Lon-Men's Noodle House

It was a rainy afternoon in Berlin, as I took a walk in Warschauer Straße - Oberbaumbrücke to enjoy the east side gallery. It was closed due to renovation. With a big dissapointment, I had to leave the east side gallery and get lunch. It was a pretty hard decision though to find lunch in Berlin that time. No, not because Berlin has no good place to have lunch BUT because BERLIN HAS LOTS OF GOOD FOODS! After a long thinking, I decided to go to asian restaurant where I can get warm noodle soup (to warm my stomach in this rainy day).

I went to Kanntstr in Charlottenburg, Berlin`s own Chinatown, and decided to go to the Lon-Men`s Noodle House. A Taiwanese Noodle House for this popular Noodle Soup and dumpling run by Shanghai-born chef Ash Lee. You can't book a table here and sometimes you have to wait till you can be seated because of full. But lucky me, I could find a table for two that afternoon.

Close your eyes and you could be in Taiwan. Lon-Men´s decor is simple but attractive. It has a big glass window so people can really see from the outside. I love the simple black mini wooden chairs and tables, and old antique chinese plates and bowls.

What to order?

The menus are simple but the side dishes are pretty large to choose. Great homemade Noodle soup, chinese chili dumplings, and pig`s ears. Wait, what? Did I say pig`s ears? YES, PIG`s EARS.

Chinese Chili Dumpling

The Chili Dumpling was hot and spicy. I could taste the herbs in it, salts, and also strong taste of sichuan pepper. I still can feel the numb sensation in my tounge, if I remember about it,

gebratene Schweineöhren (fried pig`s ears)

The fried pig`s ears was served cold, eventhough it has been fried, with thin slices of fresh cucumbers. Its texture was a bit chewy. They spiced it with a bit of sesame oil, salty soy sauce and a little bit of sweet soy sauce. Pretty simple but surprisingly I liked it! :D

Another dish that I got was chicken soup but I forgot to take a picture of it (pardon me!). It was not a thick soup, makes it kinda refreshing. It has chicken slices and vegetables. The soup tasted umami  from the chicken broth and slightly sour. The noodle was so delicious! Its texture was not too soft and wasn`t too hard, because of its perfect timing while boiling. I also heard from the employer that they use only their homemade noodle, now I know why! Even at the first time I thought it was just broth added with noodle and chicken, but in fact it is so delicious.

Savvy loves... Chili Dumpling! Definitely have to order.

Savvy tip is be adventurous about your side dish choices!

It was a cheap way to feel like you`re in Taiwan without even have to fly there. Bon appetit!