We've been eating at a few Xi'an places lately and have been getting hooked on cold noodles and the type of hamburger of pancake with pork or better still, egg. It's a fine thing to see Chinese cuisine identified by the region so you can explore the distinct tastes and styles, rather than a careless thrown together menu of Aussie Shinese staples. Many of the small stalls in food courts are starting to turn more regional (Anna's Kitchen has Dongbie style food) and there's a high number of great Uigher places around as well. We're keen to find even more.
Thanks to a reader tip we wouldn't have known about this place. If you walk through the arcade past Menya Mappen and Oiden, travel down to the Kent St end to find Xi'an Noodle House. There's a Pho joint hiding down there too.
The arcade location means you can dine inside or outside undercover, and there's probably more room for bigger groups too. We've walked by X'ian Noodle House at all hours of the day and it's pretty much always busy, it's very popular with Chinese Aussies.
If you're lucky there might be an old Jackie Chan movie on to watch while you eat and dribble noodles everywhere.
Xian pancake with egg, cumin & capsicum - $4.00. Egg pancakes are our favourite, the mix of spice, egg and vegies works together really well.
Xian Pork Pancake - $4. The pancakes are pretty dang good but we reckon Xi'an Cuisine, opposite the Entertainment Centre, is the king of the pancake.
Spicy chicken dices and roasted peanuts with noodles - $9. White noodles about as thick as hokkein noodles and a light cumin flavoured sauce.
Meatball claypot - $10. A plain dish, the type we've come to appreciate over the years. A few Chinese rissoles, veggies and clear noodles and a simple, peppery broth.
Dried tofu rolls with celery - $3.00. The crunchy celery and pieces of beancurd skin make a refreshing mouthful between something a bit spicy. Make sure you grab a few of these little side dishes, they really add a lot of textural and flavour wow.
Sweet and sour pork ribs - $4. These are thick coated fried pieces of pork served slightly warm. Like popcorn pork. The cartilage inside is chewable and crunchy.
Barley noodles with pork and vegetables in soup - $8.50. The way the vegetables were chopped in this soup made it feel all homely and grandma like. Hiding underneath is a bowl full of noodles.
[BACK AGAIN APRIL 2015]
Yu Xiang pork with noodles - $9.50. A hefty bowl of thick toothsome noodles topped with sliced pork stir fried with veggies in a sweet and slightly chili spicy sauce. One of those dishes that seems plain at first but the flavours meld in to something more wonderful as you work your way through.
Xian Noodle House is at Shop 2, 537-551 George Street, Sydney. It's in the same arcade as Menya Mappen, also accessible from Kent Street where the pho joint is. Open 10am-10pm every day except Saturday.
View Larger Map
tks for reviewing. just don't which dish to get!
ReplyDeleteBeyond Menya and Oiden!! Wow, fancy that! That pancake with egg looks great, I remember having something similar in China but have never had anything like it here. Yumm :) - Rynagh
ReplyDeletefood seems quite authentic, been to xian before and one thing i noticed was a lot of their dishes are quite soupy/saucy
ReplyDeleteNot exactly a restaurant by any means but there is often a lady standing outside the Forest Road exit of Hurstville station with a little pram/stall thing who sells Xi'anese cold noodles for $6 a pop.
ReplyDeleteOoh that's a golden tip, thanks!
DeleteThere's a new favorite Xi'an noodle joint around Chinatown called Biang-Biang which is located close to Arisun and Kura 3. Their spicy hot oil poured noodle is the best, me think.
ReplyDeleteWe were there this weekend. It's good, very good.
Delete