Fideo By Mick

Went here today to grab noodles (10÷7÷15) only because Mick’s was really crowded during the lunch rush. This place was empty and there was only one couple who ordered in front us. The service here was the worst i’ve experienced at a restaurant in a while. We placed our order at 12:34pm (from our time ticket/​receipt) and didn’t get or food until 12:57. The thing is I saw our food sitting on the counter, but since there was only one guy working the restaurant he couldn’t handle taking orders/​distributing the food and making the food in a timely fashion. The lunch rush followed us, and it was apparent he was overwhelmed. Not only did the food take an abnormally long time, but he forgot the passion fruit lemonade that we ordered. I tried to tell him that we had not received our lemonade, but he was quickly shrugged me off to go take new orders at the counter. All in all this was an awful experience and don’t think i’ll be coming back.

Food is good, service is seriously lacking. The place was completely empty when we ordered (we were the third people to place our order and took around 30 minutes to get our food). There was only one person working and once the lunch crowd came in he got overwhelmed. He was trying to take orders and make the food/​distribute it but couldn’t handle it. The food sat on the counter for a good 5 – 10 minutes before he handed it to us. And even when we got our order the forget the passion fruit lemonade we ordered. Horrible experience, won’t be coming back

I tried this place with some of my coworkers. I was going to order over the phone and pick it up in the restaurant, but the number listed on here is Mick’s personal number! They don’t have a phone number for the restaurant yet. The food was very good, I tried the Chile verde. It had a very interesting flavor. Almost like the noodles were cooked in butter, which was contrasted with the savory taste of the pork and the brightness of the lemon squeezed on top. I will definitely come back and try the other few flavors they offer.

Got the pork belly over noodles. The pork belly was great and flavorful. The noodles had too much coconut flavor for my taste and didn’t like their flavor unless I mixed it with the pork belly sauce. But they gave you a ton of meat, too much meat to noodles in my opinion.
The whole bowl wasn’t mixed and I actually think that detracted from the food as a whole because every bite was different depending on how well the sauces were mixed.
Also got the passion fruit mint lemonade which was very good and a more cohesive drink than the strawberry basil lemonade next door.
Menu is confusing because they don’t really give you any info, but service was fast. A little on the pricey end compared to everything else in the plaza.
Note: meal is served with peanuts if you’re allergic. They should put that on the menu.

This place has been on my bookmarks for awhile. We’ve always wanted to go for lunch but the first time they weren’t open yet, the second time something their kitchen wasn’t working, and we’d always wait for a day where we were okay with burgers being the second choice.
We finally got to go! Fideo has about 5 choices for you to pick from along with 3 or 4 choices (can’t remember) for drinks. I ordered the curried chicken and the passion fruit lemonade ($ 11)
This place is essentially pan-​asian cuisine. All three of us ordered different things but the base was the same. Egg noodles with some sort of sauce and meat. I was kind of underwhelmed… The curried chicken wasn’t flavorful enough but i did appreciate the pickled vegetable and fried peanuts that came with it.
One co-​worker got the pork belly. It was definitely much more flavorful than the curried chicken but it was really heavy on the thick sauce… and kind of oily. I’d probably ask for the sauce on the side if I were to come back. My other co-​worker got the Phuket bowl which was much closer to noodles in broth than the other two. Unfortunately, while the meat was super tender it lacked flavor, like my curried chicken. You do get a decent serving though which led to «one dimensional flavor saturation» as I’d like to call it.
I’d come back just for the passionfruit lemonade but that’s about it. I’ll stick to Mick’s

Came here with a coworker on a Friday during lunch. Really enjoyed the meal — got lamb ragu noodle dish. Service is a little weird with order and pay at the front, then food delivered to your table. Not that bad, just a little confusing. Great flavors in the dishes — kind of Thai with a European twist. They have like 5 noodle dishes and I would definitely return to try another one. Dishes are filling and reasonable for portion and quality.

My friend told me about this new up and coming place, right next to Mick’s, which I love so much. A simple noodle store. Its still fairly new, hence the very little reviews on Unilocal,but here’s what I have to say about the place.
The menu consists of six items, which is a good thing I believe, its simple. I ordered the curried chicken and my friend ordered the slow roasted braised pork.
Coming from a chinese background, these noodles were not what I expected at all. It smells like Thai /​Cambodian food, tasted a little bit like it, but the noodles seemed like the dry noodles that are used in Chinese asian restaurants. It feels like the balance of the type of food I was eating did not match with the noodle.
My bowl of noodles were soaked in curry, which I would normally like, however I feel the consistency and flavor overpowered so much, to the point my noodles were swimming in curry soup. It seemed watery. The nature of the food, its not that pretty. Soul food generally doesnt look the best at presentation. So when I mixed my noodles together and looked at my food, I pretty much lost my appetite. It looked weird. It smelled really strong. The noodles tasted funny, soupy, overall — I was not impressed.
My friend, who ordered the pork, was way over salted. She and I had the same reaction to our food, soupy, over powering, tasted funny…
So to sum it up, I didn’t know what I was eating. And I will not be back. I will stick to Mick’s next door.

