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Dining Out – Noodle Bowl Best Malaysian and Chinese Restaurant in Dubai

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Fancy a bit of authentic Chinese Cuisine?  Interested in sampling Malaysian Cuisine? Well you are in luck as we have just the spot for you. Noodle Bowl is Dubai’s most accessible Chinese restaurant   and certainly one of the best on offer. As far as Malaysian food goes, they are the best place for Malay and Chinese Malaysian Cuisine, hands down. 

Whenever you see Chinese people dining in a Chinese restaurant, you can be assured that the food suits their palate. It was that observation that led us to the restaurant in the first place, some years ago.

Opened by first time restauranteur and former businessman Michael Teng in 2006, Noodle Bowl has gained the respect and patronage of esteemed residents and residents looking for authentic Cantonese, South East Asian or otherwise known as “Strait Food.”

Regular customers start and end their days at the Noodle Bowl. Some go in for a Chinese breakfast of Dim Sum, Congee or Fried Doughstick with Warm Soy Milk or Nasi Lemak (the typical Malaysian breakfast and national dish).

With a rather long menu of approximately 200 dishes, you would wonder just how likely it is that they could actually deliver such a variety. But they have that all figured out. With chefs native to China and Malaysia, Teng assures that just about every dish on the menu is available anytime. 

The menu actually evolved over the years to include requests by regular diners who wish to taste more of the favourite flavours of their home countries. So you can be sure to find things like the popular Malaysian Fish Head Curry.

Noodle Bowl has become such a cult hit that the success of the Dubai location has spawned two more restaurants- in Abu Dhabi and as far as Korea. The Abu Dhabi restaurant is located in Zaywed Sports City Bowling Centre and the Korean one in Daegu. 

We highly recommend starting of your meal (whether breakfast, lunch or dinner) with dim sum. Theirs is made fresh by hand, which is a rarity in Dubai, despite the loads of restaurants offering them. We constantly rotate our selection at each visit but there are a few that must be part of the selection.

For steamed dim sum, try the Sticky Rice, which has packages of  glutinous rice stuff with chicken and steamed in lotus leaf.  This is particularly delectable with their XO sauce, which is served as a condiment at the table.  The Prawn and Coriander dumpling is a sensational blend of flavours and the Prawn dumpling is mild, soft, juicy and slightly sweet.  Char Sao Bao is stuffed with chicken in the signature puffy sweetish dough.

As far as the fried dim sum is concerned, the Turnip Cake with Egg is perhaps one of the best dishes I have ever eaten. It is of Cantonese origin with a decidedly Noodle Bowl spin to make it their own.  It does not sound all that exciting but trust the Chinese to take humble ingredients and treat them with respect. The dish is a long three step process and worth the effort. It is spiced with their XO sauce and bean sprouts add crunch to the caramelised turnip cakes.  Combined with the scrambled egg, it is a  balanced meal all on it’s own. 

In addition to regular Chinese main dishes, we suggest you try some of their Malaysian Specialties. Shrimp Laksa Soup is a favourite in the streets of Malaysia and earns its place here. The spicy coconut, shrimp, fish, tofu, lemongrass and noodle soup comes in a large bowl so be sure to share.   You can ask for extra chilies if you prefer your bowl excessively spicy.

Nasi Goreng Kampong is the must have Malaysian stir fried rice dish on the menu. It is comprised of egg, fried  anchovies, and kankong and rice and finished with green onions.

With the telltale punched up flavours of Malaysian cuisine, Noodle Bowl  certainly offers the widest range of Chinese Malay dishes in Dubai. The adventurous eater has lots of great surprises to discover. 

INFO AT A GLANCE

Restaurant Name: Noodle Bowl

Location: 2nd December Street, Satwa (formerly Al Diyafiyah)

Tel: +971 4345 3382

Opening Hours: 9:30am- 11:00pm

Halal Certified: Y/ Dubai Municipality

100% Halal Ingredients: Y

Cleanliness Grade – A

Serves Alcohol: N

Extra Comments/Notes:

Also located in Abu Dhabi

 

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Comments

  2. Well this look delicious. Sounds like a great place to eat. Hope you enjoyed your meal, but I am sure that you did.

    Reply

  4. Sounds like a great place! I’ve never had authentic Chinese or Malaysian food, but this sounds like the real deal! If I ever make it to Dubai, I’ll be sure to check it out!

    Reply

    • I lived in the UAE… Hubby for 11 years and me for 7. Got married and gave birth 4 years later in Dubai. So yeah, Dubai is a very special #Ilivewhereyouvacation spot for me in my world as an #expat and #missionary

      Reply

  8. Ok, if the menu is at all anything like the few photos you’ve shared, this restaurant would be a regular visit for me! Everything looks so good!

    Reply

  12. Now Chinese Malaysian is a combination I have not had. I love seeing how the same basic Chinese foodways adapt around the world to local customs and food. (For instance, New York Chinese is not generally halal – lots of pork and shellfish – but of course it is in Malaysia and Dubai!)

    Reply

  14. The restaurant I would love to live at! It has so many delicious recipes that I am dreaming now to visit it at least once. And the post is great!

    Reply

  17. That looks and sounds like a great restaurant! I love Asian food but sadly here in Italy it’s hard to find good Asian restaurants! I guess because Italian food is so good the Italians don’t want to eat anything else!

    Reply

    • Yes, Italians definitely love their own food and for very good reason, but whenever you fancy a bit of a trip, and head to Dubai, you will find many different world cuisines readily available.

      Reply

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