It was as though we willed it to happen. One weekend, my boyfriend and I were lamenting the lack of decent sushi in Fairfield and the next, Noodle House whips out an enticing new menu of vegetarian and fish sushi. Way to mind-read, Noodle House!
Admission: we’ve only tried the vegetarian Tempura Tofu Rolls. But damn, they’re good. Unlike their tired predecessors at the Noodle House (you know the ones: rice, seaweed, a skimpy sliver of cucumber and avocado), the new veggie sushi is (dare I say it?) succulent. It’s generously stuffed with avocado, tempura tofu, cream cheese (can opt not if you’re vegan) and other yumminess. Each piece is a nice, fat mouthful in that Louie-Armstrong-cheeks way that leaves you satisfied at roll’s end.
The presentation is elegant–ceramic, sushi house-style plates–and each serving comes with traditional pickled ginger, rather than that woody stuff you’ll find by the water cooler. The new sushi maestro also seems to care a lot about his creations. He stops by to see how you’re enjoying the roll and genuinely takes feedback to heart (refreshing, in a world where surly waitstaff and feckless French fry servers are the norm).
Granted, I haven’t tried any of the fishy rolls. My man is vegetarian and I prefer to do my fish-binging in the company of other Pescatarians. So if you’ve tried the fishy rolls and want to leave comments below, have at it!
On a closing note, I’ll add that the veggie sushi comes sprinkled with black sesame seeds, which–according to a Chinese dude I met once at a Tai Chi class–fend off the growth of grey hair. Deep science here, folks! In any case, be sure to give those Tempura Tofu Rolls a try. They may not keep you youthful forever, but they’re a nice bellyful on a hot summer day.
[Christine Schrum writes stuff, for pleasure and for pay. Check her out on LinkedIn and Twitter.]
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we got some fishy rolls & didn't really like them–it appears & tasted like there was tuna salad in the tuna roll. each piece was a little too big–could barely fit in my pie-hole. i want there to be a good sushi place in fairfield, so i would like them to improve their sushi. each roll one had cream cheese–this isn't standard for sushi, is it?
My family ate at Noodle House tonight. It was the first time we've been there when they had the sushi menu.
I tried the Tempura Roll. It was OK. I'll probably never order it again and am leery of ordering any other item. Here's the problem for me: I lived in Seattle for 15 years. For $7.95 (the price of the Tempura Roll at Noodle House) I am used to getting a roll that is absolutely delicious. That's the price you pay at a neighborhood sushi joint whether you're in New York's Tribeca area or Seattle's International District.
If I had lived in Fairfield for say 10 years, maybe I'd appreciate the Noodle House sushi more, but for now, the stuff I make at home, while not the variety they have at Noodle House, is much better.
Having said that the Noodle House can kick out some excellent noodle and rice dishes. Their curries are very good imo. And I love how they'll throw things like sweet potatoes into a coconut chicken curry dish.
Someone could make a lot of money if they simply paid attention to what people want in this town – decent pizza, decent beer, decent sushi.
Thanks for the comments.
Will, I haven't lived in Fairfield for the last 10 years, and I've certainly dined beyond its parameters in places like San Fran and Chicago. I also spent half a year enjoying tempura shrimp, sashimi and sushi in Vancouver. What can I say? Tastes vary. Call me pedestrian, but I enjoyed that sushi, cream cheese and all.
Like I said, tho, I didn't try the fishy stuff. Canned tuna in sushi? Man, that's just wrong.
Retired banker and perpetual community volunteer, Dave Neff, has made noises about opening a micro-brewery and beer/wine bar in Fairfield. I think he's put that on the backburner because of the economy.
Tastes definitely vary – I had a veggie roll last week and found it to be delish. I'm veg too, so again, I can't compare to the fish, but I've had veggie rolls all over the place, Hawaii, Boulder, Iowa City, California, etc. (including cream cheese and mango up in Des Moines, wow) and it stood up to my experiences. I too loved the pretty ceramic plates it came on. While I was there I bumped into two people who were self-proclaimed "addicted" to the Noodle House sushi. And as someone said over on the other sushi post, it's definitely better than driving up to Iowa City to get a quick fix!
