From the owner of Circle Sushi comes another Circle restaurant in North Fulton: Circle Noodle. This small noodle shop opened in Roswell in April 2017 and, unlike the numerous ramen joints that have opened in metro Atlanta over the past several years, it specializes in a different type of noodle: udon. Circle Noodle's extensive udon menu makes it unique to metro Atlanta (at least, at the time of writing this review). It merits a special trip if you're a fan of these thick wheat flour noodles.
You can find Circle Noodle in the Holcomb Bridge Connexion shopping center in between Foundation Social Eatery and Taqueria Tsunami. It's not far from Georgia 400 exit 7 (Holcomb Bridge Rd).
Unlike a lot of ramen restaurants in the Atlanta area, Circle Noodle is small and compact, sort of like a noodle shop you might find in Japan. This is a casual place and seating is limited to about 25-30 customers. The interior design is contemporary and very simple. There's a semi-open kitchen and a TV mounted just inside the storefront.
There are over 20 different kinds of udon on the menu. Most are priced at $9-16 each. They're categorized as modern (e.g. niku udon and kakuni udon, both featuring Berkshire kurobuta pork), traditional (e.g. kake - sanuki square-shaped udon), inaniwa (a thinner, smoother type of udon), and cold noodles (served chilled). Toppings, $1-3 each, include soft-boiled and poached eggs, grated Japanese yam, and horenso (blanched spinach). Along with udon noodles, Circle Noodle also offers a small assortment of apps ($4.50-8.00 each) like edamame and whole cucumbers pickled with Japanese plum and sushi vinegar, assorted tempura ($4-8 per order), and milkshake desserts ($5 each).
We tried the following:
Appetizers:
* Purple kari kari gyoza (8 pieces for $6.50) - hand-made crispy potstickers filled with ground pork, purple cabbage, and chives; wrapped in a thin dough
* Agedashi tofu ($4.50) - crispy deep-fried natural tofu served in tempura sauce and topped with green onion and grated fresh ginger
Udon:
* Carbonara (signature) udon ($14) - Parmigiano-Reggiano, bacon from Patak Meat Products, egg
* Chicken curry udon ($9) - fingerling potato, onion, chicken breast, shimeji mushroom
* Nabeyaki udon ($13) - noodle soup served in hot nabe (clay pot) with chicken, shiitake mushroom, spinach, onsen tamago (slow-cooked egg); served with a variety of tempura on the side
Dessert:
Green tea milkshake ($5)
In general, I thought everything was good. There wasn't a single item I didn't like and, while nothing in particular knocked my socks off (except for perhaps the green tea milkshake), I thought the dishes were solid all-around.
The purple kari kari gyoza is available in 6, 8, and 10-piece orders for $5, $6.50, and $8, respectively. These potstickers aren't served like you'd typically see. The dumplings become attached together as a part of the frying process. You'll see hints of purple from the cabbage. Our dumplings were savory, crispy in certain places, and came with a side of chili oil, which was yummy. If you like dumplings, these are worth getting.
The agedashi tofu was A-OK. Our order came with 4 decent-sized pieces of tofu, gently fried. This was a light dish and a nice shareable app.
The udon carbonara, which is a fusion dish, was surprisingly delicious. This was more of a pasta dish than anything with udon noodles serving as the pasta. No broth, just lots of cheese along with slices of bacon that have been cut. Patak Meat Products, which is where the bacon comes from, is a local meat seller that's been in metro Atlanta for decades. Overall, this is a rather tasty pasta dish where the smooth and chewy udon noodles make it distinct.
The chicken curry udon was hearty and comforting. If you're looking for a substantial meal, this is the one to get. Not only is the curry sauce (broth/stew) relatively thick and flavorful, but the bowl comes with plenty of chopped potatoes and corn too. It's hot and filling and seems ideal during cold weather. The curry's flavor is mildly sweet and robust.
Nakeyaki udon is Japanese comfort food. It's served in a clay pot. To me, the star of this dish is the onsen tamago. This is an egg slow-cooked at a relatively low temperature. The result is a soft, delicate egg with a smooth, velvety, and custard-like texture. The onsen tamago I tried was cooked to perfection. And of course, the udon noodles themselves were great too in the nabeyaki, curry, and carbonara varieties. They were fresh, soft, appetizing, and delectably chewy. Ask your server for shichimi, a Japanese spice mixture, available upon request. I like to add it to my udon.
The tempura served on the side included items like shrimp, okra, eggplant, and (I think) kabocha which is a winter squash (Japanese pumpkin). The tempura had a light, airy batter and was served with a dipping sauce (tentsuyu).
The green tea milkshake was outstanding. It was creamy and delicious. I highly recommend it.
Service was terrific. read more