Restaurant of the Month: Noodle & Beer.
Tucked away in the heart of Chinatown, Noodle & Beer is one of those rare places that delivers on name, vibe and serious flavour. A proper hidden gem, it’s where you go when you want spice, slurp, and a little bit of sass with your dinner. It's vibrant, contemporary, and feels like a secret too good to keep… but I’m sharing it anyway.
Step inside the basement bar and you're hit with mirrored walls, crimson lighting, and the kind of buzzy, late-night energy that makes you forget what time it is. Which is handy, because they’re serving up Sichuan-style heat until 4am on Fridays and Saturdays. Yes, 4. AM. Bless them.
This is not the place for the faint of tongue. The flavours are intensely seasoned, unapologetically spicy, and completely addictive. If you like heat, you’ll love it. If you don’t — well, there’s always the mojito.
We kicked things off with Sichuan-spiced chicken wings, which were equal parts crispy, juicy, and napkin-requiring. The courgette fries? Light, crisp, dusted in lemon pepper and Persian spice — basically a gateway snack. The sleeper hit? The garlicky eggplant salad in hot and sour sauce — soft, sharp, and seriously good.
Then came the deluxe seafood fried rice, studded with king prawns, scallops and shrimp, tossed in chilli sauce and wok hei magic. But the real star of the show? The blanket noodles with braised beef ribs. The noodles are wide, chewy, and slathered in spicy broth; the beef, fall-off-the-bone tender and rich with flavour. I would fight someone for the last bite. (I didn’t have to, but I would.)
Drinks? All the hits are here — piña colada, mojito, G&T — nothing fancy, just well-made and strong enough to keep the spice party going.
Noodle & Beer is loud, late, and seriously good. A hidden gem with fire in its belly and flavour in spades. Bring your appetite. And maybe a sweat towel.
Reservations here: www.noodleandbeer.com