consistency. It tastes more like cake, and less like a brownie, though. Not overtly sweet, it lines the palate well after a meal filled with lemongrass, green and red chillies, ginger garlic, soya sauce and other Asian herbs and spices.

We take-away a 'Zoodles-Box'; this is a meal in itself. With four options to choose from, we opt for Samurai's Teriyaki (Chicken - Rs 195) and are given the option of rice or noodles, we pick the former. The dish is laced with a ginger-garlic garnish that tingles the lips on first bite. The dish, once again, is spicy, yet delicious. We also take-away a portion of Fried Hakka Noodles (Vegetarian, Rs 155), and Vegetable Roundels in Chilli Soya Sauce (Rs 175). These vegetarian options seem milder, yet taste just as flavourful.

The take-away is well packed to ensure no food spills, and an added bonus - 10% off on all take-away orders. We only wish the dishes had come clearly marked on the container itself.

At: 4-5, Ground Floor, building no 2, New MHADA Co-operative Housing Society, opposite Oshiwara Police Station, Andheri (W).
Call: 26300000

Zoodles didn't know we were there. the guide reviews anonymously and pays for its meals