Woo Mick does it again! I am a huge fan of Karma Bar so when Fideo opened I had to try it.
I got the Chile Verde pork bowl along with the passion tea lemonade. The bowl was so good, so much flavor and the pork was just so tasty. I can’t wait to come back.
I probably won’t get the tea again just because of the dang passion fruit seeds but I know it is part of the experience. I just don’t enjoy experiencing that part :)

I had Fideo bookmarked ever since they appeared on the hot & new. This is the same guy who made Mick’s Karma Burger so I thought this would be an interesting place to try. On one particular day Van D. hits me up to try this place out. I quickly met her there (its actually really close to my work place but I was too lazy to walk).
I noticed immediately that the old stores sign was still there so that was a bit confusing. Upon entrance we see the menu on the wall which was limited but I kinda really wanted to try the Braised Pork Belly after seeing pics of it. I also ordered the Tropical Ice Tea while Van D. ordered the Chili Verde and Passion Fruit Mint Lemonade (which I probably should have gotten).
The Braise Pork Belly was delicious. The flavor was so rich and flavorful. I really love the noodles they used. I’m not that big of a fan of noodles but damn these noodles were incredibly tasty. The portions were so huge I had difficulty finishing it but it definitely was one yummy meal. The ice tea however was very bland and tasted like regular water. Van D. tells me her chili verde was delicious and I must say from the looks of it, it definitely looks good. I had a sip of the lemonade and it was a bit sweet but quite refreshing though I think I accidentally swallowed a couple of the seeds.
Overall the meal left us quite full. I had a bit leftover and they gave me their hamburger to-​go box (I think thats all they have). I was a bit afraid it would spill in the car but to my surprise the box was quite affective (no spills at all). They just need to have the to-​go option and maybe more flexible hours and I can definitely see myself return to this place… a lot.
PS the tables were sticky which was weird because they just opened. Thats the first thing that I noticed upon sitting down.
PPS the customer service was very friendly. The cashier chick was more than helpful in answering any question we had.
PPPS They validate parking!!!

I’ve been meaning to check out Fideo for a while now but their hours are limited to lunch time and only during a somewhat unreasonably slim window. One cold day I was craving some warm soupy noodles so I hit up my Unilocal buddy Truong T. to explore the menu with me.
At this time their menu only has five items so it wasn’t too hard to decide. Truong T. ordered a Braised Pork Belly Noodle ($ 8) and a Tropical Ice Tea ($ 2.75). I ordered the Chili Verde (Pork) Noodles ($ 8) and a Passion Fruit Mint Lemonade ($ 3).
We seated ourselves and found the tables to be oddly sticky. The business is new and we were the first people in the restaurant that day so it should have been clean.
The drinks came out first and I don’t their either of us were overly impressed by our beverages. Truong T.‘s Tropical Iced Tea was beyond watered down and tasteless from the ice melting in its’ initial drink dispenser. On the other hand my drink was a bit too sweet for my liking. The Passion Fruit seeds were especially annoying. I somewhat liked the mint since it reminded me of a Mojito, but I definitely did not detect any lemonade flavors in there.
By the time the food came out, the drinks had already lowered my expectations. I was anxious as I squeezed the lime into my bowl of Chili Verde Noodles. I took my pictures before I mixed up all of the ingredients and OMG DELICIOUS!!! The creamy fattiness of the sauce, the crunch of the peanuts, the freshness of the beansprouts and the explosive flavors in that basil was AMAZINGGGGG! I finished it!
I felt so fat devouring all my food when Truong T. had some leftover to to go. We learned that they still don’t have suitable to go containers for their noodles. The girl who worked was really sweet and she gave us some paper material burger boxes, but I’m not so sure how well that worked out for Truong T.
Overall I enjoyed my noodles and I can definitely see the 5-​star potential in this business, but there are many things that can improve before that happens.

