Kapow! Noodle Bar

• Cuisine(s): American, Asian, Asian Fusion, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, New American, Singaporean, Taiwanese, Thai, Vegetarian, Vietnamese
  Hours: Sun-Wed 11:30am-1am, Thu-Sat 11:30am-3am
  Price: $$
  Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards, cash
• Attire: Casual
  Features: Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Takeout
  Serving: Dinner, Lunch
  Alcohol: Beer/Wine, Full bar
• Reservations: Accepted
  Parking: Lot Available, Street, Valet

Description

This slip of a restaurant capitalizes on a nationwide fascination with pork buns and noodles, offering a short list of greatest hits, including pho, ramen, udon noodles, steamed buns, and a variety of innards. There's much that engages the mind and the senses here and it's no wonder: the restaurant was conceived by stylish restaurateurs Rodney Mayo, Scott Frielich, and Vaughan Lazar, whose ventures include Respectable Street, Dada, Tryst, and Longboards. Pork belly dominates the menu, whether it's in the sandwich or a soup garnish, and for good reason: it imparts smoky, fatty, bacony flavor. Small plates are also a staple, such as the demure shishito peppers, which every sixth one or so packs an extra punch of heat. A mural of a geisha serves as the backdrop, a journey of anime punctuated by cartoon robots and animals swimming in a painted sea. This isn't the place to take your party of six, since it's a tiny space dominated by a bar. Instead, its a destination for a date or an intimate conversation with a friend, tucked in the bar's corner or at a modest wooden table.