When Noble House first arrived in Wichita from Topeka, Wichitans could not be happier. Our restaurant scene needed some oomph and it got it in the form of Noble House Hawaiian Foods food truck. Coinciding with Wichita’s opening of the ICT Pop Up Park in downtown Wichita, it spelled a recipe for success. Wichitans flocked to the ICT Pop Up Park and to Noble House Hawaiian Foods food truck.
When the first opened as just a food truck, I remember walking to the ICT Pop Up Park on a very, very windy Wichita day to get their ahi tuna poké and the owner tossed me a Hawaiian Sun for being a trooper and bearing the strong winds. I tried their many varieties of poké and their lobster handrolls, but I wanted to try their garlic shrimp and waited and waited until they carried it as a special on the truck. It never happened. Luckily for me, their business did so well that they opened up a permanent restaurant in the heart of College Hill; I would get my garlic shrimp after all.
We want to make it very clear that we thoroughly enjoy the food truck, and had high expectations for the restaurant. Contrary to the consistency of the food truck, I have been to the restaurant a few times and I have to say that the service and food quality keeps getting worse every time that I visit. I am not sure where the discrepancy is, but I think some alignment with recipes and improvements in process could help.
The first time I ordered the garlic shrimp, I was surprised that it came shell on, but I was informed by our local Hawaiian expert that that’s how they serve it on the island, so I just accepted that I was going to get a little dirty when eating this dish. The first time I had it, it tasted different from the second time I had it. The first time was a bit salty and the second time was a bit bland; I was not sure what to make of it. I was hoping the macaroni salad and rice would make up for the lackluster shrimp showing, but the macaroni salad was overly dressed and swimming in mayonnaise and the rice was pretty dry. If I mixed them together, it could have been a good concoction. Others in our group better enjoyed their meals, with some ordering kalua pork and Hawaiian favorite loco moco. Everyone agreed at the meats had good flavor and volume, but that the sides were not spectacular.
I want to give Noble House Hawaiian Foods a better review because the owners put in a tremendous amount of effort and are all around good people that want to contribute to Wichita’s cultural transformation. I hold out hope that the restaurant will improve, and in the meantime, I’ll go back to eating at the food truck.
Noble House Hawaiian Foods
3238 E Douglas Ave, Wichita, KS 67208
316-351-5596
Monday-Thursday 11:00AM-8:00PM
Friday-Saturday 11:00AM-10:00PM
Closed Sunday