Eating Out: Mecha Noodle Bar | South Norwalk, CT

I’ve written about Mecha Noodle Bar in Fairfield before. In fact, we’ve been to that place many times. Then I heard that they opened a branch in South Norwalk, which was closer to where we lived. When I received the invitation to visit the restaurant, naturally, we had to be there.

I started off the night with Voodoo Priest with rittenhouse rye, el dorado rum, lustau cherry and lemon.

A photo posted by Cecilia (@snaphappyfoodie) on Jan 11, 2016 at 4:59pm PST

We had this Vietnamese Crepe (Banh Xeo) with mung bean, shrimp, Serrano ham, herbs and nuoc mam.

I absolutely love Brussel sprouts so this dish – Brussel sprouts with nuoc mam, peanuts, mint and boudin noir – was a win for me.

Who can say no to Steamed Pork Belly Baos?

We also ate some Saigon Egg rolls, which is similar to the Filipino lumpia.

A photo posted by Cecilia (@snaphappyfoodie) on Jan 11, 2016 at 7:19pm PST

Next came a delicious discovery: Red Oil Dumplings with pork, shrimp, sichuan vinegar and cilantro. Sooo good!

We also had their Roasted Mushroom Dumplings with brown butter miso and arugula. After eating those, I tried another cocktail called Love Potion No. 9. Hubby ordered the curiously named 99 Problems.

There were four noodle soups for our little group. I didn’t get to take a picture of the Pho Bo Vien, but look at the Paitan Chicken Ramen below.

Here’s my favorite ramen – Tonkotsu Ramen.

Now here’s my favorite pho – Pho Ga.

After eating all those soups, it was time for desserts.

How about this Thai Iced Tea Panna Cotta? It came with lemon mascarpone and salted Oreo crumbles. Unusual, right?

Look at this mochi rice cake with peanut butter sesame buttercream served warm.

Vietnamese Coffee was a great way to end the meal.

Before we left, we also tried their Temple of the Sun Bubble Tea. It has African nectar tea, pineapple and passion fruit. You can add barsol mosto verde pisco or siembra valles tequila/nuestra soledad mezcal blend, but I drank mine alcohol-free.

Verdict: Mecha SoNo’s menu is similar to the Fairfield branch. There’s the same woodsy interior and big jar seating with wood boards hanging from the ceiling.

However, it’s a different vibe all around. They target the pub crawlers – those who are still out and about past 10 p.m. They offer a late-night food and cocktail menu from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., which the Fairfield branch does not. Their location on Washington Street is great, although parking could be an issue unlike its Fairfield counterpart.

If you’ve been to Mecha Fairfield, then Mecha SoNo will surprise you with its added ooomph, which makes it different from its Fairfield sibling.

Address:
Mecha Noodle Bar SoNo
116 Washington Street
South Norwalk, CT 06854

Disclaimer: I received an invitation for this free food event in exchange for writing a review on this blog. All opinions in this blog post are my own and my husband’s.