The Two Minute Review: Chongqing Noodles

Where did this new opening come from?

A few weeks ago a new noodle restaurant with a permanent queue opened on Capel Street, in the old Soup Dragon site. There's nothing more intriguing than a line for food, and you know we're getting into that line asap.

With just 14 seats inside, and one small table outside sitting two-three, they told us we could wait outside for 20-25 minutes until a table came free, but eventually agreed to call us so we could wander Capel Street.

Is it linked to anywhere else?

When we tried to get more info on Chongqing Noodles from the restaurant they kept it vague, telling us "Noodles are at the heart of what we do, alongside a selection of traditional Sichuan dishes and flavours!" (Chongqing was part of the Sichuan province until 1997 but isn't any more).

When we pressed further they got a bit cagey, wanting to know why we were asking. They did confirm that the chef owner is from Sichuan, and that one of the things he missed from home are tiny, local noodle shops, each with its own way of doing things. This is his first restaurant.

What's on the menu?

Lots of noodles, much of them high on the spicy scale - don't bring someone who can't handle the heat. Cold appetisers, snacks, dumplings and rice bowls also feature, and prices are low (but without any provenance information it's hard to peg it as "good value").

The signature chilli oil wontons (€11.90) were pork filled, chilli oil doused, softly enveloped parcels, and the quickest thing to disappear from the table. Shredded potato slivers (€5.90) with crunch, zing and all the numbing effects from Sichuan peppercorns weren't far behind.

Smashed cucumber salad (€5.90) was another benchmark done right, and the refreshing tang was a needed salve in between bites of the spicier soups. A tea-marinated egg (€1) is an easy add on, but we would have preferred a less cooked yolk.

Traditional Chonqing noodles (€8.90) are three out of three chillies on the heat scale, and they weren't lying about the spice. Get a jug of water and plenty of tissues ready. It's a veggie dish likely to keep pulling you back for another bite of those springy noodles, the power of málà in full effect.

The revelation was the dried noodles with minced pork and silky split peas (€11.90), the kind of dish you'd walk miles to eat again. We were savouring every element when we were lightly scolded by a waitress for not mixing it all up from the bottom. That's us told. Whatever way you eat it, you'll want to do it again.

We'd skip the clay pot noodles with pork belly (€11.90). The broth didn't have the same layers as the other dishes, and the pork belly was about 70% fat. A few spoons was enough before we asked them to pack it up to take home.

Why should we go?

For inexpensive food that wouldn't be out of place in the Sichuan province, with spice levels that aren't dialled down for Dubliners. This is an easy place to get fast food that feels good (as long as you don't mind a queue).

Chongqing Noodles

168 Capel St, North City, Dublin 1, D01 V972

instagram.com/dublinchongqingnoodle