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Salvation in Noodles: SIN in Dalston – Restaurant Review

21 May, 2015 — by Toni Ratcliff0

Sometimes I get the number 56 bus home from work. It’s usually around 8pm and I’m usually hungry.

The bus makes its slow haul from the city, through Islington, and eventually just before you hit Dalston Junction, there it is: Salvation in Noodles, serving up pho and other Vietnamese delicacies, beaming like a little beacon of yumminess illuminating the rest of the journey home.

It’s always absolutely heaving in there, it’s only a small place (maybe 30 covers) but very often there is not a single seat left empty when my bus cruises past. In fact, one Wednesday evening the draw of the noodles was so strong I actually got off the bus and went in to ask if they had a table for two. They didn’t. Fully booked on a Wednesday night! This is a sure sign they’re on to a winner.

Salvation IN NOODLES at Last

This weekend though we were driving past and thought we would try our luck – the noodle Gods must have been shining on us as they were just able to squeeze us in! Huzzah!

Salvation in Noodles: pork and prawn summer rollsNot wanting to spend our excitement all at once we thought we would ease ourselves in with some starters. We opted for the pork belly and prawn Vietnamese summer rolls and the chargrilled lemongrass marinated lamb chops.

The summer rolls came out first and what little beauties they were. But actually, not so little. They were plump and sturdy fellas standing upright on their plate, some of the biggest summer rolls I have had. The chubby king prawns were clearly visible through the rice paper so you know they weren’t being skimped on. Inside were strips of pork belly, carrot, a big wodge of rice noodles and lashings of mint all wrapped up in crispy lettuce leaves and served alongside a hoisin dipping sauce topped with chunky peanuts. It was like eating a little cocoon of flavour. So soft, fresh and light, yet surprisingly substantial. These did not last long on our table.

Next up were the lamb chops. Just two lamb chops simply served on a plate with a spoonful of spicy dipping sauce and a big old knife so you could slice the meat off the bone. Simple, yes. But boy, were these delicious!

They had a good char on the outside and a nice level of spice in the marinade. They were soft and squishy and melt in the mouth tasty. The kind of thing that makes you remember how delicious lamb is and wonder why you haven’t eaten it in so long? I would probably go back and just order a load of beers and shit ton of these lamb chops and be utterly contented.

Salvation in Noodles: chargrilled marinated lamb chops

Pho

Moving on to the main event Salvation in Noodles offers a choice of five different hot noodle dishes on it’s menu as well as vermicelli noodle salads. Unfortunately for us they had already sold out of the Pho Bo (thin rare steak and beef balls in an oxtail soup). From the name I think that’s no surprise. Instead we both ordered what looked to be the next best thing on the menu: the Bun Bo Hue (beef brisket and pork in a hot and spicy lemongrass soup).

Salvation in Noodles: bun bo hue

The soup came out in gratifyingly large bowls, served with a mound of fresh herbs and a wedge of lime as is tradition. After a spoonful or two you find the soup is hot both in heat and chilli spice, leaving your lips with that satisfying chilli hum as if you have kissed a tiny bumble bee. It did have an overwhelmingly lemony flavour (that would be the lemongrass) but I felt it worked really well with the mint and the rest of the herbs.

Digging further in you find spring onions, red onions and bean sprouts all on a mound of quietly floating noodles. And of course we have the meat; lovely soft strips of beef brisket and pork belly placed carefully on the noodle bed and even when your noodles are all mixed up you keep coming across more of the blighters. Not a bad thing at all!

The pork belly was particularly yummy. The broth itself was nice and clean tasting with lemon and had loads of chilli oil to add heat but I kinda wanted it to have more depth of flavour, the sort of thing that makes you feel as if you are putting meat on your bones just by eating it. However, with all of the delicious accoutrements on top you can’t deny it is tasty.

So was a noodle joint in Dalston able to save the soul of a wretch like me? Now that I have actually been able to get in the door I do feel like I have achieved a mini crusade to a hallowed land. And I am already daydreaming about the next time I go and trying the soup with the oxtail base.

I can’t help thinking that the masses must be on to something there. But that’s the thing about salvation, once you’ve had that feeling of being touched by something special, when you feel part of a group of like-minded souls, you just want to keep going back for more. Looks like I’ll be getting the number 56 bus for a while then.

Still hungry? Find all the most delicious places to eat with our best London restaurants section, including this review of Homeslice, the best pizza in London.

Date:
Title:
Salvation in Noodles, Dalston, London
Rating:
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