What is a noodle? A dictionary definition of it is useless here. This is a philosophical question on the level of ‘what is soup?’ or ‘name a single other Lib Dem policy’. Is pasta a noodle? Certainly, pasta is the lowest level of the expression of a noodle: by simply being boiled and quickly integrated with sauce, it never achieves the heights of, say, a char kuay teow. Plus no one really needs another pasta list. And what about noodle soups? They are certainly a winter favourite and deserve a map of their own.
No, the following noodles are for lovers of the dry kind, the fried version, smothered in sauce, egg, or even better, just in a sheen of oil and blackened grease. This is a list for people who have heard the term ‘wok hei’ once and have been busting it out on every single occasion they’ve had noodles to explain what’s missing. From Sichuanese, Cantonese, Xi’an, Japanese and Vietnamese, to Indian, Malaysian, Guyanese, and Filipino — this is where to find London’s best single noodle dishes.
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