Is JWD Lamian Chinese noodle bar in London a hype job?

JWD Lamian in London is part of a restaurant chain that originated in southwest China’s Guizhou province, which boasts a Muslim majority, and which today has sites all over the world.

JWD Lamian located near Liverpool St. Station

Ever since launching in May of last year, this noodle bar has been receiving rave reviews from Halal food influencers.

For instance, while Halal Memoirs have insisted that “this place is worth the hype”, The Halal Plug has declared: “Look no further than JWD Lamian near Liverpool Street!”

And with Halal Food Appetite adding: “I kid you not when I tell you I absolutely LOVED everything I tried at JWD noodle bar,” Shehr Says gave it a 8.5/10.

It should be noted though that both London Foodee (who rated them 8.8/10) and Food Diary by S are mistaken in claiming that this is London’s first hand-pulled Halal noodle bar (alcohol is served on the premises).

Muslims galore at this hyped-up noodle bar…

There’s a number of fully Halal Uyghur restaurants dotted across the capital, including Turpan in Holborn, Karamay in Hackney, and Etles in Childs Hill, known for serving hand-pulled noodles.

In any case, we needed to find out for ourselves the hype surrounding this restaurant in Spitalfields near Liverpool Street Station.

The place itself is situated alongside an array of other eateries located beneath office buildings, with plenty of seating available both outside on the terrace and in.

With Lamian meaning ‘pulled noodles’, the chefs put on quite the show in their open kitchen as they energetically pull, stretch and twist noodles with aplomb and gusto.

For efficient service, diners are expected to put their order in using the self-serving kiosk machines, before taking a seat and waiting for their order number to be hollered.

Braised Beef Brisket Hand-Pulled Noodle Soup with Pickled Cabbage (Thick Noodles), £13.80

Diners have the option of choosing the thickness of their noodles with thin, medium, or thick.

In the case of this Braised Beef Brisket Soup, while opting for thick noodles, there was also the addition of pickled cabbage, which we couldn’t say no to.

A trio of condiments to consider…

Once our order number was called, we made our way to the collection point at the main counter to encounter what was a huge bowl of food.

Here they offer a trio of condiments in the form of chilli oil, diced spring onions, and chopped coriander, which we took full advantage of.

Once back at the table, we gave the contents a good stir, before that customary first slurp delivered a lively introduction.

Not only did the chilli oil play its intended part, but combined well with what was a mildly beefy-cum-onion-based broth.

The highlight though were those deliciously thick and chewy noodles, which we found didn’t take long to absorb some of that meaty liquid.

With the chunks of braised beef being relatively tender and succulent, we also enjoyed how the acidity of the pickled cabbage helped temper the punchiness of the chilli.

Braised Short Ribs Hand-pulled Noodle Soup (Medium Noodles), £16.80

Having put in our order for medium-sized noodles with this Braised Short Ribs Soup, we received a mixture of both medium and thin noodles.

Whether this was by design or not didn’t matter to us, since we got to sample both. In terms of the profile of the beef broth, then while we found it to be a soothing affair, it wasn’t as deeply flavoured as we’d have hoped; just didn’t have that oomph.

And though the short rib slid off its bone effortlessly enough, the quality of the beef was evident enough, with the meat being rather fatty and chewy. We’d definitely recommend the braised beef version over this one.

Beef Biang Biang Noodles, £12.80

This Beef Biang Biang Noodles from their Signature Dry Noodle section, however, was easily the dish of the review.

The highlight, of course, being those incredibly addictive, thick strands of what are known as ‘biang biang’ noodles, which, after being properly mixed in with the sauce and a touch of that obligatory chilli sauce, certainly did ‘bang bang’. And with beautiful chunks of beef, we’d happily return just for this dish alone.

Grilled King Prawns, £2.40

Marinated in a mild sauce, these king prawns were soft enough; but we’d go for the lamb skewers below.

Grilled Lamb Skewers (10x), £12.00

Small nuggets of lamb no doubt; yet these skewers were quite delightful, having been covered in a masala rub that helped to impart a subtle smokiness.

Beef Rougamo £5.50

We’re not sure that we would classify these as Bao Buns. Either way, this Beef Rougamo was a tasty sandwich.

Comprising of succulent pieces of beef encased in a uber-crispy pastry, this was made better when dipped into that chilli sauce.

Black Fungus Salad £6.80

This was out first time having this splendid Black Fungus Salad, with the soft and gelatinous bits of fungus tossed in a lightly sour dressing, and the red chilli providing some good heat.

Jellyfish Salad £9.80

Although not quite as good as the above, this Jellyfish Salad was a unique little one, with translucent strips of jelly fish betraying an almost onion-like texture.

Contrasting nicely with the thinly sliced, crunchy red and green peppers, the entire thing was mixed in a light and refreshing umami-fishy stock.