Sophie's Noodle House - Kingston

The service was good, but the boiled dumplings in chili oil were the only redeeming factor. Unfortunately, everything else was unsatisfactory. The pan-fried dumplings lacked flavor and were reminiscent of alcohol. They were missing key ingredients such as cauliflower, green onions, garlic, and dipping sauce. The black in the BBQ beef noodle soup was bland and the noodles were overcooked. While other dishes at nearby tables looked appetizing, I cannot recommend this restaurant for their supposed specialty: barley dishes.

My friend originally ordered the beef hand-pulled noodle dish, but the waiter said it was not on the menu. She took a long time to come back, and when she did, my friend ordered the fried chicken noodles. The waiter said they could be spicy, but she would get the spice on the side. I ordered the black noodles and also ordered a noodle dish to share as a starter. The chicken soup came with a bowl of tasty broth and overcooked spaghetti noodles, with a side of roasted chicken fillet. My dish was a bowl of broth with overcooked noodles and sliced pork. The appetizer we ordered was six pieces of tasteless cigar-shaped dough with no dipping sauce. Overall, the food was not good or fresh tasting. The restaurant had some tables when we were there, but they were all served. It seemed like they did not care about the customers. There was only one server who was busy but not helpful at all.

My favorite place to eat in Kingston is Go-to-Costume. Their noodles are amazing and the portions are very generous!

Excessively salty mapa tofu court and not spicy, although I ordered the spicy. friends enjoyed the noodles.

I ordered the Lanzhou beef tendon noodles, and the first few bites were delicious. However buyer be warned, the tendon must have been soaked in brine or heavily salted because each tendon chunk was very very salty. I couldn't stomach the salt and I ended up leaving quite a bit over; unfortunetly even the soup, which was delicious, became too salty for my taste. The noodles were of high quality and had good chew, being assumedly hand-pulled. The dumplings in chili oil were alright, but I definitely could have forgone them had I known how salty the meal was going to be. Will have to try maybe other types of meat instead of the tendon, if I come back.