Weeks after the opening, meter-long lines formed in front of the small, actually rather inconspicuous "Chung King Noodles". No wonder: operator Ash Lee is no stranger to the Berlin restaurant scene. There have already been several successful pop ups in previous years - it was not unusual for her chili noodles there to sell out after just one hour. When you enter Lee's first own restaurant, you see: tiles, bare walls, plain furniture, no frills.
The menu is similarly purist. There is only a small selection of starters and - of course - the famous Chinese noodles. These are available in three variations: With beef, pork or vegan with tofu and shitake. All three come to the table in generous bowls with handfuls of homemade, beautifully bite-size wheat noodles. On top comes a fine broth of spices as well as - and this is probably where the magic lies - the homemade, very spicy, very aromatic chili oil. Two different types of chilies are roasted fresh every week for this purpose. The result is something to be proud of: The intense and flavorful oil creates a very fiery, but still reasonable hotness with addictive potential.
