I’m afraid to say you can’t really find authentic asian food here. If you only want food in big portion, then it’s the place. I’ve been there once and I’m afraid I won’t go back again…
Yee Gan O.
Place rating: 3 London, United Kingdom
One of the terms which sends a chill down my spine whenever I see it on a menu is ‘pan Asian’. This usually means a mish mash of a general tour of Eastern Asian cuisines and mediocre food Looking for a quick and cheap meal near Ealing Broadway station, Coco Noodle Bar caught my eye and despite spying food covering a range of SE Asian countries, my hunger and not wanting to walk too far won out As it was a cold evening, I thought a bowl of warming phở dac biet would be exactly what the doctor would prescribe. Again ignoring the Chinese I could hear being spoken by the waitresses, I went for this Vietnamese noodle soup Phở is famous for the depth of flavour in the soup brought about by long simmering of beef bones. Well, what arrived wasn’t phở but a generic noodle soup — the primary flavour was more chicken or pork rather than beef in origin. There was a generous amount of seafood and a few slices of beef but once again, not phở. Phở should also come with a good amount of fresh herbs which really bring the dish to life. Yup, you guessed it. No herbs It did fill a spot but as it wasn’t really phở, Coco receives 3 stars from me
Arthur
Place rating: 5 London, United Kingdom
Co-Co noodle bar on The Mall, Ealing Broadway is my favourite noodle bar I have been a costomer of theirs for three years now and have never found fault with the food at all. The noodle bar is convenient for me whenever I am shopping if I dont fancy pizza at pizza hut or pub grub myself and friends always visit Co-Cos
Andrew M.
Place rating: 4 London, United Kingdom
Great special rice, tasty sauces, incredibly quick service I’ve tried this place before with my brother and it was good but nothing special. However, I was craving some fried rice and as I walked by this place on my way home the smells emanating from inside were too good to resist. I ducked in and rattled off my order. What surprised me first was that the food came before I had even settled in to wait. While that probably means that either the fried rice or beef with green peppers and black bean sauce was already made, I’m not complaining as I was starving. The thai special fried rice was fantastic and exactly what I was craving. Opening the container, you are hit with a rich dry curry smell that overwhelms the senses. The flavour is spicy and complements the crunchy freshness of the prawns. I was disappointed in the duck as it was mostly unrendered fat and flavourless meat but the rice itself was full of flavour. The beef with green peppers and black bean sauce was delicious. The beef was tender, the veggies crunchy, and sauce full of msg’d flavour. I would have preferred a thicker sauce but can’t complain too much. The two dishes came to 10 squids so overall a good value especially given the large portions. I’ll definitely keep this in mind for the next takeaway craving.
Aminah K.
Place rating: 1 Ealing, United Kingdom
For a meal that’s not too pricy, tastes good if you order dishes they cook well, which I have to believe is limited then it’s worth a trip but ONLY for a takeaway. On my first visit even though they brought us the wrong order, the salmon and the singapore noodles did taste good. After getting soaked in the rain, anything hot with a hint of spice that’s cooked well and seasoned perfectly does taste good but I thought it was worth another trip to sample more on their menu. I’ve now discovered their Kung Po chicken, Egg Fried Rice, Thai fried Rice and Prawn Ramen Noodle Soup are treats for the Chinese food enthusiast but their very chewy Crispy Lamb and Chicken Ramen Noodle Soup with pieces of bone was far from enjoyable. I’m not sure how they managed they managed to serve us a soup that with Prawns was delicious but with chicken tasted like dishwater with bits of bone and fatty chewy chicken bits floating around. I would recommend a takeaway if you decide to order some of their dishes that are actually tasty because if you eat, you are unlikely to be given a serving soup — they will tell you they only have soup spoons. If you do show them the table spoon given to you to eat with and ask for another, be rest assured you will be met with a ‘Why do you want another?’ and a very confused expression. You may also have a stranger be led to your table and offered a seat and a menu by their serving staff, who do not feel the need to ask you for your consent. I am certainly never going back there after today’s experience, the bits of chicken carcass and the taste of dishwater has left a very bad after taste in my mouth and having a stranger join my great — aunts and me was not exactly an experience that I’d go back for a second helping of.
Mingph
Place rating: 4 London, United Kingdom
This little place has been close to my heart even since before I moved to Ealing. I met a friend at Uni for lunch and we went here, 6 years later, I still think this places rocks! The food. More Chinese than the category rating gives it. If you want Japanese, goto the ‘Hare and Tortoise’ up the road. This is definitely more Chinese. There is more of a Cantonese style of cooking here which reminds me of my Dad’s cooking. Wholesome, freshly prepared food. I always find you can test a Chinese restaurant. Sweet and Sour Chicken, if they can not get this right, then you might as well give up. The Sweet and Sour Chicken, Crispy Shredded Beef, Egg Fried Rice, Chicken and Yellow Bean sauce, everything tastes genuine and made to a high standard. The service can be a little off sometimes. Yet you’ve got to think about being in their shoes a bit. They do work hard and long hours, again a family run business. This place is well worth it on a budget for food that is fit for an Emperor.
Reto E.
Place rating: 2 Sunnyvale, CA
This rating is only for the TAKEAWAY that was recommended above. I have eaten inside a few times and it was always OK, but they really cannot undstand you over the phone. They got my order right but gave me the wrong base soup. The got my wife’s order completly wrong, fried noodles instead of soup. Also their take away gear is not suitable for noodles(Soup seperate container — may explain why I got the wrong one). So eat in — where you can point at the menu item, and repeat the menu number a couple of times instead.
Audrey B.
