We paid a trip to this long-awaited pub reopening in Hartshill, Stoke on Trent as we bring you our The Noah’s Pub review.
A popular Stoke-On-Trent pub reopened recently under new ownership and with a brand new Asian-inspired menu.
The Noah’s in Hartshill has been taken over by two friends of ours here at Lift Hills and Thrills
Lee and Shu-Fang Davies were previous owners of Changes Asian Kitchen in Trentham Gardens.
I have worked with both Lee and Shu-Fang in the past and absolutely loved the wonderfully fresh food they had at their Trentham venue.
The couple packed up the shop in Trentham and injected the Asian inspired menu into The Noah’s pub combining traditional pub food with this nice Asian alternative.
Shu-Fang told Stoke on Trent Live:
“My husband has always wanted to run a pub. We’re hoping to get that winning formula of good manager, good food and good service.
Because of the pandemic we were closed for a long time, so we thought we’d do something different. We can’t wait to welcome everyone.”
This area is a quite a mix. There’s a lot of Asian people here, including Indian, Thai, Taiwanese, Chinese, as well as English.
We want to do a mix of Asian flavours but we’ll still keep the pub favourites such as fish and chips and pies.
I like the idea of doing both English and Asian food which is all good quality.
We started about three months ago, so there’s been a lot to do and clean up.
We wanted the pub to stay as it is but just make everything totally fresh. It was only redone five years ago so it mainly just needs repainting. We’re not changing a lot.”
Naturally, we had to head on down and check it out!
When approaching the property we noticed just how large it was in comparison to the small unit the couple owned in Trentham Gardens. It was certainly a larger operation here as inside we were greeted by numerous staff members.
It was strange not to see Lee or Shu-Fang when entering the pub and instead numerous waiting staff all friendly and bubbly showed me and a friend to our table.
The menu was certainly a mixed bag indeed but knowing just how wonderful the food was at Changes Asian Kitchen I had to choose one of the Asian inspired dishes.
Okay, maybe two.
Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
I must say that this starter was absolutely incredible.
Crispy chicken with a spicy tang and the sweet chilli sauce that amplified the taste tenfold.
There were so moreish and delicious and I only wish they had a larger portion or a bucket takeaway/delivery option for this chicken as they’d make a fortune on this alone.
Absolutely to die for!
Spicy Gong Bao Chicken
This dish was one taken straight from the Changes Asian Kitchen menu and I was really looking forward to experiencing it again as it has been so long since I’ve had it.
Whilst the majority of flavour was there you could definitely tell that Shu-Fang hadn’t cooked this particular dish.
The Noahs now has their own chefs but whilst this dish was still very delicious it didn’t have that same freshness or magic that Shu-Fang’s dish had at Changes.
Still a solid dish but compared to Shu-Fang’s creation, it was just missing that little bit of spark for me.
The Noah’s Hartshill Menu
Starters
Soup of the Day
Boiled or pan-fried Dumplings
Taiwanese popcorn chicken
Spring Rolls
Thai King Prawns
Wings
Mains
Spicy Gong Bao Chicken
Spicy Red Thai curry / Green Curry
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Japanese Curry
Stir-Fried Noodles
House Burger
Fried Chicken Burger
Vegetarian Burger
Taiwanese Gua Bao
Pub Favourites
Steak and Ale Pie
Beer Battered Fish and Chips
Scampi and Skin-On Fries
Char-Grilled Chicken and Fries
Sandwiches
BLT
Warm Chicken and Bacon
Warm Cajun Chicken
Tuna Mayo Melt
Chargrilled Mediterranean vegetables with feta and balsamic glaze
Overall
With such a unique menu for a pub mixed with a large open planned pub area, beer garden and a large stocked bar The Noahs feels rejuvenated, revamped and ready to go.
We went at a time when most pubs would be empty but were pleasantly surprised to see it rather busy.
I will miss the homemade feel that the food had at Changes Asian Kitchen but the food we both had was well received and tasted wonderful, it was certainly no Changes but it was mouthwatering nonetheless.
Head on down to The Noah’s Hartshill for an affordable and unique Asian menu and that classic British pub atmosphere.
