Em CY W.
Google
Update:
They kindly invited us back to give the food another go, and I’m happy to say things were much better this time.
I had the chicken thighs with ginger and sesame noodles again, and this time the chicken was much juicier and there was more sauce, which made a big difference. My friend had the noodles with fresh tomato and beef mince, and that one is definitely a favourite. You can really taste how much tomato is in the dish. It’s rich, flavourful, and even saucier than mine, which I love.
For sides, we tried the steamed greens, which were fresh and simple. The wood-ear mushroom salad tasted pretty much the same as before, but they explained that the milder seasoning is intentional to appeal to newer or more sensitive palates, which I can understand.
We gave the soft shell crab bao another try. It is a bit better this time potentially because they're very freshly made. One thing worth mentioning is that the sauce is on the salty side. It works when you get a full bite with the bun and crab altogether, but on its own, the saltiness can feel a bit intense.
I also tried their milk tea this time and, as someone from Hong Kong where milk tea culture is serious business, I can say this one passes the test. It has a strong tea aroma, full of fragrance without any harsh bitterness.
All in all, don’t we all love a restaurant that genuinely values customer feedback and makes a real effort to improve? Big credit to them for that. I’ll definitely be going back.
Original:
Casual spot in Soho with a walk-in, find-your-seat setup and a small, easy-to-navigate menu.
We tried the noodles with 12hr beef and Szechuan pepper, the chicken thighs with ginger and sesame, the wood-ear mushroom salad, and two baos (oven-fried chicken and soft shell crab). Sadly, we found the food quite underwhelming overall.
The noodles themselves were nice, but both the beef and chicken were very dry, and even with chilli oil added, the flavours felt lacking. The mushroom salad was okay, though it was missing that punchy, vinegary tang we were hoping for. The baos were the biggest letdown—neither had much flavour.
The soft shell crab just tasted salty, and the chicken bao was dry as well.
That said, the boss was incredibly kind and welcoming. He explained their loyalty reward program, which is a nice touch: one star per noodle order, and after five stars you get a free noodle.
A friendly place, but the food could use a serious boost in flavour to match the warmth of the service.