Mr. Noodle & Rice

On April 11, 2008, my wife and I met another couple for lunch at Mr. Noodle and Rice, a new Japanese restaurant in Winchester at 19 Weems Lane. The place had no tables, only booths, so my wife got out of her wheelchair with help and we folded the chair out of the way.

The other couple arrived in a few minutes, and we spent some time going over the menu. My wife ordered a salad with beef, while I had an octopus salad as an appetizer, and a selection with beef and rice for my entree.

I didn't note the other folk's orders, and there was some confusion when the food started coming to the table. While I was eating my salad, the other lady was given a dish which turned out to be mine.

She had eaten only a little of it with chopsticks when the error was discovered, and I had no problem taking it over. There was also some confusion between her order and her husband's, and that was finally straightened out after a discussion with several of the wait staff.

My wife and I had ordered hot tea, and were surprised it was served in glasses instead of cups. When my wife asked for sugar, the waitress said that they didn't serve it.

The other husband came to the rescue by going to Honey-Glazed Ham, the restaurant next door, and coming back with two packets of sugar. The restaurant's policy reminded me of some Italian places that don't serve butter; they expect you to dip your bread in olive oil.

The food was good, so we'll probably go back sometime. However, I was a bit nonplussed by the lack of cups for the hot tea; glasses are expected for iced tea, but not for the hot variety.

I was also not pleased by the server not giving the right food to the right person. Even if sugar was not on the table, it should have been available on request. These annoyances may have been start-up problems for a new operation, if you are inclined to be charitable.