In The Bowl Vegetarian Noodle Bistro
Categories: Vegetarian, Thai [Edit]
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill1554 E Olive Way
(between Denny Way & Summit Ave)
Seattle, WA 98102 (206) 568-2343
- Hours:
Mon, Wed-Thu 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 11:00 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Sun 12:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: None
62 Reviews for In The Bowl Vegetarian Noodle Bistro
Love it! My son got so excited when he saw that there are fake chicken nuggets on the menu, which really impressed me because not many places offer "kid-friendly" vegetarian items like that. I also love the fact that it is ALL veggie. Not alot of room, but that didn't matter once the food arrived. We were too busy eating to care. Great food, I will be a regular customer.
In a sentence: decent vegetarian Thai food on Capitol Hill - perfect takeout.
In somewhat more of a sentence: In the Bowl is a great place for vegi thai food. They have excellent mock meat (their mock beef is particularly good), as well as a wide variety of tasty vegetable dishes.
Seating is very limited and the ambiance isn't awesome, but certainly good enough. Not a date place at all, but very good for takeout. I live a few minutes walk away so I get takeout from In the Bowl quite frequently.
I am verging on giving them 4 stars rather than 3, but unfortunately their prices just went up and the dessert they used to give you with each meal went from a delicious corn and red bean pudding to an orange wedge.
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[EDIT: What the fuck is up with the orange wedge trying to be passed off as dessert now? I know we all complained that they never changed their desserts - but we learned our lesson now didn't we? Also, prices went up so now it's extra crappy that they don't give a real dessert.]
Here's my Yelp Review Episode:
It's good. I live a block away and this place is rad. The fake meat is delicious. The tofu is delicious. The curries, the stir fry, the whatever is delicious.
If you are calling in an order, be aware that it's tough to sometimes understand the person that answers. I just prepare everything in one quick sentence: Name - Type of Rice or Noodle - Spicy Level - Type of faux-meat.
Hope you all have a Happy Ending Episode!
Good news, vegetarians! This restaurant serves very good vegetarian dishes. Soup, salad, noodles, curry...everything is yummy. My favorite is their spring roll and Tom Ka soup...there are not many seats in the restaurant, so if you go there around lunch and dinner time, you might have to wait...but you also have a take-out option, which I always do since I live in the neighborhood. Great food, great people and it's vegetarian. Awesome!
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they have the best green yakisoba noodles with (soy) beef I have ever tasted in my life! And the free dessert after the meal is so refreshing.
This is such a great place, it's all veggie which means no worries about cross contamination with any seafood!
Some of the soups and some of the curries are pretty spicy so if you're kind of sensitive to spiciness, I'd stick with a 1 star. Once, I didn't realize that it was so spicy and ordered a soup at 0 stars ( I always order 0), the nice waiter actually got me something else to eat since I couldn't eat anymore of the soup (they gave us the soup for free, which my bf finished up). That was really nice of them.
There is a $20 minimum for delivery orders (call and confirm this because they might change it at any time, but as of 06/03/08, this is the minimum). That's about 2 entrees and an appetizer delivered right to your door.
If you ever fiend the fake meats they serve, hit up Viet Wah and go to the veggie frozen section and you can get the same thing there (it's about $4-5 a pop for only a few ounces of the fake meat stuff).
Oh my god my boyfriend and I miss this place everyday!! We always talk about, when we go back to Seattle how many times are we going to eat at in the bowl? It's a hole in the wall, and it serves noodle dishes and curry dishes of all different Asian varieties. So whoever compared this to Thai Tom- bad comparison. This is PAN ASIA!
I always get the Tokyo noodles with udon noodles and fresh tofu. He gets the yellow curry. The Roti w/ curry as an appetizer w/ extra roti is a must! You have to test and try the menu here. Not everything is 5 star hole in the wall food, but when you do find what you like, you'll wanna keep coming back for more! All vegetarian and family owned? Go to this place it's good!
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I haven't had Thai food in months due to a horrible experience at my favorite place in the U District. It shall remain nameless because it had to be an aberration. Last night, I had the garlic noodle dish with faux chicken and it was excellent. I ordered a level 2 spicy, and it certainly opened up my nostrils. It was just right, though. So be warned they skew on the spicy side. In the Bowl is also "in the price range," which is very nice. Also, as a frequent single diner, I was happy to see I wasn't the only person eating alone in there. And I wasn't treated poorly by staff as a result of eating alone either, which is something I've encountered elsewhere.
