Kung Fu Noodle

For an area that makes as many bowls of noodles as Chinatown, it’s surprisingly rare to find ones that are fresh and traditionally hand-pulled. So Kung Fu Noodle, with their dedication to the craft, was a hugely welcome addition when it opened in 2022. Founded by Alex Xu, who also owns Happy Lemon, the hugely popular bubble tea chain, they specialise in Gansu-style noodles from northwestern China: a region emblematic of the Hui Muslim people who reside there. The noodles are known for their halal meat accompaniments and clear broth flavours, interestingly omitting soy sauce, arguably the most popular sauce across the rest of Chinese cuisine. With hot, cold and soup noodle options on the menu, their signature bowl is the famous Lanzhou beef noodle soup, served with melt-in-your-mouth hunks of beef and a generous amount of chilli oil. For each bowl, you can choose between hand pulled or knife cut noodles. I’d recommend opting for the latter, which gives you a more wheaty but slightly sweet flavour. They also soak up whatever elements they’re cooked in especially well.