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Hollow Legs: Xi'an Impression, Holloway
Noodles: Tom Parker Bowles reviews Xi'an Impression: Oodles of lip ...
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Apparently there are ten ‘Strange Wonders’ of Shaanxi, a province in the official ‘northwest region’ of China.
Of far more interest, at least to the obsessively greedy like myself, is that they – like the folk of Sichuan and Hunan to the south – like munching chilli (a ‘strange wonder’ I can truly appreciate), eating from bowls as ‘big as basins’ (amen to that) and slurping their local Biangbiang noodles, as broad and long as a belt.
I’m told they’re classic Xi’an (the capital of Shaanxi) street food.
Then a Xi’an pork burger, classic street food, flecked with fat, soft and voluptuous and scented with cumin.
History, anecdote and recipe, plus a guide to the very best, all mingle into one delicious whole.
A taste of Xi'an in North London | Fuchsia Dunlop
Xi'an Impression review – cheap Arsenal Chinese scores a hattrick ...
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Veal Smasher and Happy Buddha have had to put up with my rants about the generally poor state of Chinese noodles in Britain many times, with much of the country knowing little else beyond the awful dried, straight-to-wok ‘chow mein’ style wheat noodles.
Let’s begin: Ear-shaped fungus, supple and taut Chilli coriander sour sauce, slurping it all – almost caught Beef-filled bun, lots of fun Spicy mince, flat griddled neutral baps Moist and fine, like your mother’s flaps Pork bun, looks the same But moreish garlic sauce isn’t tame Veal Smasher thought it was a bao Despite his mistake, it still made him say wow Fried dumpling skins open at both ends Meaty pork and umami seaweed – Happy Buddha say amen!
Pork and veg dumplings, ordered on a whim Skins, so supple and thin Meh filling is a sin Vinegar is there for dipping in Biang biang noodles so thick and wide Taut and spicy, down they slide Also bok choy Templeton Peck says ‘oh boy!’
More thick noodles, just as fine Chunks of chicken, bone and skin Gamey funk, what a way to dine Moreish sauce, for the win Lovely broth, beefy stock Doughy and fluffy cubes of bread Like gnocchi, do not mock Add chilli and garlic for a lovely spread Yikouxiang, half hour wait Slippy disc noodles, simple as a saint Sauce, mildly spicy and tart It won’t make you faint, unless you’re an old fart Anglicised salt and pepper squid Vicious Alabaster ordered, behind my back Chewy and bland, not worth your quids Made me wretch, ugh like gack!
What to order: Yikouxiang; Black fungus; Open-ended dumplings; Beef and pork ‘burgers’; Biang biang noodles; Bread in beef broth What to skip: Anything from the anglicised classics ‘Other’ section of the menu Reservations: highly recommended (there are only around 20 covers or so)
Xi'an Impression, London N7 – restaurant review | Life and style ...
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The chicken looks like roadkill, little bones in every bite, the meat and skin to be slurped off’ I have never been to Xi’an, despite a bucket list wish to see the terracotta warriors.
I’ve tried to find its counterpart over here with little success: either Xi’an in the name is a misnomer, or the food tends towards “mystery meat” gnarliness.
Dunlop helpfully asks them why they use beef instead of the more usual lamb in dishes such as pao mo, a stew thickened with torn up flatbread.
The bread – more like dense, chewy cubes of noodle dough – packs out aromatic beef broth, scented with fennel seed and cassia and brimming with meat, glass noodles and slithery black mushrooms reeking of mulch and undergrowth.
The chicken looks like roadkill, little bones in every bite, the meat and skin to be gnawed off.
Xi'an Impression | Restaurants in Highbury, London
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Sweet and sour pork, special fried rice, salt and pepper squid – it’s pretty obvious that the back page of Xi’an Impression’s menu is aimed at diners who like their Chinese food to come in a sauce the colour of Irn Bru.
Chef Wei Guirong is using this little restaurant at the foot of the Emirates Stadium to share dishes from her birthplace, Xi’an (best known as the home of the Terracotta Army).
Xi’an is a sparsely decorated little room, but made welcoming and comfortable by the waiting staff’s big smiles.
Guirong trained in the cuisine of Shan Xi (the province Xi’an is part of) and has worked as a chef at Soho Hunanese restaurant Ba Shan.
You’d be missing something special if you skipped ‘Xi’an cold rice noodle in traditional sauce’ – fat, slippery strips in a quietly sharp dressing.