YUMMY! I don't understand how people said, repeatedly, that it wasn't spicy enough. I ordered my soup (Seoul Soup with "chicken") as a 2 star and my nose was running the entire time I slurped it up, and then some after (sorry to the cute girl who sat next to me, another solo diner, it was really rude of my to blow my nose but I had no choice).
I also had the mixed appetizer, and the potstickers were a little on the greasy side, but the "chicken" was a perfect nugget, lightly fried and reminded me of Quorn, the best product out of the Brits, esp since Cadbury stopped making Whispa bars like 10 years ago... but I digress.
And I must be really used to dives, because this place doesn't qualify as "hole in the wall" in my book. It was quite charming! Of course, today is a sunny day and I'm on a working vacation of sorts, so.
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I wish it was a little bigger, but DAAAAAAYYYYYUUUUUUUUUUM everything I've had is DELICIOUS. Really, isn't that what it's all about?
Did I mention it's all vegan?
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*Y*U*M*M*Y*
All their food is awesome, but the best by far is the melting culture. So wonderful... go get some now!
We've been curious about this restaurant for a while now and finally stopped in this past Friday night instead of grabbing our usual quick meal of a bowl of pho ga. I've had faux meat at a great vegetarian Chinese restaurant in Philadelphia, and was very impressed with it, so I had high hopes.
I was impressed with the breadth of the menu and the friendly, helpful service.
We started with an appetizer of deep-fried spring rolls, which came with a miserly dollop of sweet dipping sauce. They were very crispy and not greasy, but had a bland vegetable filling that wasn't memorable.
We both order specials; spicy green yaki soba noodles with asparagus and 'chicken' and the Seoul Soup with 'chicken'. My noodles were fiery hot (as ordered), but the 'chicken' was disappointingly mushy and tasteless, and there were only a few small pieces of asparagus in the bowl. The Seoul Soup was very flavorful and would be the perfect thing to warm you up on a chilly, rainy Seattle night.
At almost 30 bucks for the both of us, I didn't think it was worth it, given that for 13 you can get a huge bowl of pho at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant across the street from our place, but I'd come back again and give it another shot, but not order 'chicken' next time.
This place is delicious and cheap. One tip: if you are like me (a meateater, not too bright) take note that when the menu says you can order chicken or beef with your dishes, it is not really chicken and beef but a soy protein substitute. Makes sense, because the place is vegetarian. I would just order the tofu instead, since you are going veggie anyway you might as well get the authentic stuff.
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Talk about a hole in the wall. Probably not on anyone's list for first dates or how to impress your new in-laws BUT I could eat at In the Bowl at least 4 days a week - not exaggerating. Okay, here comes my dirty little secret; I'm a vegetarian actually, 98% vegan (occasionally I eat goat cheese). This restaurant is like paradise for me, I didn't have to try and figure out what I could or couldn't eat. It was so delicious. The only problem was I actually thought they were trying to sabotage me by putting animal in the various dishes, it tasted that close (from what I can remember - over 20 years) but the staff assured me no actual animals were used in the process of making any dish. Just remember don't judge a book by it's cover.
In the Bowl is a restaurant that falls into the "cheap and cheerful" restaurant category.
This is a term my family and I use, meaning it's the type of place you can run to in your favorite jeans and oversized sweatshirt when you get home from work at 6pm and decide you're just too tired to cook and don't want to spend a fortune on dinner. It's quick, it's friendly, it's inexpensive, and there's no need to dress up. In two words: No fuss.
Although I will happily chow down on a good steak, my former roommate, who is a vegetarian, introduced me to In the Bowl, and I am eternally grateful (Amber, many thanks for this as well as Araya's Vegan Thai and Mighty O vegan donuts!) Nothing makes me happier than a steaming bowl of spicy noodles on a bone-chilling Seattle evening. The noodle dishes are Pan-Asian, and I tend to stick with the Spicy Coconut Milk dish which is divine. You have the choice of several different noodles (thin, thick, udon, etc) and a choice of fake meat (fresh or fried tofu, soy prawns, soy duck or soy chicken) and a spice star rating. As others have noted, the dishes are slightly spicier than at other Asian restaurants, so beware.
The lay-out is a bit cramped, and the space is small but I like to think of it as....cozy. Pull up to your dining partner, dig in to your noodles and get ready for good food and good conversation. Oh, and don't forget to check out the wonderfully cheesy wall decorations!
