The Matrix Resurrections contains a meta reference to the franchise and its star, Keanu Reeves, that will do a number on your noodle.
The scene in question takes place in Thomas Anderson’s favorite place to get a steaming bowl of the wriggly things. While egg noodles might be rich in vitamin B, Easter Egg noodles like these will give you a heavy dose of vitamin awe.
As a fan on Reddit noted on the r/Matrix subreddit, it’s a direct reference to the classic 1999 original, just like most of what goes on in Lana Wachowski’s fourth installment.
After learning the truth that Neo’s reality is a mere computer-constructed simulation, and riding around the city with his fellow freedom fighter compadres en route to a mission, he points to a store front saying, “I used to eat there. Really good noodles.”
Smash cut to The Matrix Resurrections and we see Thomas, newly re-indoctrinated to a simulated reality with no memory of his past life, mowing down on some reality-defying ramen.
But our meta journey does not end there, as a quick shot in the film actually contains another reference that may just blow your mind: that photo on the wall is actually one of a much younger Reeves and the owner of the restaurant where it was filmed.
According to a blog post by chef Kathy Fang, a Chopped champion from Food Network, the scene was filmed in the Fang-owned Nanking restaurant in San Francisco. According to Fang, Reeves, the filmmakers, and crew are some of the restaurant’s “O.G. customers.”
It’s unlikely Nanking appears in the original Matrix film, as the first three movies in the cyberpunk franchise were largely filmed in Australia. Regardless, the restaurant’s now-famous bowl of savory simulacrum is one we’d like to try for ourselves, even if it means ingesting the blue pill beforehand.