*reviewing for us picky Americans traveling abroad*…read more Fantastic Lanzhou noodle bar, actually got recommended this place after visiting the Chinese pharmacist for my back. I googled most of the restaurants in Chinatown and it looked like my high school GPA (not even a 4.0) so this place coming directly from the mouth of my pharmacist. Great broth, meat quality is superb, noodles were okay. Chili oil 8/10. Small bistro style, so prepare to share a table.

After 10 days in the UK, we were ready for a break from pub food and stumbled upon Lanzhou Noodle…read moreBar in Covent Garden -- such a great find! It's a tiny spot with just two communal tables inside (seating about six each) and a few outdoor tables. Definitely not the place for a long, lingering dinner -- this is quick, tasty, and casual dining. The noodles are made fresh on-site, and you can actually watch them being pulled, which is really fun to see. I ordered the chicken and peanut noodle soup -- it was flavorful, comforting, and hit the spot. The staff was friendly, though you can tell they like to keep things moving since there's usually a line out the door (and sometimes down the street!). If you're in the area and want something fresh, fast, and different from the usual London fare, this place is absolutely worth a stop.

The La Mian Stall is an institution and long time resident at the the sunday market at Brick Lane…read more To find them, they are near the top of brick lane market, right underneath the underpass, closer to Shoreditch High Street Station than Aldgate East. Sundays only from some time in the morning until 5pm when the market shuts down. What you will find is a little taste of Asia in the best possible way. Hand-stretched flour noodles (la-mian) made right there before your very eyes, boiled, then served in the broth and meat accompaniments of your choosing. I had one with minced pork and 'special sauce' (who doesn't like special sauce?) and it was really good. The noodles were (obviously) really fresh, the broth was decent, and the pork bits salty and flavourful. AND all for about £5 a bowl. They also have chicken, roast pork, chilli tripe, and all kinds of available versions in addtion to some wok-fried items and really tasty dim sum. The only dim sum I tried was char siew bao, and it was legit (£1.50 for two). Plus they have a plastic table-clothed table for a few people (can maybe fit about 8 or so people) and some cheap plastic stools to sit on, so it is one of the few places along the brick lane market where you can actually sit down to eat. So authentic in its practicality and function that it makes me smile. This is also a great stall because you can stare at the guy making noodles, which is a fun show in itself. He's got skills.

** IMPORTANT NOTE: I think these guys go on holidays for 3-4 months at the beginning of the year,…read moreso don't freak out like I did when I kept visiting Brick Lane every Sunday hoping to catch them! Hopefully they'll be back soon :( ** I've been extremely picky about Chinese food since arriving in London, but luckily, this little La Mian stall under the bridge at Brick Lane has got it right! Fresh hand pulled noodles (la mian), swimming in a bowl of broth with your choice of roast duck, chicken, minced pork, and a few other variations. They also serve up other small dim sum items, such as pork buns, shrimp dumplings (har gow), pork dumplings (shiu mai), spring rolls, etc. I've tried their roast chicken leg, which is very good. The broth that they use is a mixture of soy, chicken (possibly beef) bouillon stock powder, plus a few other things. I think the broth could be better, but for the quantity I get, and by London standards - there's not much else to complain about! I've also had their tan tan noodles, which came with 5 or 6 pork shu mai. The shu mai was alright, I don't think they make this, and it was in a spicy peanutty soup. I've had proper tan tan noodles before, and this kind of missed the mark. Tasty in general, yes.. but doesn't really resonate a true bowl of tan tan noodles. i think I'm just gonna stick with normal noodles in a basic broth + meat! As for seating, there's a little table with a few small stools, but good luck getting a seat unless you're on your own! There's also a huge jar of chili oil on the table too, so don't forget to drizzle some over your noodles before taking off. The cost is very reasonable, especially for the quantity that you get. I think it runs you anywhere from £5.50-£7 per bowl, and even though they don't look THAT big - don't let it deceive you, as you will literally have to roll away. In Chinatown, a crappy bowl of noodles will cost you about £6, plus their "discretionary" (translation: mandatory) service charge. However, be prepared to wait for your food! Its awesome watching the noodle man do his thang, but with everyone standing around watching, its hard to figure out where to queue, and if people are even waiting in the queue. I believe this is a 2-man show, and while I get that they are popular and I'm sure they're popping out as many orders as they can - we waited 45 minutes for 4 bowls of noodles, which is a bit ridiculous. I think if they had a 3rd person in there, it would really speed things up. In any case though, if you have a lazy Sunday, get in line :)