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Super yum yum. I love the funny spelling errors on the menu - Finding Angles and the entrees are called Episodes :p Awesome. The Basil Basil is really good, way basilier and better than at the Teapot!
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Honestly, it's hard for me to find a vegan/vegetarian restaurant that has dishes I actually find tasty and enjoy. So with that in mind, In The Bowl is one of those places that definitely makes me happy!
I had been wanting to go here for quite a long time, even despite of all the mixed reviews. It's very close to my apartment, and I always pass it by on the bus everyday going home from work, but I've never had a chance to go there because my schedule would always somehow conflict with their business hours..until now!
First time I went in was only just several nights ago. They were almost closing down the kitchen so I quickly picked out the first couple of things I saw which ended up being the spring rolls and the "tokyo noodles" dish (Udon noodles with stir fried veggies & tofu). I came home and oh my gosh...freaking delicious!!! My fiance was curious how it tasted since it looked so good, and he thought it was yummy too (he'd never had udon noodles before). I got it with 2 stars which was just spicy enough for me.
We loved it so much, that the next day we went back there together for lunch. This time I had the "Panang Curry"(w/soy protein "chicken" and brown rice. We both shared the tofu satay (freaking unbelievable!!!). I don't know what they seasoned the tofu with, but it was so tasty (it really did feel like a party in my mouth) and their peanut sauce is some of the best I've had in a while.
Bonus, they give you tapioca pudding with your meal (also yummy! and reminds me of the kind my grandma used to make).
Definitely recommend going here.
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I finally got myself out on the cold streets of Seattle to come check this place out. I ordered the Phud See Ew with tofu. Safe bet, but I was expecting something revolutionary. And it wasn't. Upsetting but I will return and gamble on my food a bit.
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I am a meat lover but In The Bowl is just too good to pass up. The menu is strangely translated and the photo frames on the walls still have the pictures that came with them, but who cares when you've got so much to love on the plate?
I second the warning that their spice exchange rate here is tricky. A #2 will burn the mouth nicely and clear the sinuses.
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I love this place, but only if I take out. Food always taste fantastic, the waiter staff is sometimes almost ignorant.
I LOVE their (fake) Beef Noodle Soup
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Fake chicken always seems wierd to me, but this place has pretty darn good fake chicken. I love their curry dishes, with delicious eggplant and plenty of other yummy veggies. The thai iced tea is not my favorite version of it here, but I figure maybe because it's made with soy milk instead?? Regardless, the portion size is good, tasty spices, and the desert is yummy, too! Definitely a good choice for a quick lunch/dinner on capitol hill that's convenient.
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This is all I know:
My girlfriend and I eat at the noodle place. We get a couple dishes -- one of them is a soup with noodles.
We eat, then leave with some of the noodle soup in a to-go container.
Two days later, my girlfriend eats part of the soup and bites into something that breaks in her mouth.
She spits it out. It looks like part of a pork bone.
She takes it into In The Bowl Vegetarian Noodle Bistro and asks what it is.
They tell her it's a rock, and that often rocks and also wood particles are found in the rice, which is really pretty interesting, as there was no rice in the soup. And, from what I understand about pork bones used for cooking, they break apart a lot easier than a rock would. And then there's this whole thing: if it WAS a rock, that doesn't really reduce the number of questions I'd like honest answers to.
Their food is pretty good, but is it truly vegetarian? I don't know.
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Uber-hip crowd at this rather small, bustling noodle house. Reminded me of Thai Tom, but not as good, unfortunately. I also felt like I needed a trendy accessory to fit in... hipster glasses, a cool hat... something!
Our family-style (not the default for the place) menu included the fresh rolles, "Finding Angles" (a Swimming Rama, spinachy-peanut sauce rice dish), "Tamarind and Peanut Sauce Noodles" (why doesn't this one get a funny name?!) and "Chili Paste Noodles" (I think these were made with top ramen noodles).
The rare delight was that they actually made the food spicy when you ask for it--this alone sets it up in my book.
The food was good all around. The fresh rolles were tasty, though the peanut sauce was overly thick, but the flavor was good. Our tea was luke warm and pricey for bag tea *sigh*. All the main courses were almost really good, but had one or two things that kept them just pretty decent. Mostly, things were too goopy, glorpy or sweet.
The fried tofu in the dishes was very good though.
