Noodlehead is no-nonsense, but not when it comes to taste

I'm not really sure when my love affair with Thai cuisine started. But I can tell you that I'm obsessed with the flavors of curry, lemongrass, cilantro, garlic, ginger and chiles. These spices, when combined, produce some extraordinary dishes with boldness.

There are several Thai restaurants around town, and Noodlehead is one of the better ones.

Noodlehead is no-nonsense. It's cash-only and doesn't take reservations. It has no time for a telephone — or even a telephone number. So, if you want to order takeout, you might as well walk there and grab a stool at the bar overlooking South Highland Avenue, which I saw many patrons doing on my most recent visit.

The vibe of Noodlehead is part trendy with a wood/metal industrial design, but also warm, cozy and inviting, serving steaming bowls of noodles, the street food of Thailand.

Owners Watcharee Tongdee and Michael Johnson have been in the Thai restaurant game for years, opening a more-upscale restaurant, Typhoon, in the same space in 2007; it closed in 2011. In 2012, the pair opened Noodlehead with a more casual, comfort-food concept.

What sets Noodlehead apart from other Thai restaurants is that the menu sticks to mostly noodle dishes, with a few non-noodle appetizers. And the spice level is on another plane of its own.

Spice level refers to how hot the dishes are prepared. Heat comes from roasted chiles, chopped in a traditional method with a stick and a huge bin. The small menu notes that all dishes, except for the pad Thai and See Yew noodles, are prepared a bit spicy, to start. If you want to add more heat, you have only five options, where many other restaurants will give you a scale from 1 to 10.

Here, 1 is a little bit spicy and 5 is crazy-hot. I suggest you start on the low end of the spice scale, as everything is hot, hot, hot. But if you like the heat, test out the scale for yourself. And, if you need more heat, there is a bottle of sriracha on every table, along with forks, spoons, chopsticks and plenty of napkins.

The menu is straightforward. There are four appetizers — aka “snacks” — worth ordering.

The best-selling snack is the Pulled Pork Belly Steam Buns: two light-and-fluffy steam buns stuffed with sweet pulled pork, sour pickles and a creamy-spicy sauce with a dusting of cilantro. Sharable, but it's completely OK if you eat both yourself.

If you dine here with a friend who lacks adventure, I recommend ordering the Thai fried chicken starter. Slices of fried chicken breast are served alongside a sweet-and-spicy sauce.

If dining with brave, heat-seeking pals, the sliced grilled beef is a must. Thin slices of grilled beef are served with a sauce made from lemongrass, chili, garlic, cilantro, fish sauce and lime, resembling a Thai version of a chimichurri. The meat is tender, the sauce fragrant, and it's one of spiciest dishes I have eaten here. It packs a serious punch in the most delicious way possible. I suffered through heat sweats to devour this dish, and it was well worth it.

The remainder of the menu consists of various noodle dishes, including two soups.

My waitress recommended the Sukothai soup: rice noodles, seasoned pieces of ground pork and pieces of crisp green beans served in a spicy lime broth topped with chopped peanuts, cilantro and half of a hardboiled egg. The broth was light and sweet — a lot of flavor in such a delicate, thin broth.

The other soup is the Love Boat: thin rice noodles, beef, cilantro, and basil served in a rich, spicy broth. It's the second-most-popular street food in Thailand.

If you didn't know this fun fact, one of Noodlehead's interior walls will inform you of this, and that pad thai is the ultimate street food of Thailand. And, you better not forget to squeeze the lime.

Heartier, entree-sized noodle dishes (each $9) include Street Noodles No. 1 and No. 2, which are safe bets for the cautious. Street Noodle No. 1 has rice noodles mixed with pieces of Thai fried chicken, bok choy and cilantro. The second version is made with thin-and-long egg noodles, tempura shrimp, bok choy and cilantro.

Probably the best dish on the entire menu (in my opinion): Chiang Mai Curry: a large bowl filled with egg noodles, sliced chicken breast, pickled mustard greens and crispy shallots served in a yellow curry coconut milk sauce topped with green onions and a stack of fried noodles for garnish. The sauce is thick and creamy, sweet and spicy. It's the perfect dish for a warm, cold winter's night.

The downside of this dish is that it is messy. Probably not a great choice if you come on a first date. You will have curry all over your face and in your hair, but it's worth all of the extra napkins.

These noodles, along with a Green Curry Linguini, come as prepared, no substitutions, which I strongly agree with. Ordering as-is respects the chef and the way the flavor profiles should be prepared.

There are three noodle dishes that you can alter by choosing to add chicken, shrimp, tofu, or keep vegetarian, including Pad Thai and my favorite, See Yew: big, flat rice noodles tossed in a salty, black soy sauce with bok choy, broccoli and scrambled egg.

Noodlehead is heating up the local restaurant scene. And, it's not going to cool off anytime soon.

But, what will help you cool off some of the heat in the dishes is the homemade lemongrass-honey iced tea, that comes with one free refill. Enjoy!

Sarah Sudar is one of the food-savvy ladies on eatPGH.com, who contribute a weekly Dining Out column to Trib Total Media.