Nov 21, 2008 11:40 AM
7297 Views
“We hope that you must have left your table manners at home”.
The clock strikes 7 and we walk into an eating joint. While we are still getting seated, the first thing that catches my attention are the above words right on the plastic-coated table cover. So as expected a chain of thoughts scurry through my mind. Did we do the right thing by trying out a new joint yet again, with no recommendation to its credit? Will they ask us to have noodles with our hands – like the Maggie noddles ad – slurrpppp? Hope they cook Chinese- Chinese and not some tadka noodles! The tag line seems interesting; hope the food is equally promising! So on and so forth. Already anxious and now my stomach partially filled with all these thoughts, I braced my self for what was coming up next
^^ -- The Story --^^
The event happened a couple of weeks back at The Great India Place – the most happening mall in Noida, UP. The bomb scare had left the malls deserted and being a week day the usual weekend crowd was also missing. The third floor of this mall is exclusively dedicated to a wide-spread food court and various such eating outlets. One of the many in the melee is “CRAZY NOODLES” – a unit of MARK PI. They claim that you have reached a crazy destination and they prove it soon after.
^^-- Décor etc… --^^
It’s a 20-25 cover exclusive Noodles joint. The entire décor is done in pink and green – yeah you read it right. Please recall the “limchu” ice candy green or the tota green and strawberry pink. The zig-zag shaped table covers carry the tagline I mentioned at the onset. Loud music was being played in the background, couldn’t make out what it was but it made the entire atmosphere quite lively.
^^ -- The Story continues… --^^
The menu card appeared – again pink and green. Now recall Archies cards 4-5 page long ones, either extending horizontally or vertically. In this case they were horizontally stretched. While we were contemplating on what to order, a service guy appeared with a white “petridish” of sorts – holding 2 peppermint shaped tablets – of course without the customary ‘hole’. He was equipped with a colourfully decorated syringe with which he sprayed I presume water on those tablets and they started swelling. The guy mumbled something which I later grasped was “CRAZY TISSUE”. And actually, 2 tissue papers were ready for us to unroll and use. Voila!!! Our adventure filled journey had begun and what a start….giggle, giggle. Now all initial anxiety and apprehension had evaporated into thin air and I started looking forward to what next!!!
Meanwhile we settled for "Non-veg crazy noodles" and "Sesame potato fingers" both prized at 85 bucks. We had just kept aside the menu cards when another service boy appeared and placed 2 glasses. But he didn’t place them as we generally do with the bottom down. Instead he placed them along their length and they themselves popped up, like an NCC cadet has been commanded punishment from his senior. He also spelt out “CRAZY GLASSES”. The most interesting part about these glasses was that they were not the usual flat-bottomed one. The bottom was like the top of a top (lattoo). So they were rotating on their axis. A very interesting and novel idea, I must add,
^^ -- The Menu --^^
They mainly have the following delicacies on their plate :-
Salads (Green Googlies)
Soups
Round 1 - Starters
Teppan Teasers (Inspired by Japanese style of Teppan Cooking).
Oodles of Noodles
– Thai Temptation
– Soupy Noodles
– Rice Combos.
- Deserts & Mocktails
For having a dekko at their complete menu check out: https://foodiebay.com/site/res_info.php?res_id=486&img=1
*^^ -- The Story even further... --^^
*When the soup was served, we were pleasantly surprised with the quantity. They were quite large-sized portions and I would recommend going in for 1/2 option as we did unknowingly. The soup was sizzling hot and quite delicious. The Sesame potatoes took quite a long time, but they were a treat too. Since we had just gone for snacks, we didn't order more but were happy with our find.
*^^-- FACTS TIME --^^
-- Mark Pi, a US based Chinese restaurant is being marketed in India titled"Crazy Noodles"
*-- It was founded by Korea-born Mark Pi in 1972.
-- It holds a Guinness Book Record as the World’s fastest human noodle maker - 4, 096 noodles in 41.34 seconds.
-- In Gujrat, three restaurants already set up at Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Surat. Interestingly, they also serve an exclusive garlic and onion-free Jain menu.
-- A Jan 2007 column reports of plans to have 300 outlets in India in the next 5 years.
-- To my knowlege NCR has 2 outlets, one in Noida and another in Saket.
*^^-- My Verdict --^^
On the whole, I would rate it at 3.5 on 5. **To sum it up, incase you are a Chinese food lover (like Ur's Truly) and have access to a Crazy Noodles outlet, you know where to head to when hunger strikes.
