Guppy House - Irvine

Sometimes only a hot bowl of noodle soup will do. It doesn't matter what it is, where it is, so long as it's something I can Hoover up in streams with my chopstick and it's swimming in a broth hot enough to burn a hole in my tongue. And if it comes with a side of fried pork of some sort, even better.

These requirements are what the pork chop noodle from Guppy House in Irvine fulfilled last night. The evening was frigid, the kind that called for this kind of supper--something comforting, something akin to a warm blanket you can eat.

The pork chop turned out to be greater than just a side dish. It seemed to have an unnatural homogeneity, not a trace of sinew or fat or gristle in a meat tender, thin, covered in crispy batter and flavored deep with a tangy, sweet Chinese wine marinade.

I ate it in concert with the noodles, slurping the soup as if it were an antidote my body needed. In between, I'd take a few chopsticks of a spinach side dish, which was cooked with more pork and sweetness.

After that, dessert. A brick toast covered in warm chocolate, drizzled with caramel and sweetened condensed milk--the thing that the Guppy House chain is known for along with ridiculously portioned mounds of shaved snow served in punch bowls. I didn't order the latter because, well, I would've had to get another bowl of noodle soup if I did.

Guppy House
2730 Alton Pkwy. Ste 101
Irvine, CA 92614
(949) 851-9788
http://www.myguppyteahouse.com

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