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If you think that in a shopping centre you can only eat pizza, burgers, and other types of fast food, think again: in Cascais, you can also enjoy ramen with a centuries-old tradition. Wang Shifu Lamian opened its doors at the end of January on the first floor of CascaiShopping, offering a speciality: lamian noodles.
This recipe is typical of northern China, made by hand with soft wheat flour — Lamian literally means “hand-stretched noodles”. The secret lies in the technique of twisting, stretching, and folding the dough until fine strands are formed, with the width and length of the noodles determined by the number of times the dough is folded.
Yong Xu, the mind behind Wang Shifu Lamian, offers an authentic version of this dish, prepared on the spot by Chef Wang, and stays true to a concept that is long-established in China: “Lanzhou Ramen has a history,” he explains to Time Out. “It was one of the first fast-food dishes in China. It can be eaten at any meal, and there are tens of thousands of stores worldwide serving this dish.”
Yong explains that the decision to open in Cascais stems from his previous experience in the region. He has been working at CascaiShopping since 2011 and knows the footfall and local customers well. After some experience outside the shopping centre, he returned with the idea of opening a space that would bring authentic Chinese cuisine to the Portuguese, preserving techniques rarely found outside China.
At Wang Shifu Lamian, the key word is transparency. With an open kitchen, diners can watch the chefs prepare the lamian noodles, turning each meal into a gastronomic show.
The menu at Wang Shifu Lamian is short but designed to highlight the quality of each dish. Among the highlights Time Out sampled are the Lanzhou Lamian - Original (€9.90), a classic version with noodles, broth, beef, as well as pickled radish, Chinese cabbage, egg, spring onion, and coriander (optional, for those who think coriander tastes unpleasant); Lamian with Braised Beef (€10.90), with thicker noodles and tender meat; Lamian with Wonton (€10.90), a combination of noodles and braised beef; and Lamian with Pork (€10.90), a traditional version of the Chinese recipe.
Beyond teaching the doctrine of lamian, the restaurant’s future also includes spreading it further, with Yong planning to open other locations in Lisbon while maintaining the same concept and quality. “First, we want to expand to Lisbon. We’ve already scouted a few places, but for now, we haven’t yet found the ideal location.”
Estrada Nacional, 9 (Alcabideche). 10:00–23:00