Michael's Noodles

Tucked away from interstate highway 270 and off the grid of Big Box Central (i.e. Rockville Pike), Michael’s Noodles is a wonderful welcome of authentic Chinese-Taiwanese style cooking. Don’t be fooled by its sad location in a strip mall sandwiched between corporate campuses – those employees are oh so lucky to have Michael’s as a lunch option.

Situated in the corner of the lot, the small restaurant fits a grand round family-style table and several square ones for smaller families, and its extensive menu should satisfy any palette. The menu may resemble that of many Chinese restaurants, but blend two of China’s best cuisines under one room: Taiwan and Sichuan. Its chefs also hail from Taiwan and Sichuan province, and all love to pile on garlic into their dishes, but in a good way.

The traditional Taiwan-style beef noodle soup with bok choy and sautéed baby clams are extremely flavorful. An appetizer of peanuts with dried fish is a crunchy, salty house specialty that is unlike any other dish found in Americanized Chinese restaurants. All meat dishes come prepared in sauce balanced with vegetables, such as mushrooms and bok choy or spinach and tender bamboo shoots, in a well-presented plate. Its dim-sum menu is light on oil and served with the rest of the meal, not as a rolling cart. Hot tea comes served in large cups, rather than the tiny traditional tea sippers.

As Chinese restaurants go, family-style is the only way to divide food, which makes it perfect for families and children. Kids get bonus attention, especially if they smile and answer the questions asked by the wait staff (“How old are you? Did you eat enough?”).

The restaurant itself is kept fastidiously clean, decorated simply with a mural painting and fake orchids, a beaded curtain to shield the bathroom from the restaurant. Service is spectacularly quick. The wait staff always welcomes Chinese speakers with a smile, even if it’s a half-attempt to practice your language skills, and they will kindly respond in Chinese if you try. Even if you don’t, English-speaking patrons are welcome too.

HelloMetro Tip: Even the staff will agree: the best dishes are not the Americanized ones (ie shrimp toast, Shanghai rolls, General Tso’s Chicken). For a true epicurean experience, be adventurous and ask the waitress for some suggestions of their best Taiwanese-style dishes.

- by Rin-rin Yu, Washington Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Rin-rin Yu

Rin-rin is an award-winning writer and journalist based in the Baltimore-Washington area. Her work has appeared in China Daily, DAYSPA magazine, Luxury Home Design, Aquatics International, Not For Tourists and other publications. Rin-rin has also worked for ABC News, WHDH-TV (NBC) in Boston and Hanley Wood Business Media. She has a master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She is an avid world traveler and maintains a travel blog, www.mytravelhats.com.