All-in-all, I'm happy to explore their menu from afar via delivery, but if going out, will find somewhere a bit more reliably good.
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The place is so delicious. I can't remember enough about real meat to know if the fake meat here is anything like the real thing, but whatever - everything is all really good here. There's a variety of tofu and other proteiny things available, and then all the vegetables are just really fresh and diverse. Not like a lot of the weak vegetarian options at noodle houses around Seattle with some flaccid green bell peppers and pale cabbage slices peering gloomily out of their salty broth. This is all fresh and cooked just right and big portions that I should split and take home for leftovers but usually eat all of it. Spicy, not too greasy. It's good.
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My favourite hole-in-the-wall Thai place in Seattle. I highly recommend the spicy green bean noodle, spicy coconut milk noodle and the eggplant curry. But really, when my friends and I get anything from this place there are no complaints (and the fact that all the 'meat' is faux meat means even vegetarians ought to be happy here).
Be warned though: the spice level is not the same as the spice ratings you'll get asked elsewhere: 3 stars is *spicy* (and I think my personal spice preferences are well above normal to begin with). And whenever I've asked for my favourite meat substitute, 'duck', they never seem to have any anymore :(.
For an average of $8, you can get a quick, tasty meal with a little red bean and coconut milk pudding to finish off. No better bargain in Cap Hill than this place (imho).
The food is yummy. Fake meat and all. If you eat real meat you most likely won't care for it. Unless you already have a taste for the fake meat.
Currys, soups are tops.
The Delivery however I do NOT recommend. Granted I should have just picked it up because I live a few blocks away. HOWEVER, it took one hour. That's right, 1 whole hour. I was walking down the street and talking to them on the phone telling them I will just pick up my food when the delivery guy pulls up and says how busy he was.
I asked him for a discount because of the wait and me meeting him halfway.
He says "Next time"
REALLY?
No tip for him. (also making me feel terrible)
I haven't been back since for my "discount". But the food is good.
After too many bad delivery/takeout experiences when staying in Capitol Hill, I finally got around to trying In The Bowl.
My new favorite place for delicious and cheap vegetarian food without feeling like you're missing out on eating meat! Even my hardcore meat loving boyfriend was fooled by their "duck".
The spring rolls are delicious and I love their "Tac Team" with fried tofu, broccoli, and peanut sauce. Mmmm.
Wish you got more than 4 spring rolls for 6 bucks but...hey...if that's my only complaint then I'll keep going there.
EDIT:
If I will go 30 min out of my way to get In The Bowl, it must be 5 stars. And they sell their peanut sauce in cups to go! UPGRADE!
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I have a new love in my life and it's In The Bowl. This place is fantastic. The menu is huge, and if you order a noodle dish, you get to further your options by choosing what kind of noodles you'd like. In addition to that, any dish you order also comes with a choice between tofu (fried or regular), chicken mimicking soy product or a beef mimicking soy product. It's wonderful. My favorite appetizers are the pot stickers, which are hand made on site and filled with veggie goodness. The place is tiny and often crowded, but for me, that just adds to the charm. The decor is just eclectic and nonsensical enough to make my scatterbox of a brain happy. Oh, and did I mention that it's also cheap, cheap, cheap? AND as if that weren't enough each meal comes with a dessert that is simply delicious. I'm not sure exactly what it's called, but it tastes a lot like vegan rice pudding (with coconut milk) and red bean paste. When I was there yesterday there was a sign in their window stating that because of the increase in the cost of food, they were raising their prices starting May 5, however there was no indication of how much the prices would be going up.
One final note on the accessibility - this is one of those places that is technically accessible in theory, but not really accessible in practice. The place is so incredibly tiny that it would be really, really difficult for a chair user to maneuver when the place was at it's full (or even half capacity). There's no stairs and the door is wide enough, so if you could snag a spot by the door and it was empty enough you could move some of the tables around, this place would be accessible.
I have eaten here for almost 10 consecutive days now (it's up the street from my place). Totally addicted to their "fried" chicken nuggets. And, they let me bring in my own plastic containers to cut back on take-out waste.
Note: if you order your food to go and don't bring your own containers, they do use a ton of styrofoam.
EDIT 5/19/08: their weekday hours are supposedly until 10 pm. tonight i attempted to call in an order at 9:30 (i live 2 minutes away for pick up) and was told they were closed. ah, perhaps you have to be from the east coast in order to get the concept of adhering to your own claimed business hours? food is still great though.
