Usually   any new restaurant to open in Portland gets loads of attention from the press, food sites and the swirl of food-buzz types who predictably show up on day one especially if there’s a rising star or publicity-hungry chef in the kitchen.  But Veranda Noodle House has bucked the trend, keeping a low profile since opening just before Thanksgiving in the former Salt Exchange space on Commercial Street.

Rear dining room

Rear dining room

I can’t tell you who’s cooking at the Veranda Noodle House, but the food is totally scripted in the basics: at the  wok station, steam table and bowls filled with pho’s magic potions.

Veranda is a familiar name in our city with their eponymous Veranda Noodle Bar, Veranda Asian Market and tiny Veranda Thai outposts dotting the street corners from Veranda Street to Forest Avenue.

The menu is enormous rather than being a one-page sheet of kitchen specialties.  There doesn’t appear to be a  “mamma” in the back kitchen as at Saeng Thai House on lower Congress or family chefs such as  the brothers at Boda.

I stopped in for lunch on New Year’s Eve day and the restaurant was pretty busy.  Business-district white-collar types (attorneys) were sitting at the bar; families in the rear dining room, various Portlanders and visitors alike filled the space fairly well.  The bar room is very pleasant with high tops and tables for four or more as well as comfy stools at the bar.  The dining room is equally commodious.

The Veranda bar space

The Veranda bar space

The interior hasn’t changed much inside since the Salt Exchange days.  The same bright green color scheme on the ceiling remains, but the walls are now a deep Oriental red and the previously open kitchen is  closed off except for a pass through.  You can still see the chefs manning their stations in clouds of steam and smoke.

But there’s a quiet, soft, soothing vibe within.  It’s all neat and clean and bustles with a friendly wait staff of several young women who run back and forth from the kitchen to the dining rooms.

The menu is an ersatz collection of dishes, nothing really distinctive or what we don’t already know. I saw enormous bowls of pho being filled with rice noodles or Mi (yellow noodles) and various curries.

My food choices were pretty basic.  I ordered the lunch special.  This included, crab Rangoon, hot and sour soup and a main course for $12.  The ubiquitous crab Rangoon did not fly into exalted territory (can it ever really?) but was the usual fried wrapping filled with cream cheese and fleeting flakes of crab.  It’s such an American-Chinese/Thai dish, and I think we deserve more authentic fare than these  tidbits that are usually no better than supermarket heat-and-serve frozen appetizers. If one wanted to rate Rangoons, Empire Chinese makes the best.

Crab Rangoon

Crab Rangoon

The bowl of hot and sour soup held no flavor surprises either but it was tasty, with good consistency and not too leaden with cornstarch  thickener.

Hot and sour soup

Hot and sour soup

For a main course I chose something called Roasted Peanuts with a choice of chicken, pork, beef or fish.  It was the usual crush of mushrooms, carrots, chestnuts and scallions dotted with peanuts in a black bean sauce.  The thin slices of chicken were rubbery as though boiled instead of seared in a wok. It was fairly bland, and I admit I could have been more adventurous and have chosen a more indicative dish.

Roasted peanuts with chicken and vegetables

Roasted peanuts with chicken and vegetables

Veranda Noodle House is a convenient  downtown Asian eatery for a decent meal in an attractive space, and the next time I go with friends in tow I’ll dig deeper into its vast menu.

Note: I’ve decided to do away with the star system in favor of giving more detailed, to the point assessments of the dining experience and the food. 

Veranda Noodle House, 245 Commercial St. Portland, ME 207-536-1997. Website under construction. 

Rating: standard   fare done well enough in an attractive and prime Old Port location.

Ambiance: friendly

 Tables: very comfortable with bar seating and high tops; the rear dining room comfortable with well- spaced tables.

Service: very friendly

Bar: full with some interesting Thai cocktails, including Singapore Sling

Parking: on the street