Xi'an Biang Biang Noodles

Xian noodles shop

Hand-pulled Chongqing noodles

Regional Chinese cuisine is making a big splash in London at the moment, and Xian Biang Biang Noodles is one of the latest openings that is fitting into that trends. Operated by the same people behind the popular Chinese restaurant Xian Impression, Xian Biang Biang noodles is a casual noodle shop in the mood of a canteen in East London, specializing in make to order Biang Biang noodles, which is a special type of hand-pulled noodles that is popular in the Xian region in China. The menu is fairly short for a Chinese restaurant, with about 40 dishes in total, ranging from starters, mains (mostly noodles) and side dishes. 

Veg pot sticker

Boneless chicken in sesame sauce

Handmade traditional pork burger

I ordered a mixture of starters and mains to share with the whole table. The cold chicken with sesame sauce was very enjoyable, the nutty aroma combined brilliantly with the robust taste of the chill, all the flavours blended in nicely into the chicken. Handmade traditional pork burger was fairly average on the other hand, the bun was rather dry and the filling lacked any depth, it was the weak link of the meal. I personally am not much of a chili warrior (most of the noodle dishes here are extra hot), so I went for an unusual choice in the hand-pulled noodles with chunky pork belly, which is not much of a Xian dish, but what really delighted me was the silky smooth texture of the noodles, something that I got nothing but love for, the pork was also well braised with a lovely sweet aftertaste.

Black fungus with coriander

Hand-pulled noodles with pork mince in Qishan soup

Hand-pulled noodles with chunky pork belly and braised egg in broth

To sum it all, Xian Biang Biang Noodles is a welcome addition to East London. It was casual Xian style food, done in an authentic way. No fuzz, no gimmick, just good old fashioned traditional Chinese cooking in a very relaxing canteen space. Unlike most Chinese restaurants in China Town, the hospitality was actually pretty decent. It was far from slick, but at least it was friendly and will not rush you out of the door as soon as you are done eating. The venue already appeared to be a popular place for local Chinese so that should be a good indicator of that Xian Biang Biang Noodles is the real deal.



Food 3/5

What I paid: 
£24 per person with beer

Average cost without drinks and services:
£20

62 Wentworth Street E1 7AL, London

http://xianbiangbiangnoodles.com/