Bowl Of Stars

Every now and then the stresses of work requires a bowl of soupy noodly goodness for a pick-​me-​up. That’s where Bowl of Stars comes in. Originally a place to just grab a bubble tea close by, it quickly became a simple soup noodle joint, and has since changed up their menu to allow the more creative of us to pick every aspect of lunch — from the noodles to the soup base to the meats (or tofus) — for just $ 6.
If you’re not feeling creative, you can select from some of their set soup noodle dishes for a dollar more. My favourite is the laksa — it’s just the right amount of spice for me.
I tried one of the appetizer dishes last time (garlic cucumbers), and they were just awful. It was basically cucumbers in some brown sauce (it very much resembled their sesame chicken sauce), and deep fried garlic bits. Definitely not anywhere close to the Taiwanese garlic cucumbers I’m used to, and definitely not worth the $ 3.50.
If you need a comfort-​food filler for less than $ 10, then this is a good place to visit. There’s limited seating though, so it fills up quickly at lunch.

* Continues to impress *
I still absolutely love the Xinjiang spicy lamb soup here.
I’ve returned many times, but finally took some photos of the soup. Here it one:
The broth is still rich and complex with a nice blend of chili and cumin, with a nice heat level.
They stir-​fry the marinated lamb (
) before adding it to the soup so it gets slightly caramelized and locks in the juiciness of the meat combined with the cumin and chili flavour.
Their yuba is a wonderful variety which is thin, light, and has a nice chew, while the tofu puffs soak up the broth nicely.
The goji berries which absorb some of the broth add a delightful spicy and sweet pop.
My only «beef» with the soup is that they don’t make their own rice noodles. But the ones in the soup (
) are good quality for commercial ones. So this is actually a 4.5 star review based upon those noodles not being housemade — but everything else helps to round up to a 5 star.
I also got to taste the fresh prawn and yuba in satay soup. The broth had a complex multi-​spiced layering. The yuba was the same wonderful yuba as from the lamb soup. The prawns were huge, incredibly fresh, and cooked perfectly. An added little touch was some fried shallots which provided a texture and flavour contrast. Nice soup as well. Photo:
This is a very casual fast clean tasty option which I truly enjoy visiting. Service is very friendly as well.

pretty good, not great. I wouldn’t go out of my way to try it but worth it if you are in the hood.

Bowl of Stars is walking distance from where I work. It has been there for a couple of years but I always thought it was just another bubble tea house.
I went there for the first time with some co-​workers. Bowl of Stars is a very unique noodle house. You select you broth, the type of noodle and 2 condiments. You can order additional condiments for $ 1. So far, I’ve only tried the spicy kim chi soup base with various noodles — my favourite is the odon noodles.
They also dry noodles with sauce. Just like the soup noodles, you pick and choose the sauce, type of noodle and 2 condiments. Like the soup noodles, there are many flavours to choose from. Every meal comes with a free cold drink. The flavour will vary from day to day.
Service has always been great. Food service is quick. Food is always served piping hot. Waitresses/​hostess is very attentive and there is not waiting when you need something! Restaurant is very clean and spacious with modern décor.
…here’s a secret. You need to grab one of their business cards from the till. The back is a stamp card which gives you a free bowl of noodles when you’ve purchased 10. Not a bad deal considering the noodles are $ 6. I frequent the restaurant once every couple of weeks.
If you’re a noodle fan and want a change… this is the place for you. It’s definitely NOT a place for the indecisive ones!

Bowl of Stars is one of the 5 or so restaurants walking distance from my work. After they closed down this summer for renovations, and came up with a new menu (The All you can choose soup) I decided it was time to give it a try again with my «extra-​spicy please» coworker. We both bravely tried the extra spicy broth, and it totally conquered him. Hah.
With the soup you can choose from 6 different bases, 5 types of noodles, and at least 20 different toppings. Personally, I love brisket with tofu puffs. Each dish comes with a ‘sweet treat’ of juice.
The extra spicy broth is loaded with garlic and cumin, and has a lot of flavour besides just ‘hot’. I’ll definitely be back!

The place only has a few tables actually and they are all by the window so even with two or three tables full, it would appear as though it’s busy if you were driving pass. I’ve been here a few times. Twice I tried their duck noodle soup. The flavor has a kind of herbal flavor to it and they are quite skimpy on the duck meat. Only 4 thin slices. It soup does taste quite good though I must admit. Their rice, which I’ve tried a couple times definitely needs improvement. I could easily say it was one of the worst rice that I’ve eaten. It was in a small bowl with a few pieces of meat on top and the rest was mostly rice. It also had a few drizzles of sauce on top and a piece of brocoli. It felt very dry the whole time I was eating it. For what you get, I would pay $ 2 dollars perhaps but if you’re paying $ 7 bucks, I would expect more than just eating rice. I“ve never tried their bubble tea but from what I see other people having, I don’t think I’ll order it.

Stopped by last week with a friend to try this place, since it’s around the corner from my place. Always seems to be busy when I walk by, and for good reason.
This place advertises that it gives free bubbletea after 6 with an order of food. Honestly, it’s just a hook. They normally have. I think, two different choices for you– and don’t pick the milk tea one. The milk tea is definitely powdered, I had the mango one last time, yuck. But other than that, I had a great time.
They have a limited menu, which is fine for me. Noodles take up almost the entire menu, but I chose to order one of the new items, kimchi and tofu hotpot, my friend ordered the satay beef with rice noodles. Mine was pretty good, and they give you a choice of either udon, rice, or rice noodle as your side dish. In the hotpot was kimchi, tofu, assorted veggies, and vermicelli. Yum, very good for the price you pay. And it’s served with a lighted mini fire under the pot. My friend said hers was really good, but a little too much bean sprouts for her.
I like how they decorated the place, simple, lots of room to walk by people without having to listen to others’ conversations. Not a fan of their music though. Loved the service, although they don’t speak English very well. The server greeted me promptly, got me a seat and menu, and gave me time to pick. She’ll notice when I’m ready and put my menu down, and gave me a couple of recommendations too. Without asking, she came by to refill water and even noticed when my water was a little low in my mini hotpot! Superb, no hovering servers!
My entire meal was only 8 bucks, and I think my friend’s was 7. I will definitely be back, and I totally see why this place is usually full at night.
They also have Wifi if you need it.