Honest Bao

When you're craving proper Chinese food in London, your brain immediately screams 'Chinatown!' and you're mentally bracing for the jam-packed street. But London's culinary map is expanding faster than my waistline after a day out. I was loitering around the Temple station area, pretending to be a fancy lawyer (didn't work, my shoes were too muddy), when my stomach issued an urgent demand for noodles. A quick search later, and I found myself staring at Noodle Nova, a new kid on the block that's doing Lanzhou beef noodles. The Vibe and the Broth Giant vase in the centre First impression: Nice décor. And true to its Chinese name, Qing Hua Yu (青花鈺), which means something like 'Porcelain Jade,' there was a rather large, fancy vase in the shop. Clearly, they've gone for aesthetic as well as noodle. Spicy broth taste good too but I prefer non-spicy one Now, onto the main event. As a specialist beef noodle joint, they offer a whole spectrum of noodle thi...

Right, let’s talk Chinese beef noodles. It's a culinary world away from your average chow mein and a proper obsession of mine. In Birmingham, while we might not have the sprawling Chinatown of London, there’s a surprising amount of quality out there if you know where to look. Today, I'm wading into the soupy, flavourful debate of "red braised" vs. "clear broth." Both are masterpieces in their own right, and I've found a few spots in Brum that nail it. The OG Hand-Pulled: Kung Fu Noodle Great broth and noodle, I prefer the pig gut more than beef brisket I've been to Kung Fu Noodle before, and it seems a recent change in ownership has only made them better. The menu is a bit different, but the heart of the place is the same. The noodles here are the star of the show. They're handmade, and you can absolutely taste the difference—chewy, springy, and they hold onto the broth like a best friend. Garlic Wonton is good too We went for the beef brisket an...