Hana Restaurant: The Legendary Flying Noodles

What sorcery is this?

There’s someone stealing our noodles, fishing it right out of our plate!

How is that even possible?

When I saw pictures of this legendary flying noodle all over my social media wall, I knew I had to head down personally to find out what’s the magic behind these flying noodles.

This restaurant is getting really popular because of their legendary flying noodle that comes with the tantalizing dipping sauces which I never knew that it would pair so well with soba.

I’ve been to Hana restaurant twice. On our first visit, there wasn’t much of a crowd because it was lunch time and the restaurant was about to close but thank goodness, they allowed us in to try their flying noodle. I ordered lobster mayo sushi taco and flying salted egg udon. We love it!

On my second visit, the crowd started pouring in and be prepared to queue up while everyone is still amazed by how noodles are able to fly right out of the plate.

The restaurant itself is pretty funky other than their food, even their decor is placed in strangely unique.

Besides ordering the flying noodles, you must order their sushi taco. It’s a MUST. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to the tastebuds when you combine crunchy taco with sushi rice and lobster mayo. It’s a perfect combination of food. This tasted way better than the usual sushi roll wrapped with seaweed. It’s one of the best Asian-western fusion dishes I must say.

The fish roe added that nice Japanese touch to the whole taco itself and you don’t need any other condiments like pepper to spice it up further. It’s just that whole combination of soft lobster meat, creamy mayo, chewy rice, crunchy lettuce and crispy tacos that give you that ultimate explosion of taste right in your mouth.

But if you prefer to go for more authentic Japanese food, you can try the 4 X 3 sushi grid box filled with assorted sushi and sashimi. This reminded me of those elaborated bento boxes I had in Japan. It usually has a little of everything. You can have it as appetizers right before you enjoy those flying noodles. It’s a good sharing platter among 3 to 4 people.

Now, let’s come to the real deal – flying noodles! I was curious as to how this idea comes intro fruition. Whether it’s an original idea or an inspired one, it doesn’t really matter as long as the food is good and you are the first to start the trend!

I heard from the other bloggers about the flying noodle challenge that started on Instagram but I didn’t know if this restaurant was inspired by this challenge or not. But it did a great job of infusing their own style of flying noodle by using a two-tiered basket and a stick tied to a pair of chopsticks to make this happen. They also use Japanese noodles which are to be dipped in interesting sauces.

At Hana restaurant, there’re 3 types of flying noodles to choose from. So does it looks as taste as good as it looks? Here are my honest comments.

1. Flying Truffle Udon ($18)

All the noodles are served cold so if you are not a fan of cold noodles, you might not enjoy it as much. As for me, I like cold soba noodles which are slightly thicker so that when it is coated in sauce, you can taste the flavor of the noodles too.

The soba and udon they used here are thinner than the usual type of soba and udon. The udon, especially, is made flat and skinny so it is less chewy. Texture-wise, I am not quite into it as I prefer thicker noodles. But I need to give credits for their originality in creating the dipping sauces. My favorite has got to be the one served with salted egg york. But most of the other bloggers’ favorite was the one with the truffle oil mixed with egg yolk.

2. Flying Cha Soba with Spam Soba Sushi ($16)

How is the portion size like? I would say it is good for too because it’s quite a lot of noodles twirled around the supported wooden stick and chopsticks.

3. Flying Salted Egg Yolk Udon ($18)

The peeps at Hana are well aware of how Singaporeans are crazy about salted egg yolk and this salted egg york craze has not just stopped at desserts. It’s part of this flying noodle dish too! They cleverly mixed in some fried curry leaves into the salted egg yolk sauce for that punch and tanginess.

But if you are still not a fan of Japanese noodles, then you might want to try their Kimchi Pork Katsu Fried Rice ($18.00) which served with a bottle of tempura crisps for that added crunch. You need to empty all the crispy bits from the bottle into the rice and mixed it well. Even if they didn’t have flying noodles, I would still visit Hana just for this kimchi fried rice too.

For me, it wasn’t about the pork katsu that makes this dish a must-try but rather, it’s the combination of Kimchi fried rice with Katsu and the tempura crisp. They really know how to blend the essence of each culture so seamlessly.

This would go well with a bottle of beer or cider.

Judging from their menu, I would call Hana restaurant a sushi restaurant. They served so many varieties of sushis which are served on plates, boxes and even in clear drawers too!Pitan (century egg) Maki ($18)

Pitan Maki ($18)

They make their sushis look like pretty ornaments. ‘Pi-tan’ is century egg in mandarin. So this time, they fuse Chinese cuisine with Japanese cuisine. The soft texture of the century egg together with the sushi rice was interesting but I wasn’t actually swooned over by this sushi as compared to the fly noodles I had or the Pork katsu with kimchi fried rice.

Sushi Drawer ($46)As for beverages, they do serve the usual standard beverages and hot green tea. But if you are up for some alcohol, I recommend the Over-the-Top Somersby Apple cider ($25) which is served in a small jug of crushed ice and rainbow candy. This will send you over the rainbow in a jiffy.

The desserts here are also a crowd-pleaser too! I had the Matcha Misu which is basically Matcha tiramisu. It becomes a true art form when desserts are served in such a beautiful glass jar that embodied a story behind it.What’s that one thing precious in your life which you so tenderly treasure it?