One Friday, I decided to go with my co-workers to lunch at the nearby Next Noodle Bar. Despite the fact that I had brought my lunch that day, I figured it was Friday and it would be nice to go out. 
A few of my lunch mates had been to Next Noodle Bar before and really enjoyed it but I had also heard from Jenkins that he was not too impressed with his lunch there so I figured it was time for me to make my own verdict.
We were quite a large group so I felt bad about stopping my hungry lunch mates from digging into their lunches so I could take pictures. I was attempting to be healthy that day so I decided to have the seafood udon, which was one of the daily specials. I’m pretty picky about udon noodles and the udon at Next just wasn’t up to snuff. They were overcooked and not chewy at all. I also felt that the combination of tomatoes and napa cabbage in my noodle soup just did not blend very well together. The amount of seafood in my udon was also a bit sparse for my liking and tasted a bit bland.
Although I had a less than satisfactory lunch at Next, some of my co-workers seemed to enjoy their lunches although most of the dishes they ate were fried. Perhaps Next just isn’t known for their healthy options but for the price, I did not feel that the fried dishes were very good value either. The menu is also a bit far-reaching and basically features dishes with a loose Asian theme. The food may be better if they focused on a few key menu items rather dishes from several Asian countries, but I suspect that the broad menu also appeals to some people. Some of my co-workers still continue to visit Next on occasion but I’m going to continue on with my hunt for a good noodle place in the downtown core near my office.
Details:
560 Robson Street, Vancouver
Tel: 604-681-6398
Summary:
Food: 
(for my dish only)
Service:
Price: $$
Really impressed with the dim sum at Red Star today 
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I walked by it often. Always very tempted to go in….now I have a solid reason for not paying them a visit =)
Urgh, your picture of the bowl of noodles looks really sad and goes with your text.
Question, this is located on the same strip where the Prima Taste place used to be, correct?
My goodness… That bowl of noodles looks worse than homemade.
@La Petite Vancouver – haha…glad I could help
@shokutsu – yes, that is one sad bowl of noodles! It is actually next to where Prima Taste used to be. The old Prima Taste is now occupied with Jinsei Sushi, which is also a bit dubious
@Sherman – what are you trying to say? My homemade noodles do not look like that at all! :p