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When I’m out and about I usually need to eat. No, I always need to eat. Fast metabolism? Ok. We’ll go with that. But, the usual fast food options get a little boring. And they’re usually highly processed. And bad for you. Like really bad. Don’t get me wrong. I do love it. But, eating clean is definitely the way to go though for so many obvious reasons. So lately I’ve been on a mission to find food that’s faster and actually healthy. And most importantly clean.
I was recently given the opportunity to check out Noodles & Company. If you haven’t heard of them before, Noodles & Company is a restaurant now serves classic noodle and pasta dishes that are globally inspired. So if you want something Asian inspired and your friend is craving something more Italian, they have you both covered. The coolest thing is that the food they serve at Noodles & Company is free of artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, or preservatives. Their dishes feature naturally raised steak and pork, never given hormones or antibiotics and fed a vegetarian diet and organic tofu.  Its so important to be mindful what we feed our families and ourselves. At Noodles & Company their mantra is “Real Food. Real Cooking. Real Flavors.” This is something I can get behind.
Not every menu item at Noodles & Company has noodles and spinach can be substituted for noodles in many of the dishes making them what they call: BUFF. Â There’s fresh salads and sandwiches and apps too. A little something for everyone. And best of all, their food is always made fresh to order.
Their style is pretty awesome too. They don’t make faces when you want to add an ingredient here or take another away there (you know who you are). Noodles & Company lets you add any ingredient to your dish and creativity with your food at is encouraged. Food should never be static. One size or flavor does not fit all and Noodles & Company embraces that philosophy.
Before heading over to Noodles & Company I looked up their menu online. I immediately zeroed in on their new Spicy Korean Beef Noodles made with naturally-raised steak, over a bed of ramen noodles topped with a sweet and spicy Korean-style Gochujang sauce, Napa and red cabbage, Asian bean sprouts and spinach. It’s garnished with some crispy julienned cucumber, green onions and fresh cilantro. This is what I would be ordering. This is what I did order. This bowl was yummy. Let me tell you. My belly was happy. So happy.
If you’ve never tried Gochujang, let me tell you a little about it. Pronounced GO-CHOO-JUNG (u as in umbrella), this salty, spicy and mildly sweet fermented Korean pepper paste traces back to Korean kitchens as far back as the late 1700’s. Still a staple today in many Korean dishes, Gochujang imparts a spicy umami flavor similar to miso that comes from its natural fermentation. If you’re a hot sauce lover like me, you’ll instantly die for gochujang. It’s an ingredient that’s been rising in popularity lately, so don’t be surprised if you see it more and more.
Another dish I tried was the Buff Japanese Pan. This bowl was super fresh with lots of crisp veggies, naturally raised steak on a bed of spinach, served with double broccoli, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, Asian sprouts, black sesame seeds and cilantro. It was simply dressed with a little sweet soy sauce and for 320 calories you can’t go wrong with this super healthy option. It’s great for days you want to eat light or stick to a diet plan. For an appetizer, the Potstickers were definitely a star. I could go for a couple of those right now actually.
All in all I had a wonderful experience at Noodles & Company and I can’t wait to go back. I forgot to mention they also had an amazing selection of beverages including craft bottled beer and sodas and wine by the glass. Cool right? Try out a Noodles & Company today and let us know in the comments about your experience!