Hand pulled: Noodle Bar, Leicester Square

Having been at my “new” job now for six months, I have had a decent amount of time to assess the lunch options and report back. One of my more favoured destinations happens to be a place quaintly named “Noodle Bar” (amongst a myriad of Chinese (?) characters that I am unable to decipher). In the window they have a rather dire array of pre cooked, probably been there for 3 days, fodder. Not the best start.

Once you look past the sheen of the hotlamps, you will see a guy standing next to a bubbling vat of water/stock, hand pulling noodles to order. Rumour has it that he was flown over specifically to perform this role, and in all fairness, I have seen him do little else. Rumour aside, a bowl of steaming hot noodles comes to a very reasonable £6, and most variations come in either a dry or soup version.

Although the rare beef version (number 1 on the menu) seems to come highly recommended, I always seem to opt for the spicy chicken. Although the broth seems to change on every visit, nothing quite hits the spot on a cold winters day than a freshly made pot of steaming and spicy noodles. Well worth dropping in, and not just for a takeaway as they have a few tables out back too.

Noodle Bar - 33 Cranbourne St, London WC2H 7AD

Eat Italian : Rosso Pomodoro, Leicester Square

I met up with my good old workmate Hutch the other day after my regular appointment at the docs. Is he a good mate? Well, when I was ill, he bought me a bunch of magazines and dutifully delivered them to the hospital, even though I had already informed him that I was no longer there! He still sent them to me so I guess the answer is yes, a good mate indeed.

Anyway, I digress. He works around the Strand, and as many of you may know, there is an abundance of chain restaurants to go and eat in the area. Lunchtime in the area is always busy and after an aborted visit to GBK (half term strikes again) we decided to head up to Rosso Pomodoro just round the corner from Stringfellows.

And for once, im thankful for the kids packing their faces with burger.

Rosso Pomodoro is an italian restaurant serving your standard italian fare. A large variety of pizzas and pastas all at about a tenner a piece although there are some decently priced lunch menus incorporating rotating dishes of the day. One of its "stand out points" is that it prides itself on the fact that you are meant to eat to eat your pizza with your hands and you are constantly reminded of this througout the restaurant with signs literally everywhere. I was here for the pizza so pizza I ordered.


Now, before I go onto the food, I have to add a small note. I have always thought that a person can judge a restaurant by its napkins. Cheap establishments often have cheap napkins. An essential part to any meal, its important to have a good one to fully appreciate what is set before you. At Rosso Pomodoro, the napkins speak for themselves. They are nicely patternated, strong with good "wipeability" factor. In fact, they wouldnt look out of place if you pulled it out of your pocket and wiped your brow at a posh dinner party. As Hutch said "there are plastic fibres running through this bad boy!".


So, could the pizza live upto the napkins? I am happy to say, I was quite pleased. The dough was light but firm enough to support the toppings, the crusts were crispy and tasty, the mozzarella was creamy and all in all, this was a highly accomplished pizza. Of the latest breed of wood fired oven pizzas, this was definitely up there. My only criticism was that the tomato sauce, although tangy and rich in tomato flavour, was slightly acidic in taste. A small price to pay for a great pizza. I will definitely pop in again if I am in the area.