Tina's Noodle Kitchen (CBD)

After the countless times I'd past this place and witnessed an astonishing que, I decided that for once and for all, it was time to try it for myself.

Upon arrival a waiter greeted and handed us a menu before gesturing us to our table. As I began to sat down I noticed the napkins placed on the table were printed with the name "Dainty Sichuan". My first thought was "did they just steal these napkins from the other restaurant?" (I soon realised that Tina's was owned by the same people). On the other hand, my friend's first thought was "one menu for two people?"


After placing our orders at the front counter, the first thing to arrive were the drinks we selected.

Watermelon Frappe ($5.80) & American Oreo Frappe ($6.80)

My friend ordered the American Oreo frappe. After much contemplation, I caved and decided to get myself a watermelon frappe... Which I later regretted. Both drinks were quite watery and flavourless. The flyer on the wall insists that the watermelon frappe is made with only watermelon juice and no added water/sugar. That could possibly be correct... Because it seems like there was a tonne of ice added instead of water.

Not long after, our noodles also arrived in hot stone bowls (thank god I didn't sizzle with the noodles).

Fresh Prawn Balls ($14.80)

I settled on the fresh prawn balls. There was a generous serving of noodles and the broth itself was much more flavoursome than our drinks. We also took up the option to have an extra fried egg in our noodles for $2, which was a little disappointing. The egg was a bit over cooked for my liking and a bit rubbery in texture. After finishing my meal I was definitely full to the brim.

Seafood Mix ($14.80)

My friend decided to get the seafood mix. Again, the extra egg was overcooked but overall the dish was decent.

Tina's Noodle Kitchen is nothing spectacular or worthy of lining up for. However, it isn't bad and is quite satisfying if you're just after a regular meal, but nothing incredible. Despite its mediocrity, it still gets quite full during lunch and dinner times although there is an abundance of seating.

Ratings:
Food - 6.5/10
Price - 7/10
Service - 6/10

Tina's Noodle Kitchen (CBD)
237 Swanston Street
Melbourne, 3000