I've also heard the chef is going to take some training, so I'll be curious to see how he does over the next few months as he gets more practice and such. I'm glad they're here.
Heyyyyyy, is that CAVIAR I spy in the photo? That's not the veggie roll!
Sushi is creativity and really there is no set limitations on what is suppose to be in the roll. You can put whatever you want into it and give it a name. We're just trying to bring simple sushi to town because we too are lovers and did not want to run to Iowa city or Burlington to get it. We tried to be reasonable with the prices and they are lower then most places. We always spend over $50 bucks everytime we go anywhere for two people. We also tried to compromise with bigger portions, but we really appreciate your guys input and feedback always. Please do so in person also, so we can try to cater to your likings too. P.S.The Tuna and Salmon are fresh, not canned. We order direct and a week ahead so we can get it fresh, unfortunately since we do not serve raw fish, we do have to cook it and blend it so that it fits inside the roll. If there are any other suggestions, please let us know. P.S.S. I wish IOWA was closer to the ocean though like Seattle! Thanks again for trying our rolls though and as always we appreciate your patronage.
Hi Geena! Thanks for bringing your sushi to town!
I posted this link elsewhere but thought I'd share it here too since the discussion is really going! It talks about how authentic sushi is more about the chef using whatever ingredients are available at the time, being creative with their combinations, and educating their customers about why they made their choices for that day's menu. I really enjoyed reading it: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200906/sushi
Geena, thanks for your input. As I mentioned above, I love your veggie sushi and am now curious to try your other fishy options.
While it seems you have many veggie sushi fans, though, I wonder if Noodle House might need to offer a little more customer information on the "cooked" tuna and "salmon," since some diners were confused/put off. I've heard the canned tuna misconception a few times now.Maybe you need to let customers know the meat is cooked? Or, better yet, can you offer them raw, traditional-style? Are the risks too high? Just curious as to why that's not an option?
Again, thanks for bringing more sushi options to FF. The town has loved your restaurant for years, and we appreciate your efforts to bring us even more tasty options. Keep up the great work! (Also, love the new, upgraded decor!)
That is a good idea. I will have to notate on the menu or have something in writing that it is not canned. We have been telling people only verbally. I would love to have raw sushi, but that is down the road. We have to get it all approved by the health inspector and if I remember right, take classes for raw food prep/food safety in order to get that approved. We were waiting to actually see how this goes first so that if it does get a good response, we would be able to expand and bring in the whole raw sushi and bar to town and actually create a tranquil atmosphere where you can just lax and nosh. We're trying to sign up for raw sushi prepping classes in Aug or November. We want a great chef to teach us some new things so we're going to sign up for workshops in Montreal. Its way exciting but we just want to see if it goes well and worth us doing all that. Thanks a bunch Christine for your input and support!!
that was a nice read
I so wish you were open for both lunch and dinner. I'd be there several times a week for lunch if you had hours then.
I agree with you Will about the breaking up of the grains. My dad actually likes his sushi rice that way and its always been made that way at the Noodle so we don't fight him too much on that. Any day that we can get there before he makes the rice for dinner sushi, we make it our way -without folding it so much.
I'm glad that you love to eat at our restaurant and yes unfortunately we are unable to open for lunch due to our day jobs now. Hopefully some day we can launch our very own sushi restaurant along with the right ambience and actually having the whole menu and raw fish. I don't know when that will be but hopefully within a year unless we have another child, then we'll probably have to scrap the whole sushi thing. One 11 month is a handful as it is now. Thanks for patronage as always though. Have a great day!
I absolutely love The Noodle House! I think it's the best restaurant in Fairfield! Keep up the good work, but don't push yourselves so hard in doing so. You guys work so hard, and my family really appreciates it!
This is a really cool story you released on your website. I hope there is more till i come back next time. Then i wrote some hints about my fave record spinner to share with you. I released some news about one of my favorite musicians Schiller aka von Deylen and his new record release named Atemlos. Perhaps you like to check my stories.
