Sept 29th was their soft opening, so I went to check it out. Everything from this point on is made in present tense reference because I was describing it in the moment:
It feels way more open (they took over what used to be a Pizza Hut) because of the lighter flooring & white-painted bricks. Obviously a little disorganized due to this is their first day; there wasn't a sign suggesting "seat yourself" or otherwise, but the owner (who also runs Happy Bowl in Ashland) waved his hand to do so. Also took a bit to get a menu- lots of tables around me are dirty even though they seem to have been vacant for a while.
The men running everything (only two people, which is nuts) have certainly been nice, though I've had to make some assumptions because it's hard to hear them- not to say the music is 'loud' per se, just that it's louder than how they've addressed me. It adds to the ambience, though, so once you've ordered the atmosphere feels homely. You get a paper menu that's front/back only; looks pretty good- & lots of GF options. (Only just got water 15 minutes after sitting down, could use work on that) It's a little weird, looking around at my table, that not all of them have chopsticks or napkins available (mine included)- all the condiments, sure (hoisin, shoyu, chili crisp, sriracha) & a display for "feedback for mgt? Scan the QR code"... but that's it. Seems inconsistent.
I ordered their Singapore Stir-Fried Noodles with chicken- more like they asked "with chicken?" I hadn't even thought of the protein & mostly didn't want to take up more time. Nice thing was it was rather quick- 10 minutes, maybe- fairly simple rice noodles with cabbage, carrot & (I think) onion with sliced chicken in a vibrant curry sauce. It's tasty, albeit salty, so the hoisin is a great touch of balance.
Bathrooms are, apparently, ONE long stall. Not exactly ideal for multiple people, but it works for me. There's, also, no personality to the space- again, 'not like that's a bad thing', but it's boring otherwise- just white walls & some cleaning supplies that didn't get put away (who leaves toilet bleach sitting by the toilet?).
The biggest drawback this place suffers from is time management- which I know, theoretically, will get better the longer it's around... but today seems especially slow. I, also, feel like having the multiple entrances makes it harder to flag staff down about seating... not like it's a bad thing, again, just feels disorganized... speaking of, do they want me to come up & pay like in Ashland? Am I supposed to wait for the check? Again, it's disorganized.
The single dish ran for $13.95- not bad for a pile (& I DO mean 'pile') of noodles! Including tip, it ran for $17 even. I imagine it'll be hopping & bopping once they find their groove- in the meantime, this was fun & I wish them well.