EDIT: love the food, but i'm demoting this to 3 stars for the persistent use of styrofoam, which somewhat defeats the purpose of an animal-friendly establishment.
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If you can do without your precious meat, this is a good, quick and tasty restaurant with a variety of noodle, rice and curry dishes. You'll find some familiar Thai dishes and plenty of other tasty concoctions. With lunch you get a tasty rice pudding desert. Call ahead for take-out, or for a large enough order they'll deliver nearby. My only complaint is that on at least one occasion when I ordered 3 stars the food tasted like 5.
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In point of fact, story telling is a favorite past time of mine. Most of all I enjoy the roller coaster of emotions that spread across the listeners face as you tell them of unlikely, and incredible events.
To this end, it has been my experience that you must occasionally embellish to get the listener to really "feel" the story.
'In The Bowl Vegetarian Noodle Bistro' has beaten me to the punch, by becoming the embodiment of an embellishment. From the menu to the decor, it has rendered any garnishment of my story unnecessary.
Let me introduce you to the facts...
As you enter, please note the sandwich board outside the door which states, "Validated Parking At Diamond Parking Behind Starbuck".
Subtle, yes. But prepare for the delights that abound beyond the threshold...
Sit down, and take in the decor. Seemingly Asian inspired at first... but, no... dig deeper.
Look for the felt covered dream-catcher and Native American statuette. Or soak in the menu specials that are framed on the wall with tinfoil placed behind them, (for what I can only assume was intended to be dramatic effect.)
Wonder at the blue face of Shiva, a mere two feet from a sparkly encrusted Jesus portrait hung over the back door! And top off your perusal of the room by searching out the sign that simply states, "Vegetarian Meat Paste".
...all of this while Mexican music pours from the kitchen!
Dizzying, I know.
Just wait until you open the menu!
Each subsection of the menu is separated as follows...
BEVERAGE EPISODE
ACCOMPANY BUDDIES EPISODE (my favorite)
STARTER EPISODE
SALAD EPISODE
SOUP EPISODE
NOODLE EPISODE
CURRY EPISODE (we've all been there)
FRIED RICE EPISODE
STIR FRIED EPISODE
Inside each "Episode" you will find such magical dishes as:
"Finding Angels"
"You Are So Beautiful"
"Sweet and Sour Belong Together"
and my favorite copy-write infringement in years, the "Donald Duck"!
SPECTACULAR! And I'm not just talking about the Globalization inspired surroundings! The staff were a joy and the food was clean, fresh, and really, quite probably the best vegetarian food I've had in Seattle since the mysterious cattle exodus of 1883.
Hey... I can only hold the floodgates of my embellishments for so long.
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I tried it because it's close to where I live (ok ok, a block away). I go back because it's yummy and healthy.
I'd never tried soy protein before, but now I'm a fan. The beef is wonderful and my boyfriend loves the chicken. I also enjoy the duck.
There are so many things on the menu, it's hard to know what to try first. Here's a couple questions to get you started:
Rice or noodles?
Soupy or non-soupy?
Spicy or not?
What flavor of meat?
A creature of habit, I always get the Yellow Curry with beef, 3 stars and with white rice. Everything else I've had is good, but the yellow curry comes with this WONDERFUL side dish of something that's kinda like a quesadilla, but without the cheese. I have no idea what it's called, it's just good.
Everyone who knows me know that I am far lazier than I am cheap, luckily, this place is good for both. I work right down the street and am very glad that there is a fast, cheap, and TASTY place to eat really close to me.
I got the chicken pad thai, 5 star. First off, I didn't realize that it was fake chicken until I was about half way through and commented on how the chicken tasted weird. My coworker told me that it was fake. OOOHHHH, vegiTARian! Now I get it.
It's really good fake chicken, now that I know.
Also, the 5 stars aren't going to stand around all day asking questions. Seriously, my face is sweating.
They have brown rice as an option! This is something I always want and never get. Until now.
It is a little "cozy" when you enter, but I kind of like that. I also like watching them cook up all my goodies. They are friendly, and the food is good.
That's all I want.
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It was a dark and rainy day when I happened upon veggie noodle heaven. The tiny restaurant, with its cheap prices and never ending vegetarian selection, beckoned to me. It promised warmth (soup and heating), sustenance, and shelter from the storm (drizzle really). To my delight it fulfilled all of its promises!
