Elevated noodle dishes and innovative cocktails await at Nou noodle bar, the new cool kid on Craig Road.
On my walk to Nou, I would’ve missed it had it not been for my dining companion. The space whispers its presence, tucked away in a quiet corner of Craig Road, marked by a bright red neon sign that says noodles and cocktails. I chuckle to myself because the messy string of lights in the sign looks like noodles, which amused me. Was it intentional or just a happy coincidence? Who knows. But it set the tone for my dinner and left me tickled.
When food and drink powerhouses collide
Don’t be fooled by my (slightly) tweaked photos, because the dim lighting makes it incredibly intimate. The warm ambient lighting is playful and flirtatious, adding to the mysteriously alluring aura. Elegant and modern, it welcomes you warmly and invites you to take a seat at one of the tables or the bar. As diners who love chatting up the bartender, we naturally deviated to the bar.
We love a good modern twist on traditional classics, and that’s what you get when you visit Nou. The brand is born from a collaboration behind Petites Ventures (the same group that gave us Foxtail and Juice) and Petrina Loh, the chef-owner of Morsels in Dempsey. Thanks to this partnership, the food and beverage menus are given extensive and dedicated attention to detail.
If you’ve visited Morsels, you’ll already be familiar with chef Petrina’s wildly creative menus. They are ingredient-driven, inspired by artisans who work with her, rotating every month or so. You’ll be happy to know she’s also bringing her knowledge and love for fermentation to Nou. The technique is showcased in several components such as garnishes, appetisers, and even drinks!
Libations are taken care of by the team behind Foxtail and Juice. They come in the form of cocktails, mocktails, and a wine list so extensive it left my vino-loving dinner companion impressed. Foxtail has become a fan favourite among locals for its affordable (we’re talking $18 nett) and impressively well-made cocktails. Meanwhile, Juice has earned itself a reputation as one of the coolest wine bars in the city. Even if you’re not hungry, we highly recommend popping by for a drink and a chat with the team.
Nuanced but bold flavours in every bite
Starting off the night, we were treated to a bowl of Nou olives ($10) marinated in-house with citrus and chilli. Full disclosure: I’m not the biggest fan of olives. But the ones at Nou might’ve converted me with the brightly sour and not too bitter notes.
A must-order appetiser is the beef tongue Spam ($19). Hear me out – organs can be intimidating. But when they’re as good as this dish, you’ll want to have them all the time. After being sous vide for a day, the beef tongue gets sliced up, fried, and topped with pickled red onion and housemade mentaiko mayo. You won’t even realise you’re eating tongue because it tastes just like Spam fries.
Onto the main event: the noodles. The chicken mazemen ($25) comes with soup and ume kosho (a plum and pepper paste). The noodles are coated in an umami peanut sauce, with pickled lotus roots cutting through the richness. Not to mention a generous portion of tender chicken. We recommend adding the ume kosho to the noodles for a sweet-sour addition.
The duck kut teh mee sua ($26) is topped with shredded duck, fried tau kee, and a crispy “cigar” filled with duck rillettes. Snap your pictures quickly because the mee sua absorbs the broth quickly. After adding some chilli padi, we tucked in, surprised by how rich and layered the broth was. What a showstopper.
However, my favourite was the Nou umami noodles ($18). Even without a protein, this bowl of bouncy noodles in an olive scallion sauce was a shining star, especially after adding Nou’s hot sauce. I’m also obsessed with the tea-marinated egg. It tasted exactly like Chinese tea eggs while having the texture of ramen eggs. So good.
Shaking up classics with elegant Nou twists
Just like the food, the cocktail menu is stirred up with added dashes of fun and flair. You’ll find familiar ones like the Garibaldi, highball, negroni, and more with curious ingredients. As a gin fan, I was thrilled to find a gimlet ($23) on the menu and ordered it right away. Dotted with an oil infused with bay leaves, charcoal, and coriander, the resulting drink was refreshing and citrusy. I especially loved how the lime didn’t mask the flavour of the spirit, but uplifted it instead, bringing out and complementing the juniper taste.
A pleasant surprise for us was discovering the brines from Nou’s housemade pickles are incorporated into drinks too. Talk about zero waste. The Tomato Tomato ($24) is Nou’s take on a dry martini. It’s spirit-forward with a pleasantly bitter taste (I know, I’m surprised too), and subtle tomato flavour from the koji fermented tomato brine. The Ducktini ($24) was a game changer. It’s a savoury cocktail, which may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But it’s something we recommend trying once.
The biggest draw for Nou’s menu is that it doesn’t feel intimidating. You’ll be greeted with familiar names, flavours, and dishes, and teased with the team’s unique personalities and interpretations. Elevations are subtle but can be felt through the whole menu – they wow you with every bite. Psst: don’t tell my boss if you see me sipping on another gimlet on a work night.
Nou noodle bar, 45 Craig Road, Singapore 089683
