NUDO
1055 St Laurent Blvd, / de la Gauchetière
Montreal, Quebec
H2Z 1J6
Telephone: (514) 508-9636
No website
Cost: $ 20.67
Chef Hats: 1.5

Foodies can’t always be ultimate Foodies all the time. Sometimes in my case I just need to just eat. That was the case this day, looking for a quick bite while spending the morning at an event in Chinatown.After walking up and down St.Laurent and de la Gauchetiere a few times looking for a place to sit down for an hour or two, we came across NUDO in the basement of a building on St Laurent street. Not my type of place as I get the “schievvies” from a place like this, especially in Chinatown, and I don’t mean underwear either in this context. But Brains somehow convinced me and I was starving at this point.
So we descended into the bowels of NUDO, and stopped at the entrance, still reluctant to walk in, we were greeted by a hostess who told us to sit anywhere. The place will not win prizes for décor. A long room that held a few dinners, it is decorated with a few television screens, steel tables and cheap leather chairs.

As we passed through, I spotted a chef behind a window, twirling long threads of noodles and stretching them out over his head. Having seen this many years ago at Chez Chine in Chinatown long before the boom of Ramen came onto the scene in Montreal. I knew he was making ramen style noodles from Yunnan China and later found out that Nudo was started by the same guy who owns Yuki Ramen in the Faubourg.

Still intrepid I walked on and sat down and scanned the menu. I ordered crispy barbecue pork noodle. It came served in a bowl with a Chinese “tea egg. This is boiled in a mix of soy sauce, Chinese five spices, usually eaten as a snack but also added to dishes as décor and a plus. Alongside were bean sprouts, julienned carrots, cilantro and scallions and a carafe of dark broth. You can put in as much broth as required or needed and keep pouring. The pork was tender and flavorful. The “tea egg” was delicious and a good source of protein and filling. The noodles were fresh and sweet. The texture of the pork, crispy vegetables added a nice texture to the meal.

Brains had the braised chicken noodle soup, served with plenty of scallions, bok choy and cilantro in a clear broth. The bowl was fresh and plentiful as well. This dish comes with a small bowl of soup on the side. The noodles were fresh and stuck to each other. The deal is that you put as much noodles or vice versa as required to loosen the noodles. We were given a trio of condiments of soya, spicy sauce and oyster to add to our liking to our meals. The chicken was tender and moist; the broth was tasty and heartwarming.

The service was quick and friendly, which was perfect as we had a busy schedule that day. We ate and left all within an hour. Not a fine dining experience but still satisfying.