Noodling around Coolidge Corner
By LIZ BOMZE | August 30, 2006
Noodle bars are nothing new to those of us who regularly seek out Asian stir fries, ramen soups, and tasty rice dishes; for affordable, good eats, there’s really no beating a bowl of fresh rice noodles, crisp vegetables, and seared protein of your choice. But outside of Asia, Chinatown, and the UK-dominating Wagamama, first-rate noodle-focused menus are a bit harder to come by.Lucky for us, now comes the latest addition to the Coolidge Corner food scene, the sleek and bright Zenna Noodle Bar, fusing handfuls of healthy Eastern and Western noodle concoctions into four Zen-inspired menu categories: Earth (salads), Air (appetizers), Fire (stir fries), and Water (soups). The self-proclaimed “Best Pad Thai in Town” ($7.25) rivals those served in many of the neighboring Thai establishments by balancing sweet tamarind flavors with saltier hits of soy and fish sauces. Masaman curry ($7.25) bathes mostly root vegetables in a mildly piquant, rust-colored sauce, and bowls of both wonton noodle soup ($7.25) and Vietnamese pho-inspired Zenna noodle ($7.95) are deep and hunger-squelching, if a bit confused in their flavor profiles — a common flaw among Asian fusion dishes.
Achieving the full Zen(na) experience by ordering from all four categories may challenge even the heartiest of appetites, so grab fellow noodle aficionados whenever possible; your palate, your body, and, best of all, your wallet, will thank you.
Zenna Noodle Bar, 1374 Beacon Street, Brookline | Open Sun - Thur, 11 am - 10:30 pm, Fri & Sat, 11 am - 11 pm | 617.566.0566.
Related:
2007 restaurant awards, Zenna Noodle Bar, Zoe’s Gourmet Chinese’s braised-beef filets and vegetables with hot chili, More 
- 2007 restaurant awards
What were the best dining-out experiences of 2007?
- Zenna Noodle Bar
What’s three times better than a Vietnamese restaurant?
- Zoe’s Gourmet Chinese’s braised-beef filets and vegetables with hot chili
It’s hard to imagine that there’s any decent food — much less decent regional Chinese food — to be found on the barren stretch between Inman and Porter squares.
- Name game
The Frog and Turtle does have a very different feel.
- Finding the Range
Caiola’s, a new venture on Pine Street in the West End of Portland, sets you at ease from the moment you walk up to the door.
- Beijing Café
For Chinese-food aficionados operating on a budget, Beijing Café is a hidden treasure.
- Greased lightning
Oil has been discovered in a Brighton backyard.
- Scarlett's web
Photos: Hasty ladies plant piggie, Pudding Pot on 2007 Woman of the Year Scarlett Johansson
- Presto Pizzeria
Any Boston College student knows Cleveland Circle is one of the best places to indulge in an array of comfort foods, including burgers, wraps, Chinese food, and pizza.
- New York Pizza
After years of willful neglect, I finally gave New York Pizza a whirl — and now regret not visiting sooner.
- Gone, baby, gone
Boston bids farewell to one of its brightest spots — the row of six diverse and delectable restaurants on Peterborough Street that were consumed by a four-alarm fire early Tuesday morning.
- Less
Topics:
On The Cheap
, Culture and Lifestyle, Food and Cooking, Ethnic Cuisines, More
, Culture and Lifestyle, Food and Cooking, Ethnic Cuisines, Asian Food and Cooking, Japanese Food and Cooking, zenna noodle bar, zenna noodle bar, Less
