EC Samples Novo Asian Food Hall

Novo Asian Food Hall is in its first year of operation in the renovated Terminal Building in the Strip District. The building, once the hub of Pittsburgh’s bustling produce trade, now houses a variety of shops. In the Novo Food Hall space are seven Asian restaurants spaced out around a large bar. Off to the right as you enter are two rooms of tables and chairs.

Entertainment Central has previously covered several Pittsburgh food halls and businesses within. We thought it would be interesting to cover this all-Asian food hall. The Chinese Lunar New Year is January 29 and is the year of the snake. For this excursion we enlisted the appetites of two Entertainment Central writers/editors, Mike Vargo and C. Prentiss Orr. When we first arrived we all took a walk around to explore the businesses and their offerings. Mike and Prentiss chose first and then I covered the remaining restaurants. Mike chose Korea Garden and Prentiss ordered from Kung Fu Chicken. I sampled offerings from Mola, Lolo’s, Teachana, and Sumi’s Cakery. A seventh restaurant, Tan Lac Vien, is closed on Wednesdays. That is when we went so we will have to sample their food on another occasion. We ordered our respective dishes and when the beepers went off brought them back to the table for a little sharing. 

It’s good when eating out to get input from other customers, and the restaurant workers. There was a woman sitting near us and I asked her for some recommendations. Two that she had mentioned were Mola and Lolo’s. She said the rice bowls are very good at Mola

Mola

Based on a Novo customer’s suggestion I ordered the Berkshire Pork Shoulder Rice Bowl ($16) with Shishito peppers, lao gan ma sauce (or “old godmother” sauce which is a spicy hot chili oil sauce made in China), garlic, ginger, and hot pepper seeds. It was hot and savory, the ginger cut the sauce with a little sweetness. As a weekday lunch special you get one side for free. I chose miso soup. It was all delicious. Here’s what the Novo website says about Mola: “Mola offers the highest quality fish served across a menu of maki rolls, nigiri pieces, chirashi bowls, handrolls and nigiri pieces. The menu also features rotating specials such as Hokkaido uni and Wagyu beef and is rounded out by side dishes and hot plates such as miso soup, grilled salmon with miso and Berkshire pork shoulder.” (R.H.)

Lolo’s

I had never had Filipino food before and was excited to try Lolo’s. After perusing the menu for a few moments I decided to order the Chicken Adobo ($10). It was a heaping helping of very tender boneless chicken with a deep, unique flavor profile. I couldn’t quite figure out the ingredients so I went back to the counter and inquired. The cook said that the chicken was marinated in soy sauce, vinegar, coconut milk, and a secret blend of spices (hey, just like Kentucky Fried Chicken). The chicken was juicy, dripping with delicious flavors. Novo describes Lolo’s as such: “Max and Zoey Blume bring the first fully focused Filipino restaurant to Pittsburgh with Lolo’s which features modern takes on classic Filipino dishes such as adobo, sisig, lumpia, pancit noodles and more as well as featuring Filipino American favorites like Spam silog on their brunch menu.” (R.H.)

Teachana

Walking around Novo I spotted two men eating visually appealing bowls of ramen. They said they ordered it at Teachana. So after speaking with the counterperson, who suggested the Shoyu Ramen with Shrimp, I went with his suggestion. The ramen bowl featured a dark soy influenced broth that was very savory and had sliced mushrooms, half of a hard boiled egg, small strips of vegetables, and oodles of tasty noodles. Mine came with shrimp. I may have missed it, but was surprised that the cooked shrimp was breaded. I had ordered the ramen bowl to go at the end of our excursion and the noodles and breaded shrimp were held in the take out container above the broth.

I also ordered the Taro Milk Tea. There is a special; for $20 you get a ramen bowl and a drink. The Taro Milk Tea was a fun way to accompany or cap off a meal, especially a spicy one. It was cold and flavorful. The taro (a root vegetable popular in Asian cultures) gave it a rich, sweet taste, and the boba (tapioca pearls) were a nice end to the drink. The Taro Milk Tea was a fun purple color. The Novo website description of Teachana says: “The first prepared food venture from the owners of Many More Asian Market right here in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, Teachana combines an extensive selection of the ever popular bubble, fruit, and milk teas with bowls of ramen and street food snacks.” (R.H.)

