Oodles of Noodles

Let’s get this straight: London’s noodle scene is crowded. Everyone wants a piece of the action. But Little Blue isn’t here to reinvent the wheel. It’s here to make sure that wheel is turning fast, hot, and slick with chilli oil. The chefs—Hou Yurui and Jonnie Liang—aren’t messing about. They’ve got the pedigree: multi-award-winning, kitchen-tested, and smart enough to know that a good bowl of noodles doesn’t need a dissertation, just a hungry mouth and a spoon and a lot of umami.

First up: Dan Dan Noodles. If you’re not familiar, this is the kind of dish that makes you question why you ever ate anything else. Minced beef, Sichuan chilli oil, and enough heat to wake up your taste buds from their long slumber. It’s fiery, it’s deep, and it’s the kind of bowl that makes you want to order another before you’ve finished the first. The noodles are slick, the beef is punchy, and the whole thing is a love letter to Sichuan—if love letters came with a side of a slight sweat.

Then there’s the eggplant noodles for the veggies amongst you. This is comfort in a bowl, the kind of food you want after a long day or a long night. Star anise and Sichuan pepper turn these silky strands into something you’d fight for.  The aubergine is soft, almost creamy, and the whole dish is spiced just enough to make you sit up and pay attention. It’s a bowl that proves you don’t need meat to make a statement.

Next up: Zha Jiang Mian. This is comfort in a bowl, the kind of food you want after a long day or a long night. Pork belly, yellow bean sauce, and a hearty, earthy flavor that sticks to your ribs. It’s not trying to be fancy. It’s trying to be good. And it succeeds. The pork belly is diced, not minced, which means you get a real bite, a real chew, and a real reason to come back

Finally, Prawn E-Fu Noodles. Ginger, spring onion, and plump prawns—this is the dish you order when you want to feel a little fancy without breaking the bank. The noodles are thick, the prawns are sweet, and the whole thing is layered with flavor.

I ordered all four bowls, shared amongst four of us diners and supplemented it with a duck puff, and some delicious dim sum. Apparently - and this is something I missed - you can also ask for a secret dish: Peking Duck Noodle Bowl. It’s not on the menu, but it’s there for those who ask. Rich, crispy duck, silky noodles, and a broth that’s worth the secret handshake. Limited in number, steeped in mystery, and well... that will have to be my next visit.

Value? Let’s talk about it. Noodles start at £15 a bowl, and you can get a beer and noodle deal from £20. In Belgravia, that’s practically a steal. The atmosphere is lively, the service is sharp, and the whole place feels like a secret you’re happy to share. So here I am sharing.