Place rating: 3 South San Francisco, CA
For quick and fast Asian(mostly Chinese and Japanese) eats, we duck into Coco Noodle Bar. The portions are surprisingly large, and the service is pretty quick. The crispy beef is my favorite, and the few times I’ve actually eaten at the restaurant, the crispy duck appetizer has caught my eye. If you live nearby, it seems better to order for take away than to eat in the small restaurant.
Timina
Place rating: 4 Sydney, Australia
A very busy noodle place right at the centre of Ealing. The menu is immense, with Japanese, Thai, Chinese, and Vietnamese dishes. Everything is cheap(under £7) and comes in large, hot, tasty portions. Seats are long benches so you’ll likely be sharing with others, unless you manage to grab one of the smaller tables by the window. It’s not delicately presented, and the service is just OK. But you don’t come here for those things: you come here for a massive pile of duck and noodles, or a huge bowl of soup with prawns. I know from council records( ) that Coco has been in trouble from the food health inspectors before. I’m not naïve enough to think that this is uncommon for places that serve mass quantities of quick-preparation food. If you’re squeamish about the idea that this place has been caught with poor food practices in the past, you might want to give it a miss. If you’ve eaten street food in south-eastern Asia and believe what you don’t know can’t hurt you, nosh away.
James R.
Place rating: 4 Sevenoaks, United Kingdom
For a £ or two more than the cost of McD/KFC or BK, its possible to have an entirely much better meal! All portions are large and shareable, just ask for an extra plate. The fried dumplings are indeed tasty and one of my favourites. The range of dishes is great, offering Japanese, Chinese or Thai — Curries, Noodles, rice, soups and sizzling hot plates. Easily, my favourite budget meal and extreme belly filler is the Thai Special Fried Rice — £5.00 — An enormous plate of fried spicy rice, generously filled with BIG prawns(not wee pink, rehydrated shrimps), good sized chicken and roast duck chunks and peas. Its a hot, tasty number. Unfortunately, I am totally addicted to the pots of fiery, chilli oil, which adorns each table, if you like it hot… this is the stuff, it brings on a good sweat and clears the sinuses.(I make this stuff at home) The Salt and Pepper fried squid is cooked just right, every time… its mouth watering, I have NEVER found it to be over cooked/chewy, which can be the case in other places. There is a great choice for Vegetarians and CoCo staff will try and tailor dishes to your desire, if your server appears not to have understood you, catch the eye of another and they will always try to help. Their fresh fruit smoothies are delightful and there are a range of soft and alcoholic drinks available, inc. reasonably priced Tiger Beer. Its one of the busiest place in this part of Ealing and whilst I understand that some people complain that the staff are inattentive. They are busy making sure that everyone is served hot, tasty and value for money, food. I have eaten here for a long time and never found any reason to complain. Sadly in 2007 they had a bad visit from Ealing council, — they sorted it out immediately and when as a regular, I asked the manager about it, he invited me into the kitchen to have a look around, so cheeky me, I did. IMHO — they addressed all of the issues and continue to provide great food at very affordable prices.
Lynsey
Place rating: 4 Leicester, United Kingdom
Creamed to the brim with hungry pockets of people, this busy restaurant is simply bussing with noise of chatter everyone from the lone office worker dinning on Dim Sum at the end of a hard working day to girls on a hen nights, filling up the sets and tables. Staff are rushed off their feet most of the time with more that one table per crew member serving so patience his required as it could take more that ten minuets for a server to get to each table. Staff are very friendly and accommodating and will find a place to squeeze in a party even when in looks like all placing’s are filled. All service is done with a smile and informal welcome. Not the perfect relaxation remedy as one you have the severs attention its fast to order and fast to serve with little time to amend any orders before waiting staff get impotent and move on to the party opposite. This is were the artistry knowing the menu from a prior visit comes in handy. The Menu layout easy to follow with clear headings for each type of dish such as rice noodle or soup based platters and in a price range to suit all budgets from £2.00 — £6.00 for a starter or a side dish and £4.50 — £7.00 for a main and a group of two — four can easily dine for under £30 or £10 ahead, however You can’t make reservation as this is a first come first seated affair. The most popular dishes are steamed dumplings, gorgeous soft dumpling blobs filed with melt in the moth minced pork infused with herbs and spices and a little spring oion giving it a slightly sweet flavor served with a rice wine vinegar dipping source and decorated beautifully with Chinese lettuce and finely sliced cucumber and carrot or for those who prefer fish sesame prawn toast, a plentiful potion of little squire sapped flatly tested slices filed with diced prawns and sea salt, deep fried in a sesames seed coating making them crunchy on the outside with the delicate combination of gooey softness within andaccompanied with a side of sweet chill dipping source that bring out the full flavors with a delight in each bite. . In the mains a wonderful Coco Raman(a warm spicy Japanese style clear soup) with large soft undon noodles and a stemmed mix of tender sliced meat and shell fish. Witch includes mussels, squid, crab sticks and beef slithers making this a comforting dish that fills the tough with a heavenly fusion of hubs accompanied by light flavors of aromatic spices with freshly chopped chilling giving it a hint of deep and warming heat in every mouthful served in a generous rustic bowl. Coco Noodle bar is a found favorite’s among Ealing’s native oriental community and serves up a real variety of no nonsense of Japanese, Thai, and Chinese cuisine, so there is a dish to suit all test along with pleasant staff service.
Lauran
Place rating: 4 London, United Kingdom
A ‘Wagamama’s’ style noodle bar in Ealing Broadway, a few mins from the station. Be prepared to share tables with other customers. There is an extensive choice of noodle and rice dishes — and portion sizes are large. The dishes arrive as and when they are ready and are tasty and cheap. It can get busy so you may need to wait for a table, but well worth it if you are looking for a quick feed during your lunch hour or before going out.