I had the Phad Thai (I know, not very adventurous, but it looked good), and my partner had some peanut sauce, noodle extravaganza. Both dishes were good, although mine was heavy on the tamarind. Portion size was good (not too little, but not super sizing either), and the wait staff was nice. Personally, I am excited to explore the menu over this winter!
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This is my new favorite restaurant. Cheap, Spicy, with lots of vegetables. The food is great! Plus In The Bowl has taught me to love tofu. They must have some ancient, secret technique for making tofu not have the same texture as baby food.
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A great place to get "Vegetarian Meat Paste." Seriously, that is what they called the meat-product substitutes.
My uncle had tofu-duck. Yum...
I had the Panang Curry with Tofu (not fried), and asked for 5 stars, which felt more like three.
As others have mentioned, if you want it HOT hot, ask for it.
The free, after dinner desert I could have done without. It was a corn-based / black bean custard thing.
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I love this place. And I love the staff, but especially the chefs with the magic hands working their kitchen-y witchen-y goodness. I want to hug and kiss them all and put them in my pocket.
The free dessert at the end of your meal is the bestestestest part. EVAR!!!
If you walk by this joint and turn your nose up, kindly take your ass home and go to your room until you think about what you've done. This place is not to be missed, y'all!
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What could be better on a chilly but surprisingly not rainy Monday that a bowl of noodles? how about a bowl of vegan noodle soup with lots of seasonal veggies and a coconut broth with your choice of spiciness. In the Bowl is the kind of place you can bring your venison loving friends and they would miss the meat and bring your favorite vegan and they will have so many choice.
While the noodle soups are a big part of it, what the wife and I liked best were the starters we had.
We went on a Monday night at 7:30 and the place was nearly full. It's not a large place and best for tables of two. It is also bright orange. we're not talking fine linen service. As far as service it's not much different than any other Thai place in the city. Where it shines in the food.
There is a huge selection and almost everything can customized with a choice of soy chicken, prawn, duck, beef or just good old tofu.
We started with some fried tofu with a peanut sauce. Imagine a heaping mound of tofu "fingers". One day I will learn how to fry tofu so it's crisp on the outside and nice soft on the inside. But until then I'm happy to come here for it.
The second starter we had was "duck" spring rolls. Again no problems with greasiness and while they may not have tasted like duck they did taste like fried duck seasoning.
For our entrees we got the asparagus and tofu with extra tofu and brown rice which my wife loved and she is a picky vegetarian. I had one of the daily specials. The Pumpkin Coconut Soup, with "duck" and udon noodles was a big bowl of Autumn happiness.
They had a good selection of teas and other drinks.
Dinner for two with drinks but no tip was 35 dollars.
I have a feeling that the wife is going to want to go there every couple of weeks.
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This was the very first place I ate upon arriving in Seattle -- my local friend Kyle took me straight there, knowing that it would be right up my alley.
I really enjoyed standing behind the front counter, watching them make my food. Though I don't remember which number it was on the menu, I had a spicy udon noodle bowl with vegetables, tofu, and eggplant.
Mmmm. It was fast, hot, and delicious.
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For months I have been driving/walking/busing by In the Bowl and have been looking forward to stopping in on a chilly night, getting a bowl of noodles, and keeping cozy in their calming orange hued restaurant. One day as I drove by I saw three Buddhist Monks, complete in saffron robes, sitting along one of the walls looking as if they were part of the serene decor.
Finally my chilly night arrived and I wandered down to In the Bowl for a nice vegetarian meal. I tried to open the door but realized that there were two people wedged in between it and the counter...waited patiently and got into the restaurant. Once seated I started noticing the assault on your senses. The lights seemed a little too bright, the open kitchen is necessarily loud, the tables were shoved together really close, the air conditioner was blowing right on me, and the Asian pop music was blaring. What? Where is my serene environment? Where are the Monks?
Oh, who cares, maybe this restaurants reality didn't live up to my fantasy but the food was GOOD. With a capital Good. I highly recommend the string beans with tofu - everything is prepared perfectly from the crispy string beans to the firm tofu. You can also get fake meat, but since I can eat real meat I just skipped it, but I'm sure it's good too...yeah...sure...
In the Bowl is one of those ridiculously smart places that bribe you with a free dessert. Maybe I don't like the red beans with condensed milk but I'm sure someone prefers them over cream puffs and any complimentary dessert I am given is met with a smile :)
This is now my absolute favorite spot for take-out.
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