Vietnamese Noodle House is a treasure trove of tasty delights. I dined there three times over the…read morecourse of a week and each meal was superb, as was the service. It was busy all three times I visited, but never seemed overwhelming. The staff is fast and efficient and the ambiance is straightforward, but enhanced by touches like a beautiful mural of a hand holding chopsticks reaching for a bowl of noodles.
My first meal (party of three) we had A4. (Steamed Pork) Dumplings, A12. Steamed Buns, N4. Creamy Udon Noodle Soup, N6. Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (Bún Bò Huế), and N8. Wonton Noodle Soup.
Each dish exceeded expectations. The dumplings were tender and flavorful and the steamed buns could be a meal themselves for light eaters. The soups were very substantial portions and provided complex, layered compositions of textures and flavors. The Thai tea was also very tasty. Ayumi provided friendly, attentive service and was a big help in explaining the menu to those in our party unfamiliar with Vietnamese cuisine.
My second meal (a different party of three) we had A2. Fried Crab Rangoon (Hoành Thánh Chiên), A3. Summer Rolls, A5. Crispy Chicken Wings, A10. House special Bánh Mì, and N7. Tom Yum Noodle Soup (Bún Lẩu Thái).
The Crab Rangoon actually tasted like crab, which was a first for me and a very pleasant surprise. The Summer Rolls were huge, about one-and-a-half the size served elsewhere and were very fresh, cold, and crisp. They were excellent. The Crispy Chicken Wings had a nice chicken flavor, but if you don't add a sauce, they might seem rather bland compared to wings elsewhere. The Báhn Mi was a delicious combination of opposites: warm and cold, rich and crunchy, savory meats and pâté and fresh veg; and the bread was perfect: crisp crust and spongy crumb. Finally, the Tom Yum Noodle Soup was also commendable. Vietnamese Noodle House excels at offering outstanding noodles in subtly flavored broths with delicious, fresh meats and vegetables. Riley was our server and she was very efficient, making sure our water glasses we were full and that we had everything we needed.
My third visit was solo and I ordered my meal as takeaway and sat at the bar enjoying an iced Vietnamese coffee while I waited for my food. It was very busy because the North Syracuse location is closed on Mondays. Aili provided outstanding, friendly service despite being pulled in several directions at once, covering both tables and the bar. I had the N1. Special combo Beef Pho (Phở Bò, see picture) with all five meats, including tendon and tripe; Sticky Rice Pudding (Che khoai môn); and the aforementioned iced Vietnamese coffee.
The pho was delicious. I had never had tripe not tendon before. Both seemed to be more about texture than flavor. The tripe was actually crunchy even though it wasn't fried and the tendon was very gelatinous, the exact opposite of what I expected. Neither was unpleasant, but having tried them, I have no need to have them again. The sticky rice pudding was a bit disappointing because it was so runny, but that might just be how that dessert is prepared everywhere. The flavor was very nice and it wasn't too sweet.
If you like Asian cuisine, I strongly recommend Vietnamese Noodle House. Every dish (and I tried them all) was delicious and the service was uniformly excellent.