For most of us, our first encounters with the comfort food that is spaghetti featured those wonderful noodles tossed with a tomato-based "gravy." Or perhaps a creamy-rich alfredo sauce. Or even baked macaroni and cheese.

Actually, that tomato-sauced spaghetti of our youth is a prime example of global cuisine. The olio features the noodles (and some of the spices) that Marco Polo is said to have brought back from his travels in the Far East, plus the tomatoes that Christopher Columbus and his compadres brought back from the New World.

It's a delicious revelation, though, to visit a place where the spaghetti, or noodles in this case, are (arguably) more reminiscent of their place of origin: Asia. Indeed, virtually any Asian-style restaurant you visit these days features noodle dishes, as they are interpreted by the peoples who invented them. And one place where you can order up a plethora of pan-Asian noodle treatments is at that 10-year-old (well, nearly) eatery on Stanford Boulevard (off Dobbin Road), called Noodles Corner.

We recall visiting this restaurant when it first opened, and while recollections are vague, we had misty, watercolor memories of its unusual -- albeit comforting -- approach to noodle cuisine. Here in the 21st century, we're much more worldly in our dining-out experiences, so a return visit to the Corner was even more comforting that our first.

Asian approach

Back then, the décor in Noodles Corner seemed very spare. It was among the first storefront eateries that boasted high industrial ceilings with the black pipe showing. The dual dining areas featured bare-top tables with a few condiments. A few Asian-themed prints adorned the walls. All very Zen, don't you know.

Now the décor, which hasn't changed much, seems as appropriate as the food. While service during a recent Thursday evening visit was delightfully attentive and well paced, the food is simply served, with just a few garnishes, on interestingly shaped white crockery, a scallop shell shape here, an oval shape there. You know.

The menu has expanded over the years, and includes Thai and Japanese fare along with the Chinese. But the prices are as reasonable as they can be in today's market. Indeed, you can fill up on any number of good-tasting comfort food dishes for pretty much under $10.

Of course, our quartet was bent on sampling as much as possible from the menu, so we ordered up some appetizers as well as four main courses. Plus some beer (imported from Asia) and some wine (imported from California).

In each case, servings were un-Zen (i.e. quite ample). And that includes the Golden Calamari ($5.25). Served on a bed of shredded lettuce, these little squid morsels were among the most unusual we've tried: No rings, but small strips that had been dunked in tempura batter and fried a deep golden brown. Generally tender, with that lovely, crisp tempura mouth feel that's so charming.

A rosy-pink sweet-tart dunk accompanied this and several others of our appetizers, including the Crispy Shrimp Balls ($3.95). This trio of golf-ball-sized seafood bites was nicely done. The crisp coating was quite different from the calamari coating, for one thing. And inside were nice little chunks of real shrimp, with very little filler. All served hot and fresh.

A foursome of steamed Vegetarian Potstickers ($2.95) were chewy-tender outside, and plump inside with crisp-tender, fresh bok choy, mushrooms and carrots. A soy sauce based dunk came with.

And healthful soy -- "on the hoof," so to speak -- was among our appetizers in the form of edamame. Listed under the salad section of the menu, this generous portion of steamed, lightly salted beans was, as always, a fun finger food.

You can get Chinese-style entrees at Noodles Corner. They're served with steamed rice, as is traditional. Most of our party went for the carbs by way of "pasta."

Our non-noodler chose Wonderful Chicken ($7.95) from the Chef's Specialties section of the menu. Actually, you can get this entrée with noodles or rice, and since our taster forgot to mention his preference, he got rice.

The chicken dish featured a generous amount of batter-fried chicken and steamed vegetables, with the rice served on the side. Billed as featuring the "chef's own sweet and spicy brown sauce," it was reminiscent of General Tso's chicken (although there is a General Tso's chicken also on the menu). The Wonderful Chicken seemed an excellent version, although our taster wished that this offering, which is billed as spicy on the menu, had arrived with more "heat" than it did.

Triple Delight ($9.95) was also from the Chef's Specialties section of the menu. This one featured tender strips of beef and chicken, with some shrimp tossed in as well. Carrots, broccoli, onions and more also accompanied. A Chinese-style sauce highlighted the dish. The noodles that came on the side of the plate were crisp-fried vermicelli noodles, and provided pleasant textural contrasts to the meats and veggies.

The Noodles section of the Corner's menu features 15 entrees. Two of us, aping many an Olympic athlete, decided to load carbs with a couple of choices from among the many.

Pad Thai ($8.75) was one guest's choice. The portion was ample and contained all the appropriate items for this classic Thai dish: flat, charmingly chewy rice noodles, stir-fried with shrimp, chicken, bean sprouts, scallions and basil, and sprinkled with crushed peanuts. Somewhat spicy, but easily pleasing to virtually any palate. The sauce on the Noodles Corner version was heavy, though, not as sprightly as we've tried in "authentic" Thai restaurants. Somewhat disappointing, overall.

And Chow Fun ($7.95/chicken). This entrée featured rice noodles that were about an inch wide. Tender and chewy at the same time, as rice noodles are wont to be. Lots of melt-in-your-mouth white meat chicken slices, plus bok choy, bell peppers, onions, stirred up together in a black bean sauce. Can be enjoyed spicy or not so. The "not so" was just fine, thank you very much.

Back to the Chef's Specialties section for a dish to share: Crispy Eggplant ($7.95) was a lovely version of this now-classic Szechuan treat. The tender, fresh eggplant had been batter-fried (we think it was a tempura batter) to perfect crispiness, then laved with a transparent, spicy-sweet sauce just before serving. Some pieces seemed a mite saltier than others, but the overall effect was yummy, fun.

Desserts are available at Noodles Corner, along with a few specialty teas, plus Thai iced coffee and more. Those carbs (and appetizers, too) were filling, though, so we eschewed post-prandial treats.

It's reassuring (comforting, you might say) to know that an individually owned eatery can last nearly a decade in these troubled times. Manager/owner Sherry Chen and her husband, chef/owner Jamie Chen, appear to have come up with a winning combination of offerings for their 80-seat eatery. With 40 years of experience, some in Taiwan, and many more here, the duo employ some half-dozen folks in the kitchen and 10 or so front of the house.

Noodles Corner (410-312-0088) is at 8865 Stanford Blvd. (Lakeside Shopping Center, off Dobbin Road).

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