As we were heading towards the heart of Buckhead, I was, as always, looking for a new place to eat.  When we reached our shopping destination, I mentioned a couple of spots to my beloved and she was over-thrilled by none of them.  I made the decision, and headed back down West Paces Ferry to Qing Mu.  Located on the periphery of the Shops of Buckhead, next door to their sister restaurant, Doraku Sushi. 

They say they look like a modernized traditional Chinese noodle shop.  I can’t speak to that, as I’ve never been to a traditional Chinese noodle shop, or China for that matter.  But it does looks very “Buckhead”. 

Their concept is noodles – “your way or our way”.  For the “your way” option, there’s a wall of clipboards on which you can build your bowl – starting with your choice of noodle and broth and then you add in the vegetables (they typically have at least fifteen fresh vegetables on the menu) and proteins (pulled beef brisket, pork char siu, duck, steamed chicken, pork meatball, beef tripe, beef tendon, tofu, hot spring eff, shrimp, octopus, shrimp or pork and shrimp wonton – you can’t say they don’t offer a plethora of choices) that you want.  “Our way” are five pre-designed bowls.  We were curious about the brisket and the man behind the counter told us that they braise it in hoisin sauce and cook it low and slow for  eight hours, then handed us both a small taste.  We immediately decided what we wanted.  

We both went with the #4, “Forbidden Kingdom: beef brisket, steamed chicken and a hot spring egg in their original broth.  I chose it spicy and my dining mate chose original (their top heat rating is BYHO – Blow Your Head Off – I chose not to try that one).

This was a giant bowl of soup.  You can get the perspective below:

The ramen was very good, although we both would order it without the chicken next time.  It didn’t add much and it, actually, seemed to take away from the overall dish.

They have a lunch time eight minute guarantee, and the prices were very fair, for the nieghborhood – the bowls averaged around $11.00.   Is it an authentic Asian noodle shop, like you’d find on Buford Highway?  Not even close – the flavors are fused and the design is very upscale, but I’d definitely go again.