Chewy, cheesy, savory, and overflowing with umami....These garlic noodles are a dream. This recipe takes its inspiration from garlic noodles served at the famous San Francisco restaurants Thanh Long and Crustacean.

Nostalgia by Noodles

Slurping cheesy garlic noodles while prying pieces of crab at Crustacean is one of my earliest Foodie memories. I was in 3rd grade at the time. My sister picked me up from school and said we were going to San Francisco for an adventure. After a day of visiting Pier 39 and shopping in Union Square, we stopped at Crustacean for dinner with two of her friends. At that point, none of us had eaten at this restaurant before. We’ve only heard the raving reviews and the rumors about everything on the menu being a well guarded family secret. Alongside with the food being delicious, the restaurant's secrecy was its ultimate marketing campaign.

The first bite into the garlic noodles is an experience forever ingrained in my mind. The combination of garlic, cheese, and soy sauce was making my 3rd grade brain explode. 2 decades later, I still relive that experience every time I make these garlic noodles at home.

Crustacean and Thanh Long (sister restaurants owned by the same family) unintentionally have been the setting for two milestones in my life. The first milestone was my 3rd grade experience. It exposed me to the world of not only fusion food, but made me realize my inner foodie at a young age. The second milestone was 25 year old Victoria taking her parents out to dinner to meet her partner, Al, for the first time. My mom sat across from Al and blushed the whole time. After dinner, she said she couldn't stop looking at him because he looked like Christopher Reeves from Superman lol.

Thanh Long's Mark in the Culinary World

When you google Thanh Long or Crustacean, you’ll find hordes of articles from the 90s raving about the restaurant. More recent articles shine light on the family’s immigrant story and how they created a fusion food empire in America.

In 2019, The Smithsonian APAC awarded the founder, Chef Helene An, with the Pioneer Award in Culinary Arts. Chef Helen An created this dish during a time when Italian food was at the helms of both gastronomy and the fine dining world. Eater's interview with Chef Helene An’s daughter perfectly paints the picture of how this garlic noodle came into existence: “Although she preferred to cook, sometimes Elizabeth An could convince her mother to go out for Italian food in Nob Hill. “I love garlic spaghetti with olive oil and cracked pepper,” she says. “I would take my mother and she would say, ‘This is bland! I can do better than this.”’ One night, Helene An went home and did just that.”*

How to Enjoy the Garlic Noodles

The ease of preparing this dish makes it a perfect entree for a weeknight meal, dinner with guests, or a potluck contribution. It tastes great on its own, or as part of a multi-course meal.

I personally enjoy it on its own, with an extra sprinkle of chili flakes and Parmesan on top. For a more balanced meal, pair it with a lighter protein like chicken, fish or seafood. Hosting a dinner party? Serve it with a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. *chef's kiss*

If you have leftovers, you'll thank yourself the next day. Refrigerate the garlic noodles in an airtight container and you're good to go. The noodles are easy to reheat and the flavors seem to get even tastier a day or two after its been made. I personally never have enough leftovers to store it in the freezer. That said, you can store leftovers in your freezer and reheat it in the microwave for a quick meal at a later time. I suggest keeping it in the freezer for no longer than one month.

Layout of all the ingredients used to make garlic noodles

Pro tips:

You will want to use Maggi Seasoning sauce. If you’re in a pinch, you can substitute it with soy aminos or soy sauce, but the end result will feel like it’s lacking something. Trust me, go out of your way to get Maggi Seasoning for this recipe.

Print Recipe

Vietnamese Garlic Noodles - Crustacean Restaurant Inspired

Ingredients

1 package chow mein noodles (14 oz)
6 tbsp butter
12 cloves garlic
¼ cup parmesan
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp Maggi Seasoning Sauce ***look at notes if you need a substitute
1 tbsp sliced scallion or green onions for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Boil water and cook the chow mein noodles as directed on the package. If there are no instructions, then cook the noodles in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain the noodles and run it through cold water to stop the cooking process. (This step helps remove the oiliness in the noodles.) Set the noodles aside.
Melt the butter in a large pan. Keep an eye on it because you don’t want to brown the butter.
Once the butter is melted, add the minced garlic. Cook it for 15 seconds and allow the garlic to release its aromas.
Turn off the heat and stir in the oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and Maggi seasoning sauce. Continue stirring to even the sauce, but also to prevent burning.
Turn the stove on to medium heat. Add the noodles to the pan and mix the noodles with the sauce. Constantly keep everything moving to prevent burning.
Once the noodles are evenly coated in the sauce, add the parmesan noodles and turn off the heat. Continue mixing the noodles until everything is evenly distributed.
Transfer the noodles to a bowl. Garnish with scallions and more cheese (optional).
This dish is best enjoyed warm! It’s yummy if enjoyed immediately, but also as leftovers.

Souces

*Selling Garlic Noodles to the Rich and Famous https://www.eater.com/2019/5/13/18535890/helene-an-crustacean-thanh-long-smithsonian-award-fusion-cuisine-vietnamese