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Hot noodles warm up winter

After enjoying success in an isolated location in the Kam Lake area, an authentic Asian-style food service is hoping to find a more convenient location.

When William Sun and his girlfriend Serena Zheng arrived in Yellowknife a few years ago, they never thought they would be operating a food restaurant out of a truck.

Yellowknife food truck Noodo Monster is the newest Asian cuisine spot in town. Located on Coronation drive, Noodo Monster is actively looking for a new location in the city. Michael Hugall/ NNSL photo

Sun and Zheng, who came to Canada from China in 2008 and 2011 respectively, met in Vancouver while Sun was working as a realtor and Zheng worked at a noodle house.

Once the thought of opening a restaurant crossed their mind, they began searching for a location. Unable to find a suitable spot, the two resorted to opening Noodo Monster out of a commercial truck.

“I drove down to Napanee, Ontario in my F-150 and picked up the truck,” said Sun at Noodo Monster's location on Coronation Drive. “The food truck weighed more than my vehicle ... in Manitoba I could feel my truck swaying back and forth ... it was scary.”

Upon returning to Yellowknife safely, Sun said he and Zheng decided to station Noodo Monster outside of Hovat Construction after approval from Sun's friend and company representative Eric Sputek. However, after three weeks of what Sun said were successful sales, the couple started thinking of expanding Noodo Monster to reach more potential customers downtown.

“We've looked for locations across the city but we've run into a lot of problems,” said Sun, referring to efforts to move into Centre Square Mall. “If we decided to use that space we would have to pay nearly six figures to get the (space) up to code.”

The truck will move downtown during the day starting next month, while rolling back to its original location at night due to nightly parking restrictions.

Noodo House is receiving some good reviews.

“I have had the miso, tonkontsu and shoyo ramen which are all delicious,” stated Yellowknife resident Haylee Jordan on Noodo Monster's Facebook page. “Noodles are cooked perfectly and everything is ready promptly even if they are busy, I can't wait to try another bowl.”

William Sun, part-owner of the newest food craze in Yellowknife, Noodo Monster, poses for a photo with a frozen bowl of ramen noodles.
Michael Hugall/ NNSL photo

Sun said Noodo Monster would expand its eight-item menu if the restaurant opens a bricks and mortar shop at a new location, but because of space restrictions it is sticking with a limited selection.

“We have two furnace tanks on the back of the truck which power our truck,” explained Sun. “If we were to add more equipment to prepare other dishes we would need more furnace tanks and a more advanced ventilation system.”

Noodo Monster is the second known mobile food location in Kam Lake, but thought to be the only one operating there in. The other, Starvin' Marvin Bistro, serves soup and sandwiches during the summer.