When I have the occasional day off, I like to take the time to go to places I wouldn't ordinarily be able to get to when rushing around on a work day. Last week, I had such an opportunity, so decided to take mum out to lunch and try out Noodle Craft in Graceville, which I had on my radar since they had been listed on First Table.
We found parking underground which was convenient as we didn't want to return to a burning hot car. Other than us, there was only one table dining at lunch, but it was a workday, so perhaps that's understandable.
Originally we were provided with an English menu but I noticed options were a bit different off the Chinese menu I read online, so I asked for a Chinese menu. Ordering was done at the counter. Staff were friendly and helpful
Drinks wise, I had a mango green tea and mum had the taro milk tea. Both were fine, they weren't up to the quality you would expect of a specialised bubble tea shop but by no means were they bad. My mango green tea was refreshing and not overly sweet.
Starting off with our smaller dishes, this was the pork and fennel dumplings. They were freshly fried with a small skirt around them. The ingredients were fresh and there was a bit of meat juice in it. I didn't mind it at all.
Mum wanted the cumin lamb chinese hamburger so we ordered that. Usually I'm not a huge fan of chinese hamburgers, but this one is definitely one I loved. The lamb was well seasoned and thinly sliced (notably other places use mince). The sliced lamb complimented the flaky pastry well and it was really delicious without being too spicy.
I had a recommendation from Brisvegustation to try out their oil splashed noodles. I opted for the two in one flavour bowl, comprising of tomato and egg as well as spicy pork mince. The bowl was deceptively big even though it didn't look that way. There was a generous portion of noodles and enough toppings to keep every mouthful flavoursome. I also really appreciated the texture of knife cut noodles, being thick on one side and thinner and wavier on the other. There was a distinct chewiness in them that you would also not be able to get from noodles that weren't freshly made. We ended up not being able to finish it all and took some home for dad who also really enjoyed it.
Our other bowl was the beef noodle soup. This was a delightful rendition with a deep and umami soup, tender but chewy noodles and beef brisket pieces that were fall apart soft. If anything there could have been a little bit more beef on top, but it was fine for commercial standards. I would rate this as just as good as options you could get at Sunnybank.
We had an enjoyable meal at Noodle Craft. The food was well executed and the service was fantastic. If the location were a bit closer to home, I would definitely come back more often.
Price Range: $20 - $25pp (with the first table discount)
Taste: 8.5/10
Value: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Environment: 7/10
