Ricy Boat

183 Coleman Parade
Glen Waverley, VIC 3150

It’s a small world. Ricy Boat is a new restaurant that’s opened up in our ‘hood that supposedly serves traditional Yunnan Cross Bridge Rice Noodles. With my dad being from Yunnan and my mum being born not too far from there, they were of course very excited, and rushed off to visit within weeks of opening. 15 minutes of conversation later, my parents found out that not only do they ship some of their ingredients (like the pickled vegetables) straight from Yunnan, but the owner used to live – get this – not just in the same city, but the same SUBURB as we did. Dad was ecstatic, and all but bundled me off to go and review them. And whilst I’m a little less sentimental about it all, there was definitely emotion there as the owner affectionately referred to me as ‘little lass’ in the local Yunnan dialect.

Cross Bridge Rice Noodles ($12)

Given how cold and blustery it’s been recently, the Cross Bridge Rice Noodles ($12) were a must. It’s almost like your very own hotpot, with the noodles and toppings served separately from the soup, which was carried out from the kitchen still boiling and emitting tufts of fragrant steam.

Cross Bridge Rice Noodles ($12)

10 slices of meat, 1 quail egg, and 7 dishes of condiments (peanuts pickled vegetables dried tofu white fungus roast beef coriander shallots) later, everything was perfect. The noodles were slippery and slurpable, swimming around in a chicken and pork-based broth that’s redolent with hours of slow simmering. It’s healthy, hearty, and satisfyingly warming.

Clay Pot Rice Noodle Soup ($12)

We had originally wanted the noodles with braised pork but they ran out early that day; thankfully the Clay Pot Rice Noodle Soup ($12) was a more than adequate substitute. Though somewhat similar to the cross bridge noodles, this one had a wonderfully delicate pork broth, and in it we found fish balls, beef slices, and whole prawns. It tasted of home.

Though quiet, the small restaurant is clean and bright, and the owners just about the sweetest people you’ll ever meet. I’m glad that an authentic restaurant for cross bridge rice noodles has opened up in my area, because up until this point, they were more cross-town rice noodles. And here’s a hint for before you visit: slurping isn’t just allowed – it’s encouraged.

Rating: 13/20 – cross-suburb rice noodles
This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit.