Mecha Noodle Bar in Fairfield, CT

Denise de Castro

10 years ago

Fairfield County is short on great spots for noodles. I’ve probably been spoiled by enjoying some of the best ramen, pho, you name it in NYC, Bergen County, NJ and Hawaii. Recently, we dined at Mecha Noodle Bar for the first time and I thought to myself Finally! We’ve got a spot to get our noodle fix.

Mecha Noodle Bar opened in Fairfield earlier this year offering a little bit of everything that Asian cuisine has to offer. From bao buns to Vietnamese pho to Japanese ramen to Thai meatballs. So when we arrived on a cold winter day, we tried, well, a little bit of everything.

For starters we tried some KFC bao. Not that KFC, but Korean Fried Chicken. An order comes with two warm steamed buns stuffed with fried chicken, pickled daikon and carrots, cucumbers and some gochujang, a Korean sweet and spicy chili sauce).

Korean Fried Chicken Bao

The chicken wings reminded me of how my dad cooked chicken wings on the grill. The wings at Mecha are flash fried then grilled and served over spicy mango salad.

Chicken Wings

The Kimchi Fried Rice (kimchi bokkeumbap) was a great entree. A slightly spicy dish made with rice and kimchi topped with a fried egg.

The pho was excellent. There are five bowls to choose from. I got a kick outta ordering the Pho King, pronounced “Fuh” King. It’s made with tender braised short ribs, noodles and a savory beef and chicken broth topped with a half of soy sauce egg. On the side was a plate of Thai basil, fresh and crunchy bean sprouts, wedges of lime, and cilantro. I shredded my greens and mixed them into the broth, added a squirt of hoisin and sriracha and enjoyed the comforting soup. The broth was flavorful enough that I didn’t need to add too much of the condiments.

Their Vietnamese coffee, available either hot or cold, is delicious. Brewed to order, you get a glass of intense, dark Vietnamese coffee that’s poured over condensed milk. Stir it up and you’ve got a great drink that’ll wake you up.