A very famous Chinese noodle brand is coming to London

If you’ve ever set foot in Chinatown, you’ll know that Londoners have it pretty good when it comes to options for top-tier Chinese food. Wong Kei, Four Seasons, New Loon Fung... we’re practically drowning in delicious broth. But it looks like the capital is getting another taste of China, and this time, it comes in the form of a nearly century-old noodle brand from Wuhan.

Cai Lin Ji is preparing to open its first UK restaurant on New Oxford Street, following a rapid international expansion that has already taken the chain beyond China.

The brand was founded in Wuhan in 1928, and has since grown into one of Hubei province’s best-known breakfast spots. Its speciality is re gan mian, or hot dry noodles: springy noodles tossed in a rich sesame sauce with chilli oil and pickles, rather than served in broth. And while a bowl of noodles might not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of breakfast in London, Cai Lin Ji is betting that the capital is ready for them at any time of day.

The recipe has serious local heritage cred, too. The traditional technique used to make Wuhan hot dry noodles has been recognised on Hubei’s cultural heritage list since 2011.

Cai Lin Ji now has more than 200 restaurants across China. It started its international expansion in 2023 with openings in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, and made its European debut in Paris earlier this year.

Exactly what the New Oxford Street menu will look like is still under wraps, but there are already rumours of a distinctly British twist: fish-and-chips-inspired noodles could apparently make an appearance.

We’ll have to wait and see whether that actually makes it onto the menu, but a 98-year-old Wuhan noodle institution turning up in central London is definitely enough to get excited about.

Cai Lin Ji, New Oxford Street, WC1A 1EP.

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