炸酱面 ($3.50); 小笼包 ($6.50); 牛肉面 ($4)!
A Chinese hawker spread: zha jiang mian, two baskets of xiao long bao, and a beef noodle soup. $14.
A spread of northern-Chinese favourites with BB: 炸酱面 (zha jiang mian) $3.50, 小笼包 (xiao long bao) $6.50, and 牛肉面 (beef noodles) $4. 😋
What we shared ($14 total):
- Zha jiang mian: noodles topped with a savoury fried bean-and-pork sauce and shredded cucumber
- Xiao long bao: two baskets of soup dumplings
- Beef noodles: noodles in a dark, spiced beef broth with sliced beef and greens
Ordering a few things to share is the way to do a Chinese noodle place. The zha jiang mian was the moreish one: a mound of dark, savoury minced-pork-and-bean sauce over springy noodles, with cool cucumber strips cutting through, all mixed together before eating.
The xiao long bao were the treat, two baskets of them, those delicate thin-skinned parcels holding a mouthful of hot soup. You dip them in the vinegar and ginger and try not to burn your tongue. At $6.50 for the lot, generous.
The beef noodle soup rounded it out with something warming: tender sliced beef in a dark, gently spiced broth with greens, the comforting bowl of the three.
Between dumplings, saucy noodles and a beef soup, we had a proper little Chinese feast. Good variety and great value at $14.
Overall: 4.6 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Savoury zha jiang mian, soupy xiao long bao and a warming beef noodle, a great spread to share. Would re-order.
