Char Kuey Teow @ Noodle Factory

i’ve searched high and low for a good plate of char kuey teow all over dubai. ‘good’ here means it at least look and taste at least half as delicious as the ones we have in penang or ipoh.

…and then i found the char kuey teow at ‘noodle factory’ in dubai marina mall.

 

 

* * *

 

 

hmm. ‘noodle’ seems to be a favorite name for a chinese restaurant, yah? i’ve been to a ‘noodle house’ in madinat jumeirah, ‘noodle box’ at yas island abu dhabi, and of course our favorite chinese restaurant in dubai, the ‘noodle bowl’ in satwa with the ipoh chef.

noodle house, noodle box, noodle bowl – and now ‘noodle factory’. this one is in dubai marina mall, which is just a few minutes drive from our place. it’s on the ground floor near waitrose.

 

 

the interior is simple, but what caught my eyes were these two lines of bowls with chopsticks in them – all lined up on a shelf on the wall. simple, but nice.

also interesting is the ‘’aquarium-like’ kitchen where the cooking area is very much visible to all the patrons of the restaurant. the boys were fascinated with the fire that comes up from under the spider-burns as the chef stir-fried our char kuey teow!

 

 

* * *

 

 

in the ‘noodle factory’ menu, the char kuey teow is listed as cooked with beef. we requested a change. mine with chicken, and mr. khairul’s with prawns.

the result is indescribable. for someone who LOVES char kuey teow but couldn’t fine any in dubai – this is heaven-sent! alhamdulillah. the taste is not totally similar to the ones in penang, and it could be less dry – but at least this is the closest we’ve gotten.

simply put : it’s a GOOD plate of char kuey teow. how good? we’re definitely coming again for our fix next time!

 

 

we also ordered this generous plate of sweet-sour chicken. it’s sweet and delicious, but the texture of the chicken could be improved. it’s a little tad on the hard side. should be tender, right?

the fragrant steamed rice that accompanied the dish was the perfect partner.

 

 

 

anyone noticed the bowl and plates? so lawa kan! i want black plates and bowls like these! so elegant and classy!

by the way, the char kuey teow was not as spicy as he would’ve liked it, so mr. khairul asked for this small bowl of soy sauce with cut-up chilli. excellent addition.

 

 

* * *

 

 

dubai marina mall overlooks the marina, so it was actually nicer to eat out while enjoying the occasional sight of expensive yacht passing by. however, the weather was not as nice – too warm to be eating hot-steaming chinese food outside.

however, the boys went nuts afterwards, running towards the water fountain to get themselves wet. this is my favorite type of water fountain – it’s simply water spurting out from the ground, without any pool or barrier – and they have this type along ‘the walk’, jbr (jumeirah beach residence).

so the boys could just walk in the middle of the ‘fountain’ and have water spraying all over them! their bapak would go berserk at them for wetting the car-seats, but it’s fantastic to do, especially during this warm summer!

 

 

* * *

 

i’m already counting the days till the next time i can have that plate of char kuey teow again…