I know this is completely off topic, but if you're ever in Chicago,
the place to go for cheap and outstanding sushi (especially creative
tempura sushi's) is Coast, in Wicker Park.
And I'm on a mission to be able to reproduce excellent sushi at home,
so if anyone's got tips, recipes, techniques, etc., leave notes here
please. And maybe we can create a post for do-it-yourselfers.
"decent pizza"? Are you kidding me? I've lived in Chicago and NY and the pizza at Revelations stands on it's own. We got more than decent pizza here.
For beer, you need to go to the Hy-Vee "Drug Town". They have Chimay, 1554, Mothership Wit . . . not as huge a selection as you'd find in say a Seattle or Portland area grocery store, but it does the job imo.
What I'd like to see is a natural foods pub. Where you could get free range grilled chicken sandwiches, natural beef burgers, excellent fries and beer. I thought Small Planet was going to be that place but their service sucked (food was decent) and they tried to expand into finer dining (mistake imo).
Revelations is great… when they are open (weekday lunches and Friday/Saturday night?) – and while a big one *might* cover two people, you certainly can't get a few boxes for a party. Plus you've got to fight and wait it out with the usual Rev's crowd.
Drug Town is the only place to get "eh, at least it's something" decent beer, but they close around 9pm – right about the time I realize that I'm going to need some beer for the evening. I may be a bit spoiled… I lived two blocks from the downtown Co-op in Iowa City, and three blocks from John's Grocery.
I have some plans for a pizza/beer place with a medium-sized stage (bridging the gap between Paradiso and the Civic Center), but my lack of business knowledge is preventing me from going further at the moment.
I agree with you about the hours and access – those need to be improved. Wanna eat out on a Sunday – forget about it.
Just ask the guy at Drug Town what you want – he'll order it. Have you tried the New Belgiums? The Chimay? It's as good as anything you'll get at a Seattle/Portland or Iowa City co-op.
I totally agree. We need a great beer place here in town (draft beer). I can get bottles anywhere, but that doesn't compete with a great draft (not to mention cool atmosphere, music, etc.). John's is great! The best prices we have found on the beer is at Hy-Vee in Rock Island, IL (beats Chicago & St. Louis and it is much closer).
For pizza though, I need wine. We would go to Revelations more if they served wine.
As an outsider, I agree that FF needs a live music venue to fill the gap between Paradiso and the civic center. A brew pub with good food and enough space to seat 125-150 people comfortably would be ideal. You could get more bands from Iowa City and Des Moines and other places if you had a slightly bigger venue and stage than the Paradiso.
The other thing FF is missing is a restaurant/bar with a patio where you can drink outside, that isn't on the sidewalk. It would be nice to sit outside with friends and sip margaritas or cold beer and enjoy the outside environment without people walking right by all the time. Does any place in FF like this exist?
Oh, I'm a big fan of Chimay – my old boss down at Overland Outfitters bought me one some five years ago. $12 for one bottle is a bit steep, and it's harder to share with friends (a few bucks more and I could get two 6 packs of something else).
New Belgium is pretty standard for my crowd of peers, and at risk of sounding like a total snob, it's kind of the baseline for things I'll drink.
I really just love variety, my big joy was going to the Co-op and getting a new bottle every single time.
Vancouver's sushi (and other foods) are pretty above average. So it says a lot that you liked the Noodle House sushi. Maybe I had an off night.
Yep I saw you go back there tonight! Good experience again?
Oops – um yes it is. It's the Tempura shrimp roll. Darn, I need a new photo.
Sadly for my sushi craving, I had to be at the KRUU benefit early to sell t-shirts and I realized I didn't *quite* have enough time to wait for a roll. I'm thinking tomorrow lunch, I'll let you know!
Yes the new decor (chairs and tile) and the Sky Factory ceiling look fantastic.
