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This is Alan Yau’s take on Hong Kong street food, specifically noodle bars. You enter down a corridor past the open kitchen, which leads to a large dining room. The room has long communal tables and bar stools (this is not a place to linger), the low ceiling being made from bamboo. There is a also a courtyard area outside in good weather. The menu has plenty of soup noodle choices, and also a range of dishes stir-fried in a wok, together with a few “side” dishes which are brought out whenever the kitchen is ready.
Spring rolls were very good, a crispy outside containing assorted fresh shredded vegetables (e.g. carrot, mushroom, bamboo shoots) and served with a particularly good sweet chilli sauce that was not cloying (3/10). Singapore fried noodles is a classic dish but often disappoints, This version had good texture, mixed in with bamboo shoots, a few properly cooked prawns, smoked chicken and mixed pepper strips as garnish, and just a hint of green chilli (2/10). Choi sum was pleasant, cooked with oyster sauce that was a little over-sweet, the vegetables cooked well enough; not Royal China standard but pretty good (2/10). Beer is £3.30 and there are just three wines by the glass (£4.90 each for 250 ml a glass).
Service, always good at Alan Yau places, was very attentive. At the moment the place is in an extended “soft opening”, and every dish is just £3.50. It is unclear what the final prices will be, nor at this point when the transition will be. However at present it is a real bargain for food better than most of Chinatown.
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