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Noodle Oodle closed in October 2013.
With its unsophisticated name and bright, gaudy signage, it’d be easy to dismiss Noodle Oodle as just another greasy fast-food joint. But you’d be wrong. Oh so wrong. Sure, there’s a laminated menu outside, complete with full-colour pictures, and the lectern supporting it has been tethered to the building with a chain. Sure, it’s at the low-rent end of Oxford Street, flanked by shops flogging faux-Oxbridge hoodies. But in the corner of this small Chinese noodle bar stands an industrious chef, knocking out fresh la-mian to order.
La-mian (meaning ‘hand pulled’), are wheat noodles made by repeatedly dividing and stretching the dough to full arm’s length, before dropping into a furiously bubbling stockpot. Ours came served in a clear, fragrant broth laced with slivers of spring onions and whole stalks of pak choi (Chinese cabbage), and were springy, wheaty and wholesome. Plain noodle soup costs only £4.90, but for a few quid you can (and should) pimp your la-mian. We like the slithery, densely packed wonton dumplings, filled with shredded chicken rather than pork (the menu is halal). But the must-have is the roast duck, where crisp, sweet skin leads to tender meat via a salty, fatty middle.
Elsewhere, you’ll find small plates (spring rolls, salt-and-pepper prawns), an appealing selection of rice dishes and a handful of soft drinks (including coconut juice and brown rice tea). Service is briskly efficient and no-nonsense: it’s all very chop-chop.