Big Bowl – Noodle House

Pork & Chive Dumpling Noodle Soup

How very remiss of me to miss this lovely little spot out for so long. Big Bowl has been a welcome addition to the upper end of William St in Northbridge for a good year or so now, and has not disappointed every time I’ve been in.

The “gimmick”, if you can call it that, is that all of their noodles are made fresh to order for all the various dishes they serve.
There are two large machines behind the counter with big signs on them saying “No Photo!” that I was careful to respect, which would appear to be the driving force behind the fresh noodle phenomenon. It has a large container on the top full of flour, and various mechanisms that I assume add water and salt and mix the whole batch together, then spits the noodles out the other end, either of the thick or thin variety.

These noodles then find their way into an assortment of dishes of various types. There’s wonton noodle soup, char kway teow, something vaguely reminiscent of spaghetti bolognaise, and a few baked noodle dishes that taste a bit like macaroni cheese.

Regardless of what you’re after, there’s something to please just about everyone, and clearly people are pleased. A casual Monday afternoon lunch today saw the place as a hive of activity, with not a spare seat in the place, and a steady flow of people in and out hoping to snag a table.

The fact that it’s hugely popular with the local Chinese community means that there’s not a lot of reading material besides the local “Asia Times” newspaper, that I casually flick through on occasion just to put a lingering doubt into the minds of nearby Chinese speakers who might wonder if I can actually understand any of it.

Still, the place is friendly, clean, and simply appointed, and service is always accompanied by a smile and a laugh.

If you’re looking for a quick / cheap / tasty lunch or dinner option in Northbridge, I can highly recommend Big Bowl. Most of the dishes range from $8 – $12 maximum, and represent great value.

Do yourself a favour and try the Big Bowl on for size :)

Big Bowl

408 William Street
Northbridge,
Opening Hours: 11:30AM to 8:30PM (Closed Wednesday)
Phone: 9228 4448

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8 thoughts on “Big Bowl – Noodle House”

  1. Hey Matt,

    Have you heard about this place called Big Bowl? I think it’s been there for about a year or so.

    Seriously now….looks good and will have to check it out.

    Any idea why they don’t like photos taken of their equipment? Most blokes are all for it.

  2. Funny you should ask Brad… :) Yeh the no photo rule… something to do with ancient noodle making secrets getting out perhaps… though how much use a photo would be to recreate a piece of industrial machinery I’m not sure.

    Grendel: Sounds like a plan… Though I’m almost certain you need to drop the ‘r’ on Urbanista… :)

    Tuan: Darwin eh… I was under the impression that it was a wonderland of Australasian cuisine… You’ll have to clue me in on what’s good up that way, and Perth isn’t too far to go for a holiday :)

  3. The ‘R’ has been the subject of recent discussion! Just ask Louise – and now you have me thoroughly confused. I’d better go down for another coffee and sort it all out I reckon.

  4. Hey Matt

    Glad to see you’ve finally dropped by to visit big bowl

    i work a few shops down, and its always good for a quick and BIG feed, IF you can get a seat.

    You’re got to try the noodles with special beef sauce (jah jiang mien)

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