CY Noodle House is all about choice
It was a source of great pride for me that once upon a time my kids would eat just about anything. In fact, in order to feel like a superior parent, while grocery shopping with my toddlers I would often ask very loudly, “Would you prefer to have chocolate or broccoli with dinner tonight?” and I’d watch the other mothers marvel when my perfect angels shouted, “Broccoli!”
That was then. Now my kids are older (12 and 15). One is a vegetarian. The other just wants to annoy his sister at every opportunity. Finding food compromises is a tricky business, so when I heard about CY Noodle I thought it might be just the solution I’ve been looking for, because the CY stands for “Choose Your”—in other words, maybe, for once, everyone can leave happy.
Located in South Salt Lake’s China Town, CY’s décor is minimalist. Aside from a literal marquee announcing “Choose Your Noodle” on the wall, the only other interior feature of note is the open kitchen, flanked by a wrap-around bar with seating, allowing diners to see their food being prepped, a feature the kids enjoy.
You make your own combination of ingredients—pick one of eight noodles, pick the preparation (Noodles Soup, Seasoned Dry Noodle, Dan Dan Noodle, Chow Mein), add a protein source (spicy beef, regular beef, fried chicken leg quarter, grilled chicken, orange chicken, spicy ground pork, braised spareribs, firm tofu, fried shrimp) and optional veggies (broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, bean sprouts, lettuce) and pick a broth if you’ve opted for soup. If you, like me, are easily overwhelmed by too many choices, worry not: There are recommended combinations for the indecisive.
CY Noodle’s appetizers—traditional pot stickers, egg rolls and wontons—share space on the menu with the less-common seasoned corn, sesame balls and seasoned cucumber. And there’s a full page of the menu dedicated to more traditional Asian cuisine—boiled fish, twice-cooked pork, orange chicken and spicy shredded potato all make appearances.
CY Noodle doesn’t have a liquor license, but, to numb the pain of that discovery, order a popping boba smoothie. Asian flavors like green tea, honey citron and taro are available, but more traditional options like mango with blueberry boba were more to my kids’ liking. An attentive and welcoming staff is what really set CY Noodle apart as a family dining location. The servers were eager to explain the menu and patient as the kids weighed their many options. The service didn’t stop when the meal did—one worker insisted my daughter take home a doggy-bag with her leftovers, and she replenished it with tofu because my daughter had picked all of hers out of her dishes, an action that ensured my prediction came true. For once, everyone in my family left happy.
3370 S. State St, SLC, 801-485-2777, cynoodleshouse.com
