Ten Second Yunnan Rice Noodle
Yunnan · 8222 Agora Pkwy Ste 148, Selma, Texas 78154
★★★★½ 1 review(210) 616-2202
Menu Items
Reviews
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Finally Tried For First Time. It Took 4 Attempts.
This was my first visit to Ten Second Noodle, another restaurant that had been on my list to try for a while. My first couple attempts were met with failure as they were short handed and were either closing early, or only taking to-go orders. I wanted to experience the hot pot at your table, so to-go orders weren't going to do.
This week I was finally able to visit, and dine inside. This was a unique experience, similar to a shabu-shabu restaurant I ate at in Houston, but that place was a buffet, and stoves were built into the table. At this restaurant they bring boiling bowls of broth to the table, or a portable burner.
After looking over the menu, I opted to go with their spiciest bowl, the Sichuan noodles. I was given the option of having all the ingredients served already in the broth, or on a tray, where I could add them myself. I opted for the later.
Along with my ramen bowl I ordered a side of takoyaki, I've described this item before on a previous post, but I'll touch on the topic again. Its basically a deep fried ball of octopus, mayo, green onion, and sometimes other seafood. It has a semi-soft/crispy outside with a creamy seafood filling inside.
All the food including my appetizer was brought out at once. The tray was an impressive display of small bowls, some of which barely seemed like a portion large enough for the bowl, but there were many of them. For example the bowl with what I believe was ham, had 2 small square slices of ham, about the size of a postage stamp. The bowl of corn, had about a dozen kernels, and the bowl with the ear mushroom had 1 mushroom. But once they were all added to my bowl of broth and noodles, they were evenly distributed for the most part.
The Sichuan noodle bowl proved to be decently spicy, but not extremely hot, most people could easily handle this bowl. I would rank it on a 1-10 scale a 7/10. But I also eat some crazy hot foods.
The flavor of the noodle bowl was good, the noodles came out pre-cooked, steaming and didnt require much time in the bowl.. 10 seconds? however the meat took the longest to cook. If put into the bowl immediately when brought to the table it cooked in about 20 seconds.. but after a few minutes slices of meat remained medium rare, semi-pink despite being very thin. So its important you put the meat into the bowl at the very beginning before the broth cools.
My takoyaki was decent, maybe not the best I've had, but as far as takoyaki goes in San Antonio, this was pretty decent.
My only issue with the meal was at the very end. One bite towards the end of the bowl I crunched down on something that flooded my mouth with an insane flavor. It was like icy-hot in your mouth. My tongue and cheeks were coated with the flavor which left me unable to taste anything else. I attempted to wash it clear with my soda, and then several spoonful's of broth, but everything tasted like this ingredient. I asked the waiter what it was, and he wasn't quite sure.. Then he said Mala, but couldnt spell it for me.. after a little bit of searching I found articles talking about a "mouth numbing sensation" referred to as mala. Apparently caused my Sichuan peppercorns. I've had Sichuan several times before but never experienced this, most places strain them out, or crush them and use a small amount, this broth had whole ones in it.
Other than the last bite, the meal was great, but I did not enjoy the experience of the "mala" if thats what it was, as it drowned out all other flavors, and prevented me from enjoying the last of my food.
Overall, the experience was different, the food was good, the price was a bit on the high side, but your paying for the presentation, custom bowls, custom burners, ect.. and the variety of items on the menu to choose from was vast with endless possibilities.
Im not a big ramen or soup person, another reason this remained on my list for a while, but it was better than expected. This would make an excellent meal in the Winter months.
Ten Second Noodle - Storefront
Sichuan Noodle Bowl
Noodle Bowl Ingredients
Takoyaki
Spring Rolls
Ten Second Noodle - Dining Area
Sichuan Bowl with Beef
Ten Second Noodle - Menu 1
Ten Second Noodle - Menu 2
— Paul