For a long lunch, a cold night or a table of friends sharing bowls. Restaurant meal prices across Australia over ten years, and what to look for and ask when you sit down.
The price, ten years on
Restaurant meals, across Australia, from the ABS Consumer Price Index. The class holds meals eaten in restaurants, hotels and cafes offering full table service; take away, delivered meals and fast food are counted in a class of their own.
June 2016$100
June 2026$135
$136Everything a household buys, over the same years
Up over ten years, roughly in step with everything a household buys.
$90$100$110$120$130$140$135$136
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Restaurant mealsAll groups CPI, everything a household buys
Eating out at a noodle house. The first half is what to look for yourself. Put the second half to each place you try.
Look for
The noodles themselvesWhether they are made in house, and which kinds come with each dish.
How the menu is set outSoup or dry, the broth each bowl starts from, and the toppings you can add.
Bowl sizesSmall and large, and which dishes come in each.
How the table worksWhether someone takes your order at the table and brings each dish to you.
What goes into each brothLook for it on the menu, then check with the staff about anything you need to avoid.
Ask
01Which noodles are made here, and which dishes use them?Fresh noodles change the texture of the whole bowl.
02What is the broth made from?Ask if you avoid meat or fish; a vegetable dish can sit on a meat stock.
03Can I change how spicy a dish is?Ask for the heat on the side if you are not sure.
04What comes with the bowl, and what costs extra?An egg, extra noodles, more broth, a side of greens.
05Can you take a booking for our group?Ask before you bring a crowd, and how long the table is held.
06Which dish would you suggest for a first visit?The answer often points to what the kitchen is proudest of.
From noodlehouse.com.au, a concept page.
Finding a bowl worth going back for
Begin with the noodle and the broth. A short menu that does a few bowls well usually tells you more about the kitchen than a long list that covers everything.
Try the plainest dish on your first visit. If the noodles hold their bite and the broth tastes of something, the rest of the menu is worth exploring.
Asking each noodle house the same questions
Put the same few questions to every place you try and note the answers on your phone. What is made in house, and what goes into the broth, are the answers that set places apart.
Keep a short list of the bowls you liked and where. It makes the next cold night an easy choice.
Shows whether a business's ABN is active or cancelled, its business type and its GST status, and the Register says the public can use it to check a business before buying.