Restaurant Spotlight #4: 555 Boat Noodles

555 Boat Noodles is a unique and vibrant Thai noodle restaurant in downtown Toronto. With its lively atmosphere, colourful wall art, and hearty dishes, it's the city's go-to place for an authentic taste of bold, traditional Thai boat noodles, especially loved by young students and professionals.

Unique wall art

The fun and fresh wall art above instantly caught my eye as I approached the small yet striking restaurant. The exterior colour scheme of bold blue, yellow, and green stood out sharply against the surrounding grey and muted buildings.

Restaurant interior & dining area

Inside, the seating area is small but cozy and inviting. While most tables seat two, there are also a few for five or six. The close table arrangement adds to the warm, comfortable, and homely atmosphere, making you feel like a guest at a friend’s house.

More interesting wall art

While we waited for the food, it was entertaining to study the fascinating wall art behind us. Drawn in a playful, child-like style, it reminded me of the doodles I used to sketch in my notebooks when I was younger. It's definitely one of the most unique pieces of wall art I’ve seen in a Toronto restaurant.

Shrimp & Pork Dumplings

Now, onto the food. We started with the shrimp and pork dumplings, which, in my opinion, were more like wontons. Topped with garlic and paired with a tangy, flavourful sauce, these dumplings were almost addictive. They also offer a fried version, which I would love to try next time.

Beef Rice Bowl

The first main we tried was the beef rice bowl, which came with a side of soup and tasted as good as it looked. This dish is a dream for garlic lovers, with each bite packed with a rich, garlicky aroma. The ratio of beef to rice was perfect, and when mixed together, every bite was satisfying and full of flavour.

Beef Boat Noodles (with wonton noodles)

Finally, we had to try the signature boat noodles. The dish offers plenty of customization, allowing you to choose the type of meat (beef, pork, or chicken) and noodles (wonton, rice, or vermicelli), as well as the bowl size. The seasoning was spot on, the flavour was rich, and its the perfect comfort food, warming you up from the inside out.

In addition to their boat noodles, they offer a variety of other noodles, such as pork ribs noodles and tom yum seafood noodles, as well as a couple traditional Thai teas and desserts, which all looked incredibly appetizing.

The only other thing I’d mention is that everything was fairly spicy, even for someone with a good spice tolerance. If you're sensitive to heat, I'd recommend being cautious with the sauce, as that’s what made the wontons and rice dishes quite spicy.

Pricing: The total came to around $52 after tax for two people, which I’d say is fairly affordable, especially considering its location in downtown Toronto.

Overall, I really loved the unique and artsy vibe of this place and thoroughly enjoyed trying Thai boat noodles for the first time. It's definitely an experience I'd recommend to everyone, so come and give this place a try!

Dish of the Day: Beef Boat Noodles (their signature, duh!)

Thanks for reading and I'll see you next week!