Youpo Noodles Opens a Brick-and-Mortar

Mushroom & Tofu Noodles, $17. Photo: Melissa Chang

If you’re familiar with Honolulu’s ever-changing food scene, you may remember chef Andrew Pressler first making a splash at the former Grondin restaurant in Chinatown, then as a sous chef at Pig & The Lady. More recently, he’s been a staple at farmer’s markets with Youpo Noodles, serving up spicy, hand-pulled biangbiang nooodles.

The noodles, also known as youpo chemian, disappeared for a bit, as Pressler experimented with Malaysian nasi lemak plates, reminiscent of his Indo-Malaya pop-ups. But people would continue to show up to his booth, demanding his fiery noodles. He managed to convert some people to the entrée plates, which were (in my opinion) even more tasty and complex, but the masses really wanted the noodles.

Chef-owner Andrew Pressler. Photo: Melissa Chang

Well, Youpo Noodles is back, and you no longer have to wait for the farmers markets to get them. Pressler opened his new brick-and-mortar in Chinatown, open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

SEE ALSO: Find Fresh, Spicy, Hand-Pulled Noodle Bowls at These O‘ahu Farmers Markets

Even during his test opening period two weeks ago, he had a steady stream of customers, both walk-ins and (mostly) online orders. And the mix included his Chinatown neighbors, OG Asian aunties and uncles who had already given him their stamps of approval. “That’s the opinions that mean the most to me,” Pressler says.

Photo: Melissa Chang

While Pressler isn’t Asian, he’s not trying to make fusion food. Rather, he wants to offer authentic Chinese street food. He’s serving up a simple menu of his customers’ favorite noodles, including (in order of the least spicy to the most): curry shrimp with pork, cumin lamb, duck, beef, and mushroom with tofu. (A warning to newbies: Pay attention to the spice level. You can ask to go down one level, but no further.)

Curry Shrimp Noodles, $17. Photo: Melissa Chang

Youpo chemian is a specialty from Shaanxi, a northwestern Chinese province. It’s called “biangbiang” due to the sound created during the dramatic preparation of pulling and slapping the dough. The noodles are chewy, which I love, bathed completely in Pressler’s blend of spices. Since all bowls are made to order, everything has a fresh snap and crunch in every bite. Personally, I can handle Malaysian spicy, so I do enjoy the mushroom tofu ($17) at level four. But my favorite tends to be the cumin lamb ($19) at level two because I love lamb, and I like that I can taste the ingredients and other aromatics better.

Lamb Ribs, $18. Photo: Melissa Chang

There’s also small plates, like cumin lamb ribs ($18) and honey Szechuan chicken wings ($20), which I may like almost more than the noodles. Again, total personal preference, but I love the flavor of cumin lamb, and the ribs have some fat on them, which is a beautiful contrast with the spices. The chicken wings are dusted with ground Szechuan peppercorns, which provides the ma la or “mouth numbing” effect that’s popular in Szechuan cuisine. But combined with the sweetness of the honey and the crunchy, unctuous chicken skin, the flavors are like magic in your mouth. These little plates are good on their own, but next time, I’m going to take them home to enjoy with beer or wine.

At the moment, Youpo Noodles is takeout only. Once Pressler settles in with furniture, customers can order from the counter and dine on the spot. Eventually, he hopes to bring back his Indo-Malaya pop up on the weekends so people can taste his range of Southeast Asian cooking.

1109 Maunakea St., youponoodleshi.com, @youponoodleshi