What better place to go to straight after you have gotten your teeth cleaned? Noodle Kingdom because it takes the 30 minutes of "Do not eat of drink for 30 mins" to get there.
Steamed Shanghai Pork Dumplings (8pcs) (Xiao Long Bao) $6.80
Too good to be true! Soupless, thick off white skinned dumplings. Though the name of this place is Noodle Kingdom, dumplings obviously are not their specialty.
Stewed Mutton in Noodle Soup $8.50
This bowl of noodles was SOOOO GOOD. Where to start? Noodles were springy and perfectly cooked. You could really tell that they were fresh. The mutton was really "lamby/muttony" (sow in canto) but full of flavour. The soup was some kind of stock (+msg probably). What took this delicious bowl of noodles to AWESOME was the little bit of chilli. The chilli was from the mutton and it just gave it that extra kick. And the price? Might as well have two bowls...except one bowl is already massive.
Authentic Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup $8.50
Pretty much the same as the mutton one except it was beef. The beef wasn't as spiced as I hoped but still good. It was definitely a good bowl of noodles but after the mutton one this one seemed a little disappointing. The bar was just raised too high with the mutton one.
Beijing Boiled Pork Dumplings (12pcs) $7.50
Juicy, plump dumplings. The skin although thick was just right. Yes two dumplings are missing in the picture due to some hungry people. Surprisingly good dumplings. Great with vinegar and some chilli sauce.
Food: 9/10 I understand why critics rave about this place. So fresh and delicious. Just steer away from the xiao long bao.
Service/Environment: 8/10 Environment is great. Clean, modern, comfortable. Just think the waiters/waitresses could do with a smile and some enthusiasm.
Value: 9.5/10 Damn good value in Australian terms. However if you think about the cost price per bowl of noodles, probably a dollar or two...
Verdict? Super highly recommended. I will come here whenever I am in the area. Freshly made noodles are hard to find nowadays. By freshly made I mean the noodle man pulls the noodles and cooks it straightaway, once the noodles are ready they are scooped into the bowl with the stock and accompaniments and taken straight to you. No wonder it tastes soooo good.
I also go here but just for the noodles. If I crave for dumplings, I'd go somewhere else. But I agree with you, the mutton noodle soup is to die for! :)
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