A sexy night out and great Sichuan food awaits at Noodle & Beer - Review - London - The Infatuation

"Noodle & Beer Chinatown is the jazz hands, 2.0 version of the original in Spitalfields. The Sichuan dishes are still great, but here they’ve dialled up the fun and added a sexy little basement—a red room with enough velvet, mirrors, and curtains to kick your night into high gear (if you aren’t already a few Kirin Ichibans deep). This louche lounge is where you’ll want to be at 1am, feeling hot as you soak up any regrets from the night with comforting, chilli oil-coated blanket noodles, or having cocktails with a date that’s graduated from dinner to sparkling sake Negronis and foot touching. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Pause Unmute But even on the ground-floor level—where phones flash as braised beef ribs are expertly snipped off the Flintstone-like bone by servers, and walk-ins hunker down at the counter over bowls of buttery miso noodles—you get an instant adrenaline hit. Solo diners squeeze onto tiny tables and make friends, chilli sweats kick in, emergency glasses of water are hailed, and food hits tables at a frenetic pace, which suits the always-on atmosphere. Expect to catch your breath only as you leave. Food Rundown Super King Braised Beef Short Ribs With Blanket Noodles In the hierarchy of ‘Comforting Super King Things’, this hulking slow-cooked short rib beats a super king bed. The meat is snipped off the bone by your server—which makes for a nice bit of drama at the table—and falls apart with the gentlest of chopstick nudges. The noodles are stretchy and silky too. PlayMute video credit: Sinéad Cranna Choo-Shou These delicate dumplings are filled with smooth, sweet lotus root and moist minced pork. They’re the perfect ‘for the table’ dish to pick at. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Miso & Butter Dry Noodles The Sichuan pepper-infused burnt butter is the star here: it’s toasty, fragrant, and decadent. The butteriness is balanced out by the miso and sprinkles of crunchy, caramelised cabbage. This dish is a special, but it’s worth ordering if it’s on, and if you like your bouncy, thick noodles with a dairy-heavy sidekick. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna" - Sinéad Cranna