We thought we would beat the rush by rolling up at 4:30 but the line was already in place. We…read morewaited about 45 minutes for a table and another 45 minutes for the food but overall the experience was good. Huge winners were the XLB and the noodles with ground pork. The dumplings were well made and filled with tasty broth. The noodles were chewy with rich and flavorful sauce. The fried dumplings were also a hit and with the small up charge for the crispy crust. The vegetarian options were less of a hit with the dumplings a bit starchy and bland. The noodles had nice fresh veg and their perfect noodles but once again came in a little bland. Service was friendly and the atmosphere is like eating in a friends kitchen who also happens to be a Michelin star chef. Prices are reasonable and quantity is robust. I would definitely put this on your list when visiting Cambridge but maybe leave the vegetarians at home.

Amazing pasta. Fresh sauce. There were only 2 old dudes working but that added to the allure for…read moreme. Extremely friendly. Parking was challenging. This is a must eat for anyone near the Harvard campus.

As I was in the famous 'Korea-town' of New Malden tonight, I decided to continue my education in…read moreKorean food. After looking at the windows of several Korean restaurants on Burlington Road, I settled on Me You as having the best local reviews up in the window. The atmosphere was like a local family restaurant with no rush to turn tables over. Although the waitresses didn't speak good English, I was eventually able to get the advice I was seeking on the food. It helped that the menu had a picture of every dish available. I was also impressed that the waitress taking my order gently suggested that 3 dishes might be too much for even a greedy pig like me! And she was right as the portions were big. I started with the Haemul Pajeon (Korean Seafood Pancake). This was lovely - crispy on the outside with small bits of seafood and spring onion. I also had a bowl of seafood with noodles in a spicy soup - I think it was called koppongi. I was startled to find not just a mussel in its shell but also whelks still in their shell in the soup - proves that the seafood was fresh and not frozen! The soup was spicy enough to wake up the tastebuds I'm starting to get a feel for Korean food after a few visits to Korean restaurants. Their food philosophy is the opposite to the Japanese, which rely on few flavours and ingredients but each flavour is distinct and obvious. On the other hand, Korean food is a whole melange of everything thrown together - meat, seafood, vegetables, flavourings. Even bibimbap, which is served with all the ingredients in separate piles in the bowl, must be all mixed together and coalesced before you tuck in. I enjoyed my visit here and have spotted a few dishes I would like to return and try.

BACKGROUND - I'm from the States, more specifically the west coast aka home to the best Korean…read morerestaurants. Since moving to London, I had been having great difficulty finding authentic Asian cuisines (Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, etc.). After being let down at Jee Cee Neh on the same block, I decided to give You Me a try, given the favourable reviews. PROS - Very comfortable, intimate and inviting space. Greeted warmly when we stepped in and immediately had a table cleaned up for us. The menu had pictures for EACH item, making the process of deciding which item to get extremely hard because well shit, I wanted everything. My date and I finally narrowed it down to an order of the large dumplings, spicy black bean sauce with noodles and the oxtail soup. We were blown away. The "large dumplings" weren't really "dumplings" per se, but actually hot fluffy buns filled with a generous amount of yummy pork and veggie filling, served with an equally yummy (soy sauce/vinegar/hint of red pepper) dipping sauce. It was such a good deal as well for those suckers. For about £6, you get 6 large hot and fluffy buns. That alone could be a meal but that was filed under "appetizers" in their menu. The spicy black bean noodles was done perfectly, I don't know what else to say about that except the noodles were fresh and the sauce was just so freaking good. The oxtail soup was not bland, but just a sip of it will let you know they have stewed it for a long time. The soup was no instant bouillon type of nonsense. It was the real deal. The soup was served with complimentary Korean rice. Another HUGE PRO - Complimentary refills on your BAN CHAN. That's right, not only did we get more banchan (the side dishes they serve you to refresh your palate) here than at Jee Cee Neh, they immediately restocked our banchan, free of charge when we ran out. How awesome is that? That alone would make me come back to try their dishes but will everything going to fabulously, I would be crazy NOT to go back. CONS - Absolutely none. I was so pleased with the quick service, the amazing food for great prices, and the portions (above average!). Shoot, even the bathrooms were really clean. Everything was so great. POINTERS - You Me kicks Jee Cee Neh's hind quarters out of the bush ..........yup. Pictures to come!

