There is one question in the world harder than anything Kantian metaphysics could dream up: what to eat for lunch and dinner. Racking your brain for meal options can be tiring. Sandwiches, spaghetti or salad, all are good but banal parts of the daily rotation. Yearning for an alternative? Nodu could be the Socratic solution.
Nodu is a compound word deriving from noodles and dumplings, the restaurant’s two specialties. Located on the second floor of the new DoubleTree by Hilton Guangzhou, it is decked out in tones of subtle brown. An open kitchen stands in the middle of the room, where Chef David Chen, a master of noodles from Shanxi province, shows diners how noodles are made and cooked.
Hand-pulled noodles are the pinnacle of texture. After being cooked in boiling water for just 10 seconds, the strands emerge smooth but springy. These are then served in the pre-made broth together with other ingredients of the diner’s choosing.
The tom yam gong noodles and the spicy ribs noodles (both RMB55) are perfect options for lunch on a hot summer’s day. The former sends out a mouth-watering aroma and has a slightly sour savor; the latter is served with ribs which have been stewed in spicy soy sauce, not overly piquant but still setting off every taste bud.
Not a fan of sour or spicy? No worries. The traditional Canton wonton noodles (RMB55) are light in taste, buffed out by cute little shrimp and pork wontons.
Dumplings on offer at Nodu include xiaolongbao (steamed meat dumplings, RMB50), which are served in a bamboo basket. While the chopped meat stuffing is standard, the wrappings are not, each mouthful offered in one of three colors: white (original wheat flavor), green (spinach flavor) and orange (carrot flavor). Remember not to gulp, as the globes not only contain savory stuffing but also thick, tongue-scalding gravy.
Music is believed to enhance the dining experience, so in addition to the freshly pulled noodles and the juicy dumplings, Nodu plays Cantonese and Mandarin songs, setting the mood for the seduction of your stomach.
// Nodu, 2/F, DoubleTree by Hilton Guangzhou, 391 Dongfeng Lu, Yuexiu District 越秀区东风路391号2楼 (2833 2888)
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