Rooster Dumpling and Noodle Bar
By Lindy Johnson
The lovely folks who brought you Dew have just opened Rooster Dumpling + Noodle Bar, the latest unique eatery in Provo’s increasingly hip downtown. Its menu is creative, well-edited and reflects seasonal, locally-grown produce. Given its affordability (dishes run $7 – $12), it might not surprise you to learn that the menu is inspired by Asian street food. What will surprise you is the sophistication of offerings, which are matched by the modern, upscale decor: Owners/chefs Andy and Simy Gartz have taken humble dumplings and noodles and refined them into innovative dishes with fresh, vivid flavors that even the most discerning foodie will rave about.
Ready for the best dumplings you’ve ever had? Good. You’ve got options. Between the four dumpling varieties (pork, shrimp, beef or vegetarian; $9 per dozen), four dipping sauces and four accompanying sides (e.g. spicy kimchee, shredded beet and apple, marinated cucumbers and Asian slaw), there are a lot of flavor combinations.
The noodle and rice dishes ($11 – $12) also provide a wide range of flavors and textures. Rooster’s Lime-Sesame Vermicelli—served with mint, Thai basil, sauteed red peppers and fennel—is light and refreshing. The Chicken Curry Noodle Soup, on the other hand, is rich and complex; the chicken is grilled with lemongrass and balanced by pickled greens and a fantastic coconut curry broth with a hint of chili oil for just the right amount of heat. You can cool your palette with any number of refreshing Boba drinks. (Smooth peach and slushy kumquat are my favorites.)
Asian-inspired restaurants can rarely boast about their desserts, but Rooster DNB is an exception. The Molten Lava Cake with hazelnut whipped cream is a dream come true, and the Chinese donuts, filled with red bean paste and coated with sessame seeds, are served with homemade vanilla ice cream and are alone worth the trip.
Rooster definitely has something to be cocky about.
{Shake a Tail Feather}
Rooster DNB
163 N. University Avenue
Provo, Utah
(801) 333-8888
www.roosterdnb.com
June 10th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Looks and sounds great! I can’t wait to try it! Reminds me of food I had in Bangkok…
June 10th, 2009 at 10:35 am
I ALWAYS take Lindy’s food recommendations seriously– so should you!
June 10th, 2009 at 11:46 am
We happened to stop in and eat at the Rooster and were blown away by the great food-The reveiw was spot on I would agree with the reviwer whole heartedly-Best dumplings ever-Keep it up!! Duckster
June 10th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
This looks amazing. Why didn’t Provo have stuff like this when I lived there? Or why didn’t YHO have a blog then to tell me about it?! :)
June 10th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
I can’t wait to try it out!
June 10th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Lindy- I’m so happy to see you on YHO! Please say you’ll meet me at Rooster for a long lunch one of these days.
June 10th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Had lunch at Rooster yesterday, dinner today, going back for dinner with friends tomorrow. Nuf said! Since moving here from Chicago, I’ve really missed excellent Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai food. Rooster offers a mouthwatering fusion of all four! The entrees feature either complex and bold flavor combinations (e.g., excellent chicken curry noodles–I totally dig the complementing pickled greens) or a clean-yet-sophisticated marriage of fresh ingredients (e.g., roasted beet salad). I was delighted by the oyster mushroom udon I had for lunch yesterday, but I am HOOKED on their desserts. All of them. As with the desserts at Dew, anything I have tried has been absolutely divine (and I’m a serious baker and ice cream junkie, so I don’t say that lightly!). The chocolate lava cake with creme anglaise takes you to nirvana. Also loved the Chinese french toast, and the sesame/mung bean donuts with homemade vanilla ice cream. Hands down, Rooster is my new favorite restaurant.
June 10th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
The best dumplings I have ever had!
June 10th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
My son owes me a lunch for a late Mothers Day gift and I have decided to take him up on it and go to ROOSTER. I am looking forward to tasting everything. Do they have sampler plates? Thanks for the review.
June 10th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Well done, Lindy! I’m sold!
June 10th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Maybe I will have to move back to Provo just for Rooster. Sounds divine!
June 11th, 2009 at 11:15 am
oooh that looks so good, it’s on my list
June 11th, 2009 at 11:22 am
I am headed there for lunch today, I hope I love it as much as everyone else seems to.
June 11th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Had lunch there today and LOVED IT! I had the oyster mushroom udon, and it was absolutely delicious. My friends had the chicken curry noodle soup and the lime sesame. Everything looked so good that we had to sample from each other’s plates. We shared the yummy beef and pork dumplings, and also the molten lava cake and the chinese donuts. Everything was fantastic. I also recommend the taro boba drink. I will definitely be going back.
June 14th, 2009 at 12:37 am
Delicious… we went there twice this week and tried several things on the menu. The Chocolate Lava cake is divine, served with a whipped cream that only adds to its perfection. The french toast… well, we should have ordered more. We split one because we each ordered a Chocolate cake. If we hadn’t been so full from our delicious entree’s then we would have indulged in two desserts each {sinful?} My suggestion… go there hungry and dont leave without trying a dessert. The owners came and spoke with us personally. They are definitely doing this right… this is a unique restaurant that will quickly become a favorite. Classy and comfortable… we give this an A+.
June 15th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
I loved this place! Pork Dumplings were my favorite. I also devoured my raspberry coconut boba drink!
So glad you guys are always on the lookout for the latest and greatest!
i seriously don’t know what i’d do without YHO!
June 20th, 2009 at 3:42 am
Went there for dinner and am already craving it again. It is so so so good. Go there with friends and share all the dishes. You will want to try them all. Love it. SL needs this place, too.
June 22nd, 2009 at 8:21 am
Andy and Simy, Wow Best wishes with Rooster. Now I need to come to Provo. The food looks delish, but I crave Lava Cake in my sleep. Love to both of you. A.J.
June 27th, 2009 at 12:24 am
Stopped by tonight after reading the reviews, and must completely agree that the food is AMAZING. It’s the best asian food ever. We ordered take-out and tried the traditional dumplings as well as the bulgogi dumplings – incredible. We also tried the Thai Basil rice and French Toast (dessert), and both were beyond delicious. Highly recommend – everything was extremely fresh and excellently prepared. Am craving it again already!
July 2nd, 2009 at 12:49 pm
hate to run counter to the raving crowd, but i found it pretty mediocre. esp. the dumplings, that were kind of one-note. it may be considered “good” for provo or UT valley, but it’s probably on par with a mid-range dumpling shop in NY or LA.
July 19th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Cool !
I can’t wait to try it out!
Keep going !!
Cheer
August 21st, 2009 at 12:04 am
i’ve traveled the world and watched foodie shows and went to where those foodie shows told me to eat (read chicken rice in singapore from anthony bourdain) and it was subpar at best. this is easily one of my top 5 places to eat in the world, no joke. we are renting out the whole space on the 31st for us and 34 of our closest friends and family for our 7 year anniversary and we will eat like kings. yeah, its that good.
January 13th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Just ate there yesterday. It was amazingly good and I loved the ambiance. Next time I’m saving room for dessert and wearing a warmer outfit, since it was a bit chilly inside due to the high ceilings. But the waitresses warmth made up for it, cheesy but true.