Boom Noodle, with its attempt to bring sexy back to the noodle bowl, appears at first glance to be Asian food for Caucasians—the type of Caucasians that are impressed by backlit Stoli bottles at the bar. But Chef Jonathan Hunt is far more sincere than his hip spot with its fancy cocktails would suggest. Although he has little formal training in Asian cuisines, he’s traveled extensively in Japan researching classic recipes to riff on, and he has great intuition.

Not everything here works—some simple pleasures like pork gyoza and calamari are disappointing—but the kitchen has a way with salmon, and the simple noodle soups, along with some fun fusion snacks like edamame purée with sweet potato crisps and white prawns wrapped in crunchy phyllo, are consistently good. And the location in the University District has weekend breakfast service.

Boom does the lounge vibe well—it’s modern but not overly trendy—but it always feels a bit strange to have lunch here. Even with the garage-style windows rolled up on sunny days, the place still has that late-night aura, and it just feels kind of wrong to dine here in daylight.