BBQ Handmade Noodles King

So it was one of those nights where it took aaaages to decide where to eat. despite living in Manchester with millions of places to choose from. a bit like Netflix I guess.
Anyway we had originally settled on Red Chili on Portland Street because their menu looked divine online… however do not expect a warm welcome if you turn up at 9.30pm…Expect to receive a cold scowl and shoulder to match instead. so we left.
Anyway back to this place… Mooching through China town we thought ”hey lets try here” the odd name certainly intrigued us…
Instantly a cute waitress beckoned us in, pleasantly handing us a menu and guiding us to a table… each table was simply set with Chinese bowls and chopsticks which gave it that humble feeling…
The menu in all honesty offered you items you would find on any Chinese menu, except for the odd fancy Sea bass dish. What grabbed our attention was the set meal where you could choose 3 items EACH from the starter menu, quarter of a duck to share, a main meal and rice/​noodles each and a dessert… all for £24 …bargain.
I was quite concerned how we were going to demolish this all… I mean my handbag was big that night. but the potential doggy bag was not going to fit…
The starters to my relief were manageable, there were 4 pieces of assorted dumplings, dried seaweed, one chicken kebab and two hot and sour soups… which came in cute little glass casserole dishes… The dumplings were like any other, but the soup… tasted quite OXO cubey… very heavily flavoured in beef stock…
The duck flew in next, to which a really polite waiter lovingly shred it in front of us…
I admit I broke my Pescaterian diet because it looked so good… plus ducks live on water right?
The mains, again… these did not stand out… they were like any other Chinese Takeaway but the excellent service and friendly atmosphere… made this special.
By the time we tried to eat this… there was no room for dessert and we were the last ones there. So I thought it would be polite and let these lovely people go home…
Overall this place is really good value for money, I think it would be ideal for a large group to meet here and dine. as there would be no quibble about the expense. The staff are just so genuine, and approachable. I think foodwise this is a three star, waiter wise I gives it a four…

Amongst all the vibrant signs in and around Chinatown, the place doesn’t stand out and almost hidden and tucked in between major shops and restaurants in the area.
I was slightly apprehensive at trying the place out — read a few reviews from tripadvisor with some comments warning against lack of service, average food and that they didn’t take cards for payment. One day, I decided I wanted noodles, not just any noodles but good noodles, particularly hand made ones. We hit the place late afternoon and from inspection the door advertises that the place take cards. Upon arrival we were greeted by a warm welcoming smile — and were seated almost immediately. I had to ask about the card just to be sure and the staff confirmed they DON’T accept cards. Not a good start but hey at least I was ready for it and was grateful at the reviewer from TI.
We ordered a few skewers and the spicy beef noodles both in broth and dry versions. At this point the place was piling up with what looked like regular Chinese patrons. Noticed that décor was definitely not much to look at especially with the sombre lighting and lack of natural light but no matter. The skewers didn’t take long to arrive and we noticed that the food were not served at a typical pace and order — when my BH received her beef noodle (dry version) I had to wait for at least 15 minutes for mine whilst seeing other diners being served first.
When I finally received my spicy beef noodle in broth, the aroma kicked in. I tried the soupy broth and was confronted with a nice smooth concoction of spices and sweetness of the meaty broth. The noodles were delish, absolutely fresh, thick and chewy comparable to udon. I also had the liberty to try the dry version of the noodle and it was heavenly. It was sweet met with slightly charred smokiness from the breath of the ‘wok’ and more-​ish.
All in all a splendid experience! One does not go into a restaurant in china town and expect a top conventional service or a glamorous looking décor. I do find some people tend to whine about the little things that make no difference in plain good food — it’s a simple concept: you get what you pay for. The prices were cheap and cheerful and if you’re looking to get great food and okay to forgo a typical western dining experience then give this place a go. As for the ‘average’ food review on TI, please please please order the noodle dishes. One does not simply order a fish and chip or sweet sour chicken rice in a noodle shop! And lastly please remember to bring cash as otherwise you’d ended up feeling awkward having to run to the cash machine down the road soon after you downed your last mouthful.

Food is excellent. Great value with the banquet menu but one of our group got a noodle dish from the back of the menu which was quite big.
All of us really enjoyed the food, very tasty and an amazing range of dishes one the menu, including offal (if thats your thing). I went with a szechuan pork dish that was awesome.
Service was the let down, very slow but to be fair we were having a great catch up and chat so weren’t to bothered. If you were on a schedule for the evening though it wouldn’t be the place to go.
Great food, not so great timing between dishes.