Last night, my friends Daphne, Hazel and I decided to meet up and eat somewhere in Maginhawa Street – a popular food hub in Quezon City. Because the area is lined up with loooots of cafes and restaurants to choose from, it is quite a challenge to decide which place to dine.

As Daphne and I were waiting for Hazel, we saw this imposing sign at the corner of Magiting Street that says CAUTION HOT. Our nosiness led us to their doorstep and checked out what is in their menu. Entering the simple and straightforward resto, my sense of smell immediately signaled my stomach that this is where it would want to be filled. It was a noodle house. Honestly, I am not a fan of Chinese noodles and is more of a Ramen person. BUT, after seeing their menu and the bowls of noodles being served, my taste buds seem to have had a change of heart… errrr I mean, taste.

And so we lined up (yes, we had to wait because this noodle house is full-house that time, giving me an impression that it must be a gastronomic-worthy place). While waiting, Daph and I decided on which noodles to try. Here is their menu (if you notice, prices are actually cheaper than ramen).

Okay so this is how you order. (It is like a DIY thing).Firts, you have to choose the toppings (all veggie, pork, beef or seafood); second, the kind of broth (option of Szechuan, Asam Laksa, Classic). Next you will be asked to choose the kind of noodle (whether wheat or egg noodles), and finally, your choice on how you would like to burn your taste buds (First Degree Burn, Second Degree Burn, Third Degree Burn and Ultimate Burn) — which indicate how spicy you want your noodle bowl to be.

What did we order?

Our 1^st bowl is made up of Seafood + Szechuan + Egg Noodles + First Degree Burn. (Hahaha, we were quite apprehensive that the 2^nd degree would already denude our buds). Our 2^nd bowl contains pork + classic + wheat noodles. Since it is classic, the broth is non-spicy. We also ordered Pork-Kutchay Dumplings, served with chili sauce, calamansi and a light soy dressing.

Now for the verdict: The Schezuan broth in 1^st degree burn was already spicy to me, but was tolerable and I/we enjoyed every taste of it. I love that it contains veggies like bok choy, cilantro, garlic and mushrooms.  The seafood (shrimps, crab, squid) that go with it are as tasty as the soup base. And the idea of adding a sunny-side egg (instead of a hard boiled one like most ramen have) is such a nice surprise. The classic pork noodles was equally palatine-satiating. I like the subtle sweet taste of the pork that goes well with the not too salty soup base. So if you will ask me which I like better, I say I can’t because I love them both. The dumplings, on the other hand, were so delicious (oooops sorry for that cliché description,that is more than enough for me to describe its taste because I have a special liking for dumplings).

I will definitely come back and try their Soy Milk, Oolong Milk Tea and their Fruit-Syrup Shaved Ice or Bao Bing. Food is great, not very expensive (we only spent Php490/3), and really a noodle-lific, satisfying food experience in Caution Hot.

CAUTION HOT: Spicy Noodle House is located at Magiting Street, Teachers Village,Quezon City, Philippines. Operating Hours are as follow: Mon to Thurs: 1130am to 11pm; Fri to Sat: 11am to 12mn; Sun: 11am to 11pm

Thanks to Daph for allowing me to use her phone’s camera to capture these. Cheers to more food-tripping with you guise! And yes, do not be a wasted soul, be ‘juan’derlust. Take it easy ebri’juan’…