Creativity and quality aside, authenticity must surely be one of the hallmarks of good eating. When we eat out, be it Italian, Asian, or French cuisine, we want unspoilt, uncompromised food of that culture; which locals eat. Also, sometimes we want to be transported; to experience in as much as possible, in far-flung Edinburgh, how it feels to be sitting in a Madrid tapería, a noodle bar in Kyoto, a brasserie in the Auvergne or a chic cantina in Rome. Many eateries offer just that…that magical experience of, for a few hours, being surrounded by the language, aromas and customs of a different culture…we sit cross-legged on cushions; we eat at long refectory tables; we drool as huge aromatic platters and casseroles arrive and wait eagerly as tiny cups are filled with steaming broths and chunks of something glistening and oozing. We prick up our ears at the language of Naples spoken by staff in a restaurant on a very ordinary Scottish street. We embrace a way of addressing food in a Nigerian restaurant amidst a clutch of traditional Scottish pubs and smooth coffee stops in Leith, which is totally different from how we eat every other day in our homes. And our life experience is all the more heightened by it. We come away light of heart!
Noodles Home, in Nicolson Street, conveniently located just across from Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre, is a silent, rich treasure coveted by those” in the know”. Ask anyone well-travelled throughout Asia where you can get the best Chinese food in Edinburgh and they will give you the quiet nod. This is a simple, no-fuss eatery and, a clear departure from old-style Chinese restaurants. No sweet and sour chicken or chow mein here, Noodles Home, one of several new-wave Asian pit stops is right on trend… cool and functional where the emphasis is on the food.
Here in Edinburgh’s Southside, with a head-spinning choice of eating offers, amidst lone eaters, intent on their phones, happy chatty students on a budget, bright-eyed young couples and a mainly Asian clientèle… here, be noodles, dumplings, wontons in profusion. They come in richly flavoured broths, so good you just want to drink straight from the large bowl in front of you; in the griddle or steam pots layered with crispy fried fish, or filled and topped with as many vegetables as you can manage; in bubbling aromatic stews, or stir-fried. And there are salads too, offering delightful surprises, crisp with pert cucumbers paired with slabs of silken tofu or spicy beef. All the noodles are freshly made on the premises, hand-pulled, hand-sliced hand hand-moulded, udon or extra thin vermicelli. The dumplings and wontons are also homemade and come in broths or dry. There’s a wonderful choice of rice bowls and, if carbs are not your bag, grills to suit both the more and less adventurous of us.
On a recent visit, I chose Chongquing hand-moulded spicy noodles, with pak choi, and broccoli topped with fresh peanuts. The noodles are soft and yielding, greens al dente; and the tofu richly infused with a sauce/broth, substantial enough to coat the ingredients, light enough to be instantly quaffable, which I do without shame. There is no need for wine or beer, but jasmine tea is a perfect, clean accompaniment.
And on the agenda for a future visit, sooner and not later, is the grilled, spicy, Chinese bread, street food style, charcoal grilled; certainly a first for me.
14a Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9DH - 0131 563 1488