Nong Tang Noodle House

Tucked away in a shop arcade cushioned between the hustle of Chinatown and Bourke Street is Nong Tang Noodle House. At the helm of the restaurant is owner David Yang. Sporting a pair of fresh Yeezy shoes, he is extremely attentive, knowledgeable and proud to be part of one of Melbourne’s hidden gems. It’s easy to see why: the family-owned restaurant opened in October last year and has attracted considerable buzz ever since.

The word ‘Nong Tang’ refers to a cultural hub within a Shanghai village where locals meet, eat, drink and socialise. Centuries later, this ethos has been built into the Mid City Arcade eatery, where you can dine, chat with friends and enjoy simple, tasty home-cooked meals.

The menu will make you ravenous. Many dishes hark back to recipes and cooking methods from traditional Shanghai-style cuisine. Crowd favourites include the pan-fried pork dumplings and the house-made Yang Chun noodles. The noodles are unique in Melbourne and cannot be found anywhere else.

‘There is a particular way to eat Shanghai noodles. Unlike other Asian-style noodles like ramen, Yang Chun noodles are made to be mixed. It’s all about having the noodles as the base, adding as many toppings as desired and then mixing all the flavours together,’ says Yang.

To start, we opted for the west-lake beef soup. The broth was a thick mixture of beef, tofu, shiitake mushroom and a bunch of coriander. Its consistency was dense and creamy, and the competing flavours worked in unison to create a punchy taste. The soup is cooked per order and you can tell after eating spoonful by spoonful that it is extremely fresh. You simply have to order the pork dumplings – it really does bear repeating. There is nothing like dunking a juicy pillow filled with pork and vegetables into soy sauce imported specially from Shanghai.

When it comes to mains, things can get out of control. We decided to choose the classic Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce, the Yang Zhou special fried rice with egg, green peas and diced carrot, and the noodles with stir-fry mushrooms. My friend has a sesame allergy so Yang was on hand to help navigate the menu.

Nong Tang Noodle House has effectively synergised old-world cuisine with a modern-day sensibilities. The atmosphere is not erratic nor loud or pretentious, it is cosy, peaceful and humble. It is the perfect destination for a good value-for-money meal, and it is somewhere to escape from the hubbub of the CBD after a long day’s work.

Nong Tang Noodle House
16/200 Bourke Street, Melbourne CBD
Open 7 days, 11.30am to 10pm
facebook.com/nongtangfood