Perched on the corner across from the prime minister’s house in Sukhumvit Soi 31, Noodern stands three-story tall with a white, loft-like interior—a definite tick in the “modern” checkbox that inspires half of its name, the other being a nod to the wide range of noodle dishes available. Run by the same people behind pie shop Homework, this eatery also houses a small café counter displaying an assortment of cakes and baked goodies. For appetizers, the tender pork ribs spicy salad, comes with sizable chunks of melt-in-your-mouth pork ribs on a bed of parboiled stringy greens, sprinkled with fried dried shrimps and spicy sauce. Unfortunately, the result is as mixed as the dish. It’s supposed to be a yam dish, but turns out more like dry kao lao (think kuaw tiew without noodles) whipped up by a prik nam som-obsessed chef. It also features a confusing clash of flavors: the ribs are sweet, the dried shrimps salty and the sauce sour and spicy. The only memorable thing are the ribs themselves. The same goes for the dry noodles with tender pork ribs which, aside from the juicy meat, is a letdown. The noodles are just too dry, and a tad too light on the black sauce. But, just as we are about to give up on Noodern, the kuay tiew loom (noodle sheets with stewed pork, crispy pork, fried dried shrimps and cooked string beans) come to the rescue. Great for sharing, this DIY dish lets you choose which ingredients to wrap in your noodles. The real highlight, though, lies in the spicy sauce. If all that hotness makes you crave something sweet, forsake the cakes and opt for the refreshingly light young coconut ice–cream which is packed with pieces of real coconut meat. On the service side, the staff, while all smiling and obliging, don’t seem to know much about the food (our question regarding recommendations was met with a perplexed look), or proper service (once, our Coke came in a can without no offer of a glass). Still you’ll love this place if you are a noodle fan, enjoy quality meat (like the finger-licking tender pork ribs) and don’t mind shelling out for B75 a bowl of noodles. No corkage.
