While hardly great on its own merits, Ivy Noodles stands out among College Park’s weak Chinese offerings.
The restaurant on 7313 Baltimore Ave. was supposed to be District Dumplings. Residents were promised a fine purveyor of Chinese stoner food cooked, presumably, to a higher standard than the anemic offerings on campus or the frozen pod-like monstrosities offered by other local restaurants.
Alas, ‘twas not meant to be. District Dumplings ended with nary a whimper, fading from the local scene almost as soon as it arrived.
But, like a slightly-lame phoenix rising from the ashes, the somewhat bafflingly named Ivy Noodles has sprouted up in District Dumpling’s stead and is attempting to fill the moderately classy Chinese niche in College Park.
Before Ivy Noodles arrived, Chinese food in the area was largely limited to dives, to put it charitably. Aside from Shanghai Tokyo Cafe (arguably more Japanese than Chinese), your standard Chinese restaurant (Shanghai Cafe, Panda, etc.) was fine for a quick and dirty midnight run but hardly some place you’d want to eat in.
Ivy Noodles, by contrast, boasts an infinitely more palatable decor simply by virtue of not sucking. The wood-heavy interior is tastefully restrained and clean, while seating is spacious — not to mention the actual, working chairs.
The only real negative to the space is, well, the lack of space. While the cramped location doesn’t affect seating, it does mean little insulation from the kitchen. Noise levels are a bit higher than preferable, and nearby diners’ chatter can become invasive during peak hours.
The food offered is similarly above average simply by being decent. The Americanized menu is more or less on par with any other local venue — flavorful but without finesse or restraint — and hardly worth discussion.
The real attractions are the eponymous noodle soups. Presented in reasonably portioned and priced bowls, the noodle soups are notable more for the breadth of offerings than for any virtuosic preparation.
The roast duck is tender and savory, though the freshness of the duck is a little suspect. Shredded chicken noodle soup is a little better, though the amount of chicken in the soup is rather skimpy.
Beef stew noodle soup, however, is a colossal misfire. Instead of a succulent and impactful soup, the beef stew uses the same (or very similar) weak broth, only with chunks of low-grade beef floating throughout.
Broths are almost universally disappointing, tasting more like a punched-up instant ramen than the genuine product.
Wonton soup, on the other hand, is surprisingly good. Despite using the limp broth found in other dishes, the wontons are tasty, if clumsy, and pair well with the egg noodles.
Ivy Noodles’ menu satisfies pretty much any Chinese noodle soup craving you might have. The selection of noodles (from Cantonese-style egg noodles to he fen) is unmatched in College Park. Though the noodles are not made onsite, the cooks do a good job of timing the noodles — not too mushy but not raw either.
Relative to the other Chinese noodle soups found around town, it’s an absolute miracle.
diversionsdbk@gmail.com
