Located across the street from El Camino on Crenshaw Boulevard, Noodles Noodles’ lunch specials offer a delicious range of dishes from fried rice and salad to noodle soups and curries chock full of fatty chunks of chicken, shrimp, and vegetables.

At first glance, Noodles Noodles is inconspicuous among the glassed-in storefronts, populating the strip mall it occupies. Visitors are greeted by a cheerful, airy dining room where colorful paintings of Southeast Asian motifs, including boats and elephants, sit on the saffron yellow walls with red trim. Pots of white and purple orchids and leafy tropical plants wait by the door while soft music wafts in from the television mounted in the corner.

For $11.95, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., diners can choose from 11 dishes for the lunch special, ranging from pad thai, fried rice, and soup to four kinds of curry.

Each lunch special comes with steamed, fluffy white rice and a side of crispy wontons fried to a golden brown crisp enveloping the tender chicken center or a green salad garnished with slices of carrot and tossed in a tangy dressing.

The green curry is a springtime medley of colors and flavors. The medallions of carrots, slices of red bell pepper, and green beans remain crisp and crunchy even after swimming in a soup of light, creamy coconut milk flavored with green curry paste, lemongrass, and whole mint leaves. The broccoli florets that had sunk to the bottom added a pleasant surprise, while thick strips of tender white meat chicken floated on the surface.

The thin rice noodles of the pad thai are sweet and slightly spicy. On the side, there is a pop of red cabbage and a sprinkling of slices of long green onions. The crunchy peanuts and bean sprouts enhance the noodles’ softness.

The Thai fried rice is fluffy and fragrant with an abundance of velvety chunks of tofu, translucent slices of onion, and golden fried eggs.

For those looking for other options besides the lunch specials, all the dishes on the menu are available during operating hours. The prices range from the $14 Souper Bowl to noodle and rice dishes that range from $14 for beef, chicken, tofu and other proteins to $18 for crabmeat and roast duck and $20 for scallops and other seafood. The Thai soups come with a choice of chicken or shrimp for $9 or seafood for $14.

Or try the Tom Yum soup ($9), which lives up to the name. Four fat, pink, and white shrimp with split open backs, revealing tender white flesh, swim about the confines of the bowl. Halved white mushrooms and cherry tomatoes bob the surface of the tangy broth seasoned with lime juice. A generous garnish of peppery cilantro with fragrant stalks of lemongrass and bits of galangal leaves at the bottom of the soup gives it flavor to the last sip.

Drink options range in price from $1 bottled water to $2 hot teas in green, jasmine, and ginger, iced green tea and Thai iced tea and Thai Iced coffee for $4.

The Thai iced tea ($4) comes in a tall, frosty glass. The richly spiced black tea is tempered by the sweet milk poured on top, which seeps through the gaps in the ice to the bottom of the glass. A couple of revolutions of a spoon transform the two-toned drink into a burnt ochre beverage that balances the rich spices of the cardamon and star anise with the creamy milk.

The Thai iced coffee ($4) is so strong that it can perk up even the most sleep-deprived El Camino student. The condensed milk floating on the surface takes the edge off the bitterness of the strong black coffee while keeping its caffeine-packed punch.

Noodles Noodles is an up-and-coming lunchtime destination for El Camino students looking for filling, delicious food at a reasonable price. The diverse flavors of rich spices and refreshing herbs add a whole other dimension to familiar Thai comfort foods such as pad thai and curry. Even during its busiest lunch rush, the employees are friendly and the service is fast.

Come stop by anytime before 3 p.m. to try out a taste of Thailand.

Noodles Noodles

Location: 15900 Crenshaw Blvd. Unit C, Gardena, CA 90249

Phone: 424-266-9564

Hours: Open every day, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m./4 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Website: www.noodlesnoodlesthai.com