Mick you are a genius! This is definitely different than him serving burgers but he does a great job. This one is more of a Thai style stew bar. The menu is very simple with few dishes to choose from. He’s got a passion fruit lemonade here that’s homemade everyday. This noodle bar has a high table and regular tables. Your dish differs from the main meat you choose. I had the chicken curry, pork verde, and braised pork belly.
Chicken curry and noodles had a great flavoring. The noodles nice and chewy. The meat extra tender. The curry sauce flavor was addicting.
Braised Pork belly with rice — this rice bowl was delicous. The stewed pork belly just melted in my mouth with the dark sauce. The rice was very soft. I really liked it.
Recommendation: Chicken Curry, Braised Pork Belly, and Passion Fruit Lemonade

He’s done it again! Amazing food at this place. He just added a couple more bowls to the menu. Yummmm. This place is a fantastic addition!

Sad to see Kitima go but happy to see a simple noodle place nearby. Had the porkbelly noodles and it was really good. The pork was super soft and fatty. The broth was just right and full of flavour. It’s too bad they don’t do takeout. I will be back to try other protein

Mick opened up a great little noodle shop next to the infamous Mick’s Karma Bar. They offer chicken (bone in), beef, pork, lamb ragu, and goat (bone in). The beef, lamb, and goat are all halal according to the chalk board. Chicken bowl is priced at $ 8 and the lamb ragu is $ 10. The portions are pretty good and the meal is filling. The bowl contains noodles, sprouts, pickles, vegetables, and a slice of lime. It’s a nice medley of flavors from various places all over Asia. I enjoyed my dish and look forward to trying other protein options. I informed chef Mick that it would have been nice if the chicken was boneless, but he said it would have been too dry. I enjoyed the lamb and it reminded me of the flavors and spices one would find in an Indian curry. The meat could have been a little more tender. I’m glad that the menu is so simple and it’s a great option in this plaza besides Mick’s Karma Bar. There are about 7 tables indoors plus one large communal table. This place does validate parking, so be sure to park in the El Torito Grill parking structure.

From Mick of Mick’s Karma Bar comes the neighboring Fideo (Spanish for noodle!). While I was a bit sad to see Kitima go, I’m glad that this place is finally open to try.
Since I went during its soft opening, the bowls are still being tweaked. Thick, yellow noodles are served in a large bowl with meat (stewed for 12+ hours for that perfect tenderness), some bean sprouts, and a few other ingredients that may vary bowl to bowl. About six bowls, including curry chicken, pork belly, beef, lamb, and chile verde, are available. Each have a southeast Asian flair, and my lamb had a spicy kick. Sriracha (double chicken — not the ever so popular rooster kind), fish sauce, and chili sauce are set at each table.
Of the three bowls I sampled (pork belly, beef, lamb), pork belly had the strongest flavor. It’s not quite as fatty or familiar as other pork belly variations I’ve tried, as it’s heavy on the spices. Beef was incredibly tender and fell apart easily, whereas the lamb was a bit chewier and gamey.
The restaurant itself is similar to Karma Bar with its casual atmosphere, blackboard menus, wooden tables, and lemonade. However, they have a larger space and serve beer as well.

I am excited for the potential of another Mick’s. The menu is very small currently, but the atmosphere is great. They serve beer and have delicious iced teas on tap. The servers are very friendly.
I got the chicken noodles and the chicken was delicious but different than I expected. It wasn’t so much Thai, as it was more Cambodian, I think. The noodles were slightly undercooked and I think would taste better soaked in more broth.
The best part is that it really tastes like a home cooked meal and is served the same. This is one of those restaurants that you want to enjoy before it gets too popular!

Mick has done it again! Many of you may already know about Mick’s Karma Bar, the delicious burger joint tucked away in one of Irvine’s many cookie cutter corporate plazas. Fideo is his new creation right around the corner, and as with Karma Bar, it’s anything but cookie cutter.
Fideo is a concept noodle bar with a select menu that packs a punch. There are currently four noodle bowls to choose from, accompanied by a carefully curated selection of drinks, including a mint lemonade/​passion fruit iced tea (that is allegedly better than the Mick’s strawberry lemonade you can order next door) and an assortment of bottled beers to choose from. My friend and I ordered the curry chicken bowl and the pork belly bowl, only eight bucks each for a massive meal. The noodles were great (I suspect they were homemade) and both of the bowls were full of flavor. All of the ingredients were super fresh, and I must say Mick did not skimp on the meat portions! My curry chicken bowl included three chicken drumsticks on the bone in a delicious yellow curry sauce, served up with noodles (of course), fresh bean sprouts and other veggies, and all the rest of the fixings. Highly recommended! I suspect it won’t be long before it’s impossible to find a table here during the lunch rush, so check it out while you can! Photos to come soon.