Sumi Cakery

Sumi Cakery in Novo Food Hall is known for its baked goods, but also has an interesting assortment of bento boxes and several bulgogis. Their square pieces of iced cake looked delicious. The green tea bun was visually appealing in all its greenness so I ordered one. It had an angel food cake-like consistency and was topped with a slightly sweet green tea icing ($3). Sumi also serves a fine cup of strong coffee. Sumi’s offerings are described as such: “Korean baked goods and delicious aromas abound at Sumi Chun’s stall located in the front window of Novo. Sweet treats are definitely a highlight of the beignets, buns, and cakes but the savory options of shrimp toast and bulgogi bakes are also absolutely not to be missed.” (R.H.)

Korea Garden

Korea Garden offers a nice selection of the cuisine’s family-style and street-food classics. For me this meant a lunch that was tasty without being overly spiced. I started with the dumplings ($12), which are steamed and then pan-fried, though you can get them steamed all the way if you wish. Stuffed with beef and vegetables, the dumplings were rich and hearty, especially when enhanced by the dipping sauce. (For a just-right mixture, bite off one end of a dumpling and dribble a bit of sauce into the innards.) My main course was the bulgogi ($16): marinated beef slices with some veggies over white rice. The beef had a pleasing and intriguing flavor, mild but not bland. I paired it with a bottle of Red Ribbon Mint Ginger Ale. Made locally by Natrona Bottling Company, it’s less sweet and less blatantly minty than the Tom Tucker brew I drank as a kid. The result is a zingy multi-factor taste, a cool complement to Korea Garden’s fare. 

Says the Novo website, “After 22 years of operating Korea Garden in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, Seok Kun Han and Mun Ja Han bring family style Korean food to Novo. Korea Garden features bento boxes with bulgogi and jae yook bookeum, bibimbap, and a broad array of Korean street food staples such as kimchi pancakes and tteokbokki.” (M.V.) 

Kung Fu Chicken

When entering a new restaurant, I tend to look at what other people are eating before sitting down to a menu that usually gives me only descriptive ingredients. Our Wednesday’s crowd was sparse so I was pleased to see that Kung Fu Chicken featured their main offerings in a display case to help people like me make a decision. And while the menu features such appealing curiosities as a fishcake corn dog, fried string beans, and fried milk, the featured presentation was a breaded chicken cutlet on a bun. It’s January and I’ve eschewed most all carbs in a vain attempt to “diet,” and, so, ordered the Kung Fu Chicken salad ($14)––that is, no bun, but a fried cutlet atop baby spinach and other assorted greens. Indeed, the breading was light, yet crispy.  More flavorful was the actual chicken which had marinated in something like a five-spice sauce with an appropriate hint of ginger. Although I dabbed my greens in a sesame seed dressing (an additional $1 for the sesame dressing), I could have asked for Italian. Says the Novo site: “Classic Taiwanese style fried chicken takes center stage at Kung Fu chicken no matter whether you order the chicken pops, cutlets, or sandwich. Fried to a juicy, crispy perfection the chicken is accompanied by popular Chinese treats such as plum fries and fried milk.” (BTW, fried milk is a cream reduction thickened with cornstarch and sugar, then breaded and deep fried.) (C.P.O.) 

Other Options

The workers at all the restaurants at Novo were extremely friendly and helpful. It will be fun to return and try Tan Lac Vein and the Novo Bar. Here are the Novo website’s descriptions for those two places:

“Chef Minh Luong’s second Pittsburgh location of Tan Lac Vien offers a broad selection of banh mi, pho, small bites, and rice dishes highlighting classic Vietnamese flavors and sauces with great options for both omnivores and vegetarians alike!”

“The central bar highlights a broad array of lesser known Asian spirits and ingredients with its craft cocktail program as well as offering an extensive collection of Japanese whisky, sake, and craft beer in a vibrant, whimsical environment.” 

Cocktails at Novo Bar have some fun names: My Chemical Rodance, Miami Rice, Mothra on the Shore, Our Old Pal Gojira, Mecha-Godzilla on a Lychee, and There’s Always Monkey in the Banana Stand.

We enjoyed our outing to Novo Asian Food Hall. You may, as well. There is a weekday happy hour which features discounted food, beer, wine, and cocktails. 

1931 Smallman Street, Strip District. Hours of operation are: Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., bar is open those days until 10 p.m.; Sunday food and bar: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Photos: Rick Handler

Rick Handler is the executive producer of Entertainment Central.

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