North western Chinese eatery.
Lots to love about this unpretentious place. You just need to learn to let go…
If you’re a bit of a control freak, if you have an allergy, if you’re concerned about where your food comes from, please, give Xi’An Noodle House a miss.
let’s face, the English menu is cryptic
For everybody else, head to the counter, grab a menu and just randomly point to things. Cause let’s face it, the English menu is cryptic; lamb soup with vegetable, Yu Xiang pork with rice, cold noodle with beef. You have no way of knowing if it’s mild or spicy, plain or not, what type of noodles etc.
But who cares?
The food is brilliant if you just let go. My oiled spicy noodle with vegetables ($8.80) turned out to be one green veg, stir fried flat rice noodles in an additive soy and (rice) vinegar sauce, topped with lots of dried chilli and fried garlic. It’s no where as oily as the name might suggest (told you to ignore the menu, didn’t I?). The dish might look a tad plain and cold, but nothing could be further from the truth.
As you can see in noodlies, Sydney food blog’s vine below, start mixing and you’ll see it’s piping hot and steamy and the virgin white noodles will begin to colour. In the mouth it’s the fiery chilli that you’ll notice first and then the sweet soy and tangy vinegar. The whole dish is so well balanced and pretty to the eye.
Xi’an pork pancake ($4.80) comes from the ‘special dish’ section. It was oily and plain; fatty shredded pork in a simple Chinese bread bun. In a hipster joint it would be called a pulled pork burger. On its own, the fatty pork will feel sickly after a few mouthfuls, so best eaten with soup or something zippy like my noodle dish.
Inside Xi’an Noodle House, there are three rows of tables. It’s more spacious than most Chinese eateries of this type, but expect to share a table if you’re on your own.
If you’re a little obsessive, you’ll start to fret…
Order at the counter, pay with cash and sit down. If you’re a little obsessive, you’ll start to fret because they don’t give you a number or receipt for that matter, so you’ll just have to trust that they know where you’re sitting and remember what you ordered.
For the record, they got my order perfectly right.
So where’s the food from? Xi’an is the capital of Shaanxi province, located in the northwest of the People’s Republic of China, in the center of the Guanzhong Plain. Xi’an was the first city in China to be introduced to Islam. Emperor Gaozong of the Tang dynasty officially allowed the practice of Islam in 651 AD. There are an estimated 50,000 Muslims in Xi’an.
Xi’An Noodle House
Shop 2, 537-551 Goerge St, Sydney (towards the Kent st end)
(02) 9283 9668
