$$$: $8.80
The Scene:
Last night a number of us gathered at Top “Sssop” Noodle for dinner to welcome home our prodigal daughter Maggie, one of the increasing number of friends we have lost to the bright lights and (apparently) crime-riddled streets of London. Top Noodle seems to have struck a chord with this group – especially with the guest of honour who I’m sure booked her brief trip back to Brisbane simply to savour the Sssop’s delectable takoyaki (octopus balls) once more.
The Meal:
The Salmon Toro Bowl is a simple dish that consists of a big, warm bowl of rice topped with minced salmon belly, shreds of seaweed and spring onions. I personally like to think of it as a giant salmon sushi albeit in a different configuration. My favourite way of eating this particular dish is to pour lots of soy sauce into the bowl (lest it feel a tad dry) and mix everything together so that each mouthful more-or-less contains the correct ratio of seaweed/rice/salmon that you would expect from a regular piece of sushi. The end result is a bowl filled with a kind of pre-mixed sushi paste… all the flavour of salmon sushi with none of its traditional elegance. Perfect for the lazy diner who shrinks at the prospect of having to repeat the tedious process of combining the various disparate ingredients on his plate to form individual mouthfuls up to 20 times (or more!) per meal. Just mix and shovel. However, given that each mouthful does taste the same after mixing makes the dish more prone to monotony.
The Verdict:
It’s a simple dish but it’s also very tasty. The salmon is still fairly moist, its mincing not overdone, the rice is warm and the presentation is understated and elegant. I do appreciate generous servings when I eat out and this dish, like most others at Top Noodle (and in fact, like most others at Market Square) gives you a lot more than what you’d expect given what you paid. Spend the equivalent on salmon sushi plates at Sushi Train (who incidentally owns Top Noodle) and you probably wouldn’t even get a third of what you’d get in one Salmon Toro Bowl. A hearty fish-based meal if there ever was one.
Random Fact:
The framed calligraphy above the counter translates as “One Spirit, One Noodle”. A stunning pledge of commitment.
Top Noodle
Shop 33B, Market Square Shopping Centre
Cnr Mains Rd. and McCullough St.
Sunnybank, Queensland 4109
Hours: 7 days a week, 11am – 10pm