The ramen shop is a bit tight but does have lots of seating. The service is good…read more The ramen. This a tonkotsu shop so the noodles are thin. The soup was really decent. I got the Cha-Mori. It was not worth it. The slices of meat were too thin. The regular tonkotsu x would have been good enough. The hanjuku egg was not worth the extra as well. Instead of paying extra for the meat and egg, order a bowl of rice. There is plenty of small chunks of chashu and would go well to eat together after the noodles are gone.

4-ish stars rounded up. Pretty solid ramen shop!…read more I ordered the gekikara and it was pleasingly spicy; not chugging-water-spicy but still in-your-face-spicy. :p Very flavorful broth but as a nitpick it was a tad overly salty. Decent chashu pork belly; tasty but not the most succulent. Well-seasoned tan-tan minced pork but on the dry side. I requested kata (firm) noodles but the noodles were pretty soft.....still enjoyable to eat though. As for my drink I had the homemade jasmine tea lemonade. Kinda over-brewed-bitter lol. Very polite and attentive service (pretty much boosted my rating)! Overall I'd say this spot is a recommend from me if you already happen to be in the area.

Came here with two friends for FirstTable!…read more Good: - the truffle soup dumplings were amazing! The soup was fun to suck out of the dumpling and there was this fun flipping spoon thing to do afterwards as well - The pacman dumplings were fun - I didn't think they tasted the best but the presentation was delightful - The duck ho fen was amazing - I loved the flavor, the noodles were so chewy and the duck itself was a little dry though. - The bavette fried rice was good- meat still dry - Food came out so fast! great service and nice staff - The place was very fun ambiance-wise and I enjoyed the casual but upscale asian fusion theme - Super reasonably priced! Bad: - The meat was dry in all the dishes we had, too chewy and not juicy enough Overall I enjoyed the experience and would highly recommend!

Great Food, location and Service, Maya was lovely, attentive and very helpful was our last meal in…read moreLondon after a month on the continent and it really hit the spot. The Chicken Katsu, Kung Pao with extra spicy and extra sauce and the Duck with noodles all were great would definitely go back.

Really delicious and authentic Thai food! Great location not to far from Peckham Rye station.read more

Some of the tastiest Thai food I have had outside of Thailand:)…read moreMy wife and I were very happy to share 3 small dishes and a whole salt crusted Bream. I love spicy and she doesn't and the meal was able to more than satisfy both of us. A new found London favourite!!

Holy God were they a perfect end to a really great night and took pity on a bunch of us who showed…read moreup desperate after a show - but man that ramen!!!!! I had the black garlic tonkatsu, one mate had the OG and the other the white, and we shared chicken karage and pork dumplings. It was all AMAZING. And the area is just kind of idyllic.

10/10 !!! Excellent food & service. The ambience is on…read morepoint. Shoryu is warm, comfortable and welcoming. This place is a must try!

Patara is probably one of the best Thai restaurants I have ever dined at. It is classy in a…read morebeautiful setting and decor. We had made a reservation for 5 and were promptly seated. The staff were all very professional, helpful and friendly. At the same time it was not stuffy and didn't make you feel uneasy. We tried the sampler platter for appetizer which was delicious. It was a good array of the their wonderful cuisine. The fried appetizers were not greasy and cooked just right. Loved the chicken/nuts dumpling, very unique and full of flavor and spices. For entree we tried the Lamb curry, sea bass curry, meat curry and pad Thai. They were all a hit, but the sea bass was the winner as far as we were concerned. The sauce and flavor was the perfect combination. Since it was a birthday celebration, we had the molten chocolate cake and the mango cheesecake, an amazing experience trying both (served with vanilla ice cream). This is a great place for any celebration

Superb Thai cuisine. I have eaten here on a number of…read moreoccasions now when in London and have found Patara to be amongst the best Thai restaurants I have ever dined at. In addition to the eclectic and very creative menu, the sheer delight, taste, and presentation of the wonderfully prepared food is an experience in itself. Without a doubt, this restaurant has great ambiance, fist class service and is amongst the best in Hampstead.