Here are the contenders.

Main Noodle House’s Roast Pork Wonton Noodle Soup

Hing Won’s Roast Pork Wonton Noodle Soup

Here’s the ingredient by ingredient breakdown:

Roast Pork: I think you might get a bit more with Hing Won, but it wasn’t nearly as flavorful as Main Noodle House. Perhaps this is a function of not separting the goods from the broth? The pork was also just generally saltier and fattier–each piece I ate had some fat on it. Tasted more like a picnic shoulder than the sweet roast pork I’m used to. Winner: Main Noodle House

Wontons: In my Hing Won soup I counted 4 to Main Noodle House’s 5. HW’s also had thin wrappers, but they had a sort of fishy taste–tasted sort of like shumai to me but I didn’t see any shrimp bits. Winner: Main Noodle House

Vegetables: HW offered a couple pieces of bok choy and some shreads of cabbage and carrots. MNH had several pieces of bok choy and bean sprouts. Winner: Tie

Noodles: Hing Won’s noodle’s thinner than Main Noodle House and had a little bit less of a funky egg aftertaste. Winner: Hing Won.

Price: HW: $7.25 with tax. MNH: $8.00. Winner: Hing Won

Broth: HW’s broth tasted saltier. The broth wasn’t packed separately like at Main Noodle House so the noodles absorbed it almost immediately. Winner: Main Noodle House

At the end of the day, even though it’s 75 cents more expensive, I’m going to have to give the win to Main Noodle House.

Main Noodle House, 1011 6th Ave (btw. 37+38th). 212-869-0888
Hing Won, 48 W 48th St btw 5+6th, 212-719-1451

Ever since Chris H. wrote about Main Noodle House in July I’ve been meaning to check it out. So when the hankering for mapo tofu hit the other day I figured I’d head over, but before I did I decided to check Chris’ post to see if any commenters had other suggestions- and I’m glad I did.

My original plan was to just get the Mapo Tofu lunch special ($7.50), but after seeing Lunch’rs meyekull, chris82, and steveroller had commended the Roast Pork Wonton Soup I made a game time decision to add that to my lunch order as well. When I placed the order over the phone the woman asked if I wanted noodles (when don’t I want noodles?!), so I decided to opt for the most popular combination, the egg noodles.

The Mapo Tofu was about the blandest version I’ve ever had. There was plenty of tofu, lots of peas, but where was the heat. I suppose the menu says that the spiciness can be altered to taste but it seems to me that the baseline for Mapo Tofu should be spicy. Maybe next time I should emphasize that I wanted it spicy. Has anyone else had better luck with this dish here?

The soup on the other hand was a revelation. There was plenty of tender, sweet roast pork, several pieces of bok choy, bean sprouts, five wontons and egg noodles. The first promising sign was that they packed the broth and the goodies separately so the wontons, noodles and pork didn’t get overcooked. The broth was rich and chicken-y without being too salty. And the thin skinned, scallion flecked wontons were superlative. Some bites even had a bit of crunch from water chestnuts. The egg noodles cost an extra 50 cents, bringing the soup to $8.00. If you’re a big noodle fan they are a nice addition, but honestly the wontons and roast pork are the stars of the dish.

While the Mapo Tofu was a lunch fail, Main Noodle House totally redeemed themselves with the Roast Pork Wonton Soup. I will definitely be paying them another visit. Any other must try dishes? I am intrigued by the under $10 lunchtime lamb specials…

Main Noodle House, 1011 6th Ave (between 37th and 38th St); (212) 869-0888

Amazingly we’ve never written about the food at Main Noodle House, located on 6th Ave (between 37th & 38th St.). We have no excuse for this – clearly they’re doing something right, as they do brisk business with both the tourist and business crowd, and even earned endorsement from Salon.com and Gilt Taste’s food luminary, Francis Lam via Twitter. Such feedback is entirely justified by their cheap lunch combo specials and humongous portions.

It’s a fairly small, cramped space, and during the weekday lunch rush, you’re definitely looking at a 20-30 minute wait for a table. Customers waiting for take-out orders and for a dine-in table are mashed into a corner near the counter and front entrance, where they must dodge waitresses hurtling by, and customers entering and exiting the restaurant. But a little discomfort and a wait is more than worth the lunch deals here.

I opted for the roast duck ($7.50), which came with a choice of soup (egg drop, corn, or hot & sour) and a side of rice (white, brown, or fried). The service is abrupt, but ultra efficient – within 2 minutes of ordering, I had a piping hot bowl of soup plunked before me. Within a minute or so of finishing my soup, I had my main course. I had just enough time to case the dining room and gawk at the enormous portions that were being sent from the kitchen – colossal piles of General Tso’s chicken, burrito sized egg rolls, and noodle soups served in bowls the size of kitchen sinks.

I have a terrific and guilty fondness for hot and sour soup, and it’s my go-to order anytime a Chinese-American menu is put in front of me. I’ve tasted everything from wan and greasy interpretations to triumphantly hearty, spicy and chunky soups. The soup at Main Noodle House fell somewhere in the middle of the spectrum – borderline good to great, with a generous strata of chunky vegetables and tofu swimming in a relatively tame broth. Order with confidence, but don’t expect anything amazing.

Also order the roast duck with confidence. I was impressed to receive half of a chopped up roast duck – gloriously meaty and fatty, appropriately sweet, and redolent of Chinese five spice. It may not be on par with some of the better roast ducks I’ve tasted in Chinatown, but it’s easily the best I’ve ever tasted in Midtown, and the cheapest to boot. Served with a healthy mound of fried rice, and crunchy bok choy, the lunch combo is not only a fantastic deal, but a tasty one, and more than filling.

I know we’re a bit late to the game on Main Noodle House, but I’ll reiterate what Mr. Lam and all of the other fans of this place have been saying all along – “Main Noodle House is no joke. Really. No kidding.”  The toughest part is deciding what to order. Mr. Lam threw his support behind the Singapore noodles ($8.75)… what’s your go-to dish?

The + (What somebody who likes this would say)

• The lunch combos are an incredible bargain – the portions are out of control, and the food is actually pretty tasty
• The lunch specials menu is huge, with tons of variety. There’s something for everyone here
• The service is ridiculously fast – your food will probably arrive within 5 minutes of ordering, or less

The – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• The wait during lunch rush can be very long, and very cramped
• Given the cramped space, you may have to share a table with strangers
• The food isn’t authentic Chinese, and it’s on the greasy side

Main Noodle House, 1011 6th Ave (between 37th and 38th St); (212) 869-0888

A lot of restaurants seem to choose the dead time around Christmas and New Year’s to make changes, so reports like this one are no surprise… Big Bowl Noodles (on 6th Ave. btw. 37+38th), a Readers’ Poll nominee for best sit down Chinese food, is now Main Noodle House.  But before Big Bowl Noodle fans get too upset… the menu, owners, and food are exactly the same- with a 25-30 cent price hike on the lunch specials (of course.)

Main Noodle House, 1011 6th Ave. (btw. 37+38th),  212-869-0888