We went up to Union Square today to try newcomer Num Pang's Cambodian sandwiches, but found a note on the door saying that the restaurant was closed today and would re-open tomorrow.

So we stopped into nearby Wok to Walk instead, a sleek, Amsterdam-based noodle franchise with other branches in London, Belgrade, Lithuania and Barcelona. The one on University Place is the only one in the US, and has been open for a year. It's like a noodle version of those generic, ubiquitous salad bars: Choose your noodle, your protein, vegetables, and sauce. A hard-working guy noisily mans one giant wok, where he sizzles up your choices within minutes.

We weren't expecting much, and maybe that's key. Still, it's pretty decent, if way overpriced--the base price is $5.90, and each topping choice adds to the price: $2.50 for shrimp, $1.50 for edamame, and so on. Sauce is free. It's what Yourasian (if anyone remembers that train wreck) would have been like had it been any good.

The bowl we liked best involved "whole wheat noodles" (which turn out to be soba noodles), honey BBQ pork loin (surprisingly good) and the "hot Asia" sauce, which turns out to be really tasty and impressively hot--studded with fresh red birds' eye chiles.

Wok to Walk
106 University Place
212-206-8584