But the beginning about 15 years ago, there started to be more of them, and recently, they've left the confines of Chinatown and appeared all over Manhattan. Nathanson traces the growth of noodle shops to changing patterns of immigration and business trends. They realize you can make money outside of Chinatown. Noodles also have an almost universal appeal, and pasta's recent success has helped propel the Asian noodle into public view. Although noodles enjoy widespread appeal, not all noodles and noodle establishments are created equal.
Most experts are careful to distinguish noodle shops from noodle restaurants.
A noodle shop is like a classic American bistros. They're noisy and they serve lusty food that isn't frightfully expensive. A little-known California company is partly responsible for the noodle growth. In only 12 years, San Jose-based Aureflam Corporation has grown from one small undercapitalized unit into a chain of 41 Vietnamese noodle shops operating under the Pho Hoa and Pho Cong Ly names. For variety, our menu has seven non-noodle items, but the main thing we sell is soup.