If You Like Buns, Check Out Oriental Noodle Shop

Oriental Noodle Shop The other day while sitting in the office typing away, I had a sudden craving for Chinese food. Now I just recently started a new job so I’m not too familiar with the area but I did know that Hop Won was just a few blocks away (on 45th btw. Lex+3rd). And since Hop Won is the sister restaurant of Hing Won (which I’ve been to and liked a lot), I knew I could get a quality lunch.  Though once I got there I couldn’t help but be drawn into Oriental Noodle Shop (yes the one with the guy eating a bowl of noodles while wearing a straw hat).


Oriental Noodle Shop

First of all the interior looked like it was stuck in the 1980s with the orange tiles and retro looking dining counter and stools.

Singapore rice noodles

The Singapore rice noodles ($7.65) was enough for 2 (maybe even 3) people- but I end up eating the whole thing myself. For those who have never tried it, it’s stirred fried rice noodles with curry powder, shrimp, roast pork and vegetables. I eat this dish a lot and Oriental Noodle Shop’s version is pretty standard for a cheap Chinese place. The slices of pork were good, and the shrimp was okay (but definitely not the fresh kind) but they could’ve added a little bit more curry powder. The one thing I didn’t like about it was the pool of oil that was at the bottom of the styrofoam box.

Steamed chicken bun

I also saw in the menu, a dim sum section. There’s always room for steamed buns (I thought about getting the roast pork bun but I always get the pork bun so decided to change it up a little) and so I got a steamed chicken bun ($1.50).

Steamed chicken bun

I’m not sure if they make this in-house or buy it from a vendor but the bun was quite delicious. The dough part of the bun was a little dense but not too bad. The filling was great, filled with a mix of chicken and vegetables and the bamboo shoots gave the bun a nice crunchy texture. I wouldn’t mind eating this all the time but then again I kind of mind paying $1.50 for 1 bun.

So if you find yourself around Grand Central and are dying for some dim sum bun action, you could do a lot worse than Oriental Noodle Shop.

The + (What somebody who likes this would say)

  • They have dim sum and it’s actually quite good.
  • I love large portions.
  • I love anything retro.
  • Good alternative to Hop Won.

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

  • I hate retro.
  • I hate the 1980s.
  • I will not betray Hop Won
  • The rice noodles were a bit oily.
  • I could buy 2 buns in Chinatown for that price.

Oriental Noodle Shop, 135 E 45th St btw. 3rd & Lex (212) 697-2353

15 Comments

Leave a Reply

You must log in or register to post a comment.