The first time I ate at the tiny restaurant that is now called T.S. Noodle House, it was called Town South Food & Wine and Pho Beef Noodle Soup Crawfish and Oyster, which is easily the strangest name I’ve ever seen printed on a menu. I wrote about that experience here, an experience that was perhaps highlighted by being able to order a Slush Puppie with my lunch. At the time, Town South wasn’t much more than a lunch counter located inside of a package liquor and live bait shop – except for the fact that it served some of the most authentic, non-dumbed-down Vietnamese food I’ve ever eaten anywhere.
T.S. Noodle House is the new incarnation of that lunch counter. Located at 794 E. Flournoy Lucas Rd. in southern Shreveport, T.S. Noodle House is a tiny hole-in-the-wall located next door to the liquor store and live bait shop. About a half-dozen tables are squeezed into the space (see a photo). If you’re into white tablecloths, it won’t be your scene. If you’re into rip-roaringingly delicious Vietnamese cuisine at stupefyingly affordable prices, it may be your new favorite spot.
During my recent visit, I exuberantly tasted and photographed just about anything that came near the table. A plate of crispy duck breast with steamed buns (pictured above) was my favorite: crispy and spicy skin, succulent and juicy meat, and warm, doughy steamed buns, all lightly drizzled with a sweet, savory sauce. I’ve tried this dish at a Bossier City restaurant that charges $27 for it. T.S. Noodle House charges $10 for the dish, and absolutely blew the $27 place off of the map. Other highlights were this incredible, bone-in Oxtail Beef Pho (small $6, large $10) and the House Spicy Noodle Soup (small $6, large $10).
To top it all off, they’ve still got Slush Puppies on the menu. I recommend the blue raspberry.
