Chongqing style noodles are a type of noodles that originated in Chongqing, China, which are collectively called xiǎomiàn, or "little noodles" in English. It's now very popular throughout Asia, and in recent years has made its way to North America. One chain serving Chongqing style noodles in the GTA is Hey Noodles, which opened its first location back in 2015. They now have a few locations on hand, and recently opened another one in Richmond Hill, ON. A couple of weeks back, I was invited to check out their North York location for dinner with a few foodies and bloggers. I have been to the Chinatown location, and found the one in North York to be smaller in size with only a handful of seats. However, it still has the same homey feel to it and great for dinner with friends. 

Additionally, Hey Noodles is definitely expanding its brand as they will be opening up a 5th location in Markham in a month's time. They will also be opening up in Mississauga sometime next year as well (date is TBA). 

Tofu Skin ($4.99) 

Another appetizer that I liked was the Seaweed ($4.99), which had a nice spicy flavor to it. 

The portion of Quail Eggs ($4.99) was quite good, and I enjoyed it. I added a few of the eggs to my broth as an extra topping. 

I also got an order of Popcorn Chicken ($4.99), which I did not like. I found the chicken to be quite bland and a little overly fried. I would not get this again. 

I like the idea of customization, so I chose the create my own bowl option instead of one of the pre-created bowls. I opted for the Szechuan Style Beef Brisket ($13.99). This dish allowed me to choose the softness of my noodles, soup level, spice level, and numbness level. You can also add extra toppings like peanut, sesame and sesame paste, all free of charge.

My noodles dish arrived pretty quickly within a 10 minutes wait (despite our large group order). Please note that Hey Noodles does take their spice levels very seriously, and even the "regular spicy" was pretty spicy already. If you cannot tolerate eating spicy broth, then I'd recommend going for mild and no numb. In regards to my bowl of noodles, I liked that it came with an abundant amount of tender beef, and the noodle texture had a nice bounce to them. I would get this same noodles dish again!

Overall, dinner was good, and the Hey Noodles chain is also very budget friendly. I believe that most noodle dishes were under $15, and you can also request free (unlimited) refills on the noodles. If you're looking for affordable eats, then definitely give Hey Noodles a try. As they also have a new afternoon tea combo every Monday to Friday from 2:30 pm to 5 pm. Check them out =)

Thank you to Devon for the invitation and Hey Noodles for the hospitality.