Review of Noodle and Beer in Chinatown

London’s vibrant Chinatown can be a roulette wheel of eateries. The myriad restaurants packed into this tourist hotspot mean that without some forward planning, it can be hard to differentiate between quality, authentic food, and fast turnover slop. We have found one spot that is the perfect choice for an impromptu lunch, dinner, or even a super late-night hunger fix.

Noodle and Beer on Wardour Street is the new kid on the block, with its contemporary facade and simplistic name. Behind the facade is a menu of flavour-packed Sichuanese delights, served up over two contrasting floors.

Noodle and Beer is not a large venue, which is immediately apparent upon entry. The upstairs area is brightly lit, with some pops of red and quite cosy, which is perfect for an intimate lunch or dinner with a plus 1, but perhaps a little more challenging for a birthday bash with 20 of your friends. You may be tempted to crack the same, obvious dad Joke as I did: “So, Noodle and Beer, what do they do?” The reality is that those two sides of the coin are unbalanced. “Noodle” undersells the quality of the menu, and “Beer” will probably mislead you into expecting a wide selection of craft ales. The beer options are relatively safe, but I have it on good authority that there are plenty of other great drinks on offer. The food menu has just enough exciting-sounding dishes to provide a choice dilemma, without the standard "overwhelm" that Chinese menus can instill. The familiar structure of meaty and veggie starters, dry noodles and soup noodles, gives way to eye-catching variations such as Crispy Beef Jerky, Blanket Noodles with Frogs Legs and the popular Chongqing Xiao Mian soup noodles.

Everything I ordered from the menu leaves me feeling that I made the right choice. For starters, a substantial beef spring roll with a flaky exterior and a surprisingly meaty beef flank center.

To follow, I continue the beef theme with a Super King Braised Beef Rib on a bed of Blanket Noodles. This is one of those dishes that is served with an element of theatrics, with the rib scissor cut and removed from the bone before your eyes. The beef is rich, and the noodle flavours are complex with a good amount of heat.

Following an incredible dinner, my dining partner and I take a nosey at the bar downstairs. In contrast to the bright ground-level dining area, the bar is boudoir-esque. Deep red, sultry, with intimate tables and an evening atmosphere. Although this area is as much for dining, it feels like a great spot to enjoy one of the other non-beer drinks on offer.

So, if you find yourself menu-hopping around Chinatown from lunchtime until 4 am and are scratching your head, unsure where to eat, Noodle and Beer is the perfect spot.

The friendship lunch

To combat loneliness, Noodle and Beer are doing their bit to encourage people to bring a friend for lunch and enjoy 50% off a second main dish and drink (excluding beer). The offer is for the Chinatown site only, and runs daily from 12 midday to 5PM.

Website: https://www.noodleandbeer.com/

Address: 27 Wardour St, London, W1D 6PR

Written by Rick Hartley

Photo one by James Moyle