It just occurred to me that part of the perception issues are (most likely) due to the fact that it isn't a bar – people don't see all the ingredients sitting out and see their items being made like in most sushi restaurants.
I'm surprised… most of the people I talked to said that pizza and wine is not a combo people go for.
Nope! It's a shame… I think a rooftop bar would be amazing this time of year.
I'm glad I'm hearing this from other people – there's a strong market for these things, I think.
Revelations pizza is more like pizza from Italy (woodfire oven) – thin, fresh mozz, etc. In Italy, wine and pizza go together.
Now, a heavier "American" pizza… in my opinion, that is probably better with beer.
I wasn't thinking a rooftop patio, but it sounds good to me!
I was referring to Revelations and the other places that have tables outside, but are smack dab in the middle of the sidewalk. Something more set back from the sidewalk would be nice and if you could pull off a rooftop pation somewhere, I would be all over that.
I've tried the Noodle House sushi a few times and am always disappointed. I hope you keep working at it because I love sushi. If it were top notch I'd probably eat some of your sushi at least twice a month.
What I'd recommend:
1. Smaller portions. Unlike other foods, I don't want a big mouthful of sushi. Too much in a piece makes it harder to taste, and for me good sushi is all about that wonderful taste that can't be had with any other food. (I know I could take smaller bites, theoretically. But my chopstick skills aren't that good.)
2. Lower price…. which you could do if you had #1: smaller portions.
3. Better quality. This is difficult to quantify, but some observations:
(a) the sushi I tried was sometimes dry. (Perhaps it had been sitting too long?);
(b) I don't like cream cheese with my sushi and some of the rolls I tried ALL had cream cheese in them;
(c) somehow the maki rolls tastes "American" to me. Is it the cream cheese?
(d) the rice isn't high enough quality, or perhaps it's not cooked well enough. Either way, it seems mushy to my taste.
Geena, I'm thrilled you're making a go of it and I hope you continue. It just isn't quite to my liking yet.
Eddie
Thanks Eddie for you comments. Unfortunately we don't know how much longer it will last since we now have a baby boy to take care of and we both have day jobs. When I started this, it sounded and looked easy enough, but no so. Sushi takes a lot of time for prep and roll. I can't get a lot of the stuff I want because the companies that we use either don't have it or won't ship to Fairfield. Its also hard to compete with food that is already there in front of you off the main buffet and a lot of people don't have the time or patience to wait for sushi to be rolled. I know everytime I've had to wait for sushi in Burlington or 3 samurai-its been 30mins or more! An hour or more if they're busy.
On quality, I can guarantee its not the best quality because of course we don't live anywhere close to the ocean and then this is cooked fish, so its definitely going to be drier then raw fish. That is why we use cream cheese though in most of the rolls with fish, it helps the fish texture. If you prefer no cream cheese, you can order it that way. I am not sure exactly what you mean by "tasting American" but we use ingredients that everybody eats in all sushi places…at least that I've gone to.
Again thank you for your suggestions and comments, I will see if we can tweek anymore to your liking, but I'm not sure even how long I can do this. My hair is turning gray everywhere with all the stress from my normal day job and add an ornery 11 month old boy and a 2nd night job to that mix and I'm just drained at the end of the night!
We make sushi at home often and the veggie rolls we make are as good as anywhere I've had them in Seattle. We use sticky rice (steamed WITHOUT vinegar), fresh avocado, carrots and sprouts, and high quality nori. The easy thing to mess up is not letting the rice cool down before rolling – if you do it will harden the roll as it cools.
Mushy rice can be the result of breaking up the grains too much. This happens if you mix in vinegar and sugar into the rice after cooking (typical for sushi rice) and fold it in too much, breaking up the grain in the process (a mistake I made once).
Congratulations on your baby! Much more imporant than sushi.
I agree and Thank you!
Thanks Angela, can't say I don't like the food there either
Yes my parents are extremely crazy hard workers especially my dad and they do like to please the customers til no end. They're getting older and I try to help out as much as I can to help aleve the workload, but its not easy work. We appreciate that you appreciate us! Thanks!