Big Bowl Noodle Bar

Reviews

• Amie D.

  star star star star star_border 4 June 2026

  This place has moved up the street from its original location. I panicked when I couldn't find it.
  
  Good authentic Chinese food (I used to live in China). The salt and pepper tofu, although not a traditional Chinese dish, is so fresh and tasty.. but watch out if you can't handle spice!

• Douglas H.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 28 May 2026

  The two points are for decor, and presentation, along with staff efficiency.
  
  Though I would never eat there again.  Got the full meal (with soup, spring rolls & krupuk, and a main course).   The hot & sour soup was, for the positive, very nicely festooned with meaty, eggy, and veggie bits.  I mostly strained those out of the oddly red soup base and left the rest of the odd red soup broth, even though the touch of vinegar and heat from spice was a welcome start to the meal.
  
  The spring roll & krupuk plate is even more of a bare-bones oddity - - a handful of plain old krupuk (that I put in a napkin and put aside for a snack for later) and spring rolls that were like crispy little fingers of strange peanut/pasty nothing, with a sweet sauce.   The most insubstantial, small, and innocuous spring roll thingies ever.
  
  But the real atrocity was the "chef's special" mains choice - - aubergine and minced pork hot pot.  The listing failed to mention that the aubergine and minced pork were awash in a sea of oil.  People speak of "hidden fats" in Chinese cuisine, but nothing was hidden here.   It looked like a rich brownish sauce,  but it was a hideous swamp of vegetable oil.   What I tried to do was immerse the spoon in the sauce until the spoon was was full of yellow vegetable oil, and pour spoonful after spoonful of the oil into the remaining red drool from the soup.   After doing that for a while, I decided to just pick out pieces of aubergine from the swamp - - but there was no hope - - the aubergine was soaked in oil. They were slimy, oily artifacts of pure fat.   The entire "chef's special" was a tribute to the fact, that oil will make you feel like you are eating something substantial,  will seem alluring in a perverse fatty way,  will gloss the entire meal with a reflective glow,  and you can buy it cheap by the gallon.
  
  There is only one word to describe this main course, and the word is: 'gross'.   I imagine there are people who can eat a big bowl of vegetable oil and be satisfied - - but this is still hideous.  I've looked at recipes for Chinese hot pot meals online just now,  and the list of substantial ingredients (not to mention tasty spices) WAY predominate over the couple spoonfuls of oil - - but here, this was an oil dish,  where oil was the major ingredient,  and the insipid oil was the major flavor component - - a complete culinary abomination, and a dietary atrocity.
  
  I was actually inspired to go to a Chinese noodle shop after passing by another one on Berry St. the previous evening - - and it looked so alluring - - but that one was closed this afternoon, so I went to Big Bowl instead (thanks to the great reviews on Yelp - - thanks a lot people).    The good news (if there is any hope of good news after paying 8 pounds 50 for this conflagration of cheapest ingredients and bare-bones fatty nothingness - - with not even condiments on any of the tables - - they are that cheap)  is that I went back to that one the following evening, and it was really delightful,  and it redeemed my faith and interest in Chinese noodle shops, after Big Bowl had temporarily made the concept a horrorshow.

• Tony T.

  star star star star star_border 27 May 2026

  Fast service and nice food. Price is very reasonable. Tried a few times already. Recommend the Hainan Chicken, which reminds me of what I had in China.

• Dominic H.

  star star star star star 22 May 2026

  5 stars! The sole reason for this it's value for money. If you're hungry, like Chinese food and only have £10 pounds in you're wallet look no further. This is the place for you.
  
  For under £10 pounds (£6-£8 would do) you get a MASSIVE portion of decent noodle dish of various forms (you will not go hungry). Inside it has atmosphere is lively but sufficiently spacious. Service is also reasonable quick making it a perfect lunch spot.
  
  I won't claim the food is the best ever but it's certainly at least good if not better. What I will say is that is could be the best value for money I've experienced.

• Sophie G.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 21 May 2026

  For the record I've never been here, nor will I. Ever.
  
  I would never frequent an establishment that doesn't even bother to check the contents of the posts on their wall, providing any person a platform on which to shame, belittle or bully someone. Which in my case was postit which contained my FULL NAME and PERSONAL TELEPHONE NUMBER with the direction to tell me how great my assets are. Disgusting.
  
  I don't know how long that post it with my personal information was there, and the person I spoke to on the phone not only didn't even apologise but refused to provide me with his or the managers name, so that when I went to report this to the police they would know who I'd spoken to.
  
  Pretty sure i'm not the first person this has happened to, a notion I find absolutely disgraceful. I would NEVER recommend somewhere that take's people's personal security with such a pinch of salt.