Hongfu Noodle Bar

I’ve visited Hongfu, before, but as it’s right across the road from my office, and I rather like the place, a return visit was always on the cards. Today was the day, not least because Gary had a roaring hangover, so was in desperate need of reviving sustenance.

Situated in a prime location, looking down the length of Princes Street, from behind a beautiful pillared façade, Hongfu Noodle Bar is surprisingly quiet and tucked away, given its location at the very heart of Edinburgh’s city centre.

It serves really excellent Chinese food from an extensive menu. It retains much of the styling, including the original wood and marble bar, of the pub that used to inhabit the premises.

Our polite and efficient waitress brought us menus, then drinks. Brave man that he is, Gary attempted a pint to quell the worst of his malaise. I directed him to the dumplings followed by the Mongolian beef, as these had been favourites of the large party I’d dined with here, previously, and he was happy to go with those recommendations. I opted for the sea laver and egg soup, followed by the mountain chicken. We ordered a plain chow mein and some ginger fried rice, as accompaniments.

The starters soon appeared, with my soup looking like an exotic rock pool, with the strands of seaweed and clumps of egg mass. It tasted really good, and was a little better than the tomato and egg soup I tried, last time.

Gary’s dumplings were described as “the best I’ve ever had”, which is high praise, indeed. They certainly looked great – a significant upgrade on the sad articles that Chop Chop serve up.

Main courses followed hot on the starters’ heels. My fingers were feeling agile, so I asked for chop sticks, while Gary stuck with his knife and fork. We shared the dishes that we’d ordered, having a merry feast with the generous portions. The Mongolian beef has a lovely gentle fragrance to it, while the mountain chicken was succulent. The gingered rice was really good, while the noodles performed entirely admirably.

I was very pleased with what we’d been served, and Gary left confident that after an afternoon nap, he’d be returned to something akin to rude health.

Overall, Hongfu is well worth a visit. It serves really good, flavour-packed dishes, guaranteed to leave you satisfied. Now, if they’d just come up with a killer lunchtime deal, I think I’d be quite the frequent visitor.

Today’s questers were: Gary, Blythe

We ate: sea laver and egg soup, chicken dumplings, mountain chicken, Mongolian beef, ginger fried rice, plain noodles

We drank: lager, sparkly water

We wore: the look of a man who drank ten pints of Guinness last night, favourite Alexandre tie

Total bill: c.£40