We head to Chinatown ahead of celebrations.
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00:00Chinese New Year is nearly here. In fact, the day itself is on January the 29th but
00:08celebrations are set to go on into the weekend and where else to get into the festive spirit
00:15than right here in London's Chinatown. Chinatown plays such an iconic part of most major Western
00:23cities and that's no different here in London. The amount of incredible restaurants and shops
00:29and Chinese supermarkets means this place is always absolutely buzzing as you can see
00:35behind me. And what better way to celebrate Chinese New Year by looking for some hidden
00:40gems right here in Chinatown. There are plenty of incredible food choices and restaurants
00:48here in Chinatown but first up I am heading to Kung Fu Burger. This is a Chinese take
00:55on a burger but instead of the traditional patty and cheese you have Eastern options
01:00like crispy duck and this one right here, the braised pork. What makes this area so
01:06special is these little secrets tucked away like this one transporting you to China when
01:12you're right here in London. But it's not just places like Kung Fu Burger that are kicking
01:18up a storm, there's also one place that apparently is serving up the best noodles in town. Soho
01:24has a new hotspot and now it's a viral sensation. The Noodle Inn on Old Compton Street has been
01:31dubbed the best Chinese restaurant in the capital. With Noodle Inn opening at 12 I thought
01:38heading down for 12.15 would mean avoiding the queues but how wrong I was, it was a 50
01:43minute wait for most customers arriving at that time. Luckily though because I was riding
01:49solo I managed to sneak in ahead of the queue and sit front and centre right by the kitchen.
01:56There is just a sheet of glass to prevent steam from filling the restaurant between
02:00the counter seats and where the noodle magic happens but it made for quite a showing, watching
02:06the masters at work carving noodles into a pan full of boiling water. The white noodles
02:12known as bang bang noodles are a Xi'an specialty and honestly as you step into this place it
02:18really does feel like you could be in a buzzing restaurant tucked away down an alley in China.
02:24The smells and spices transported me to the far east but for me the food is the second
02:30best thing about this place, what makes this place worth visiting above anything else is
02:35the atmosphere. I asked a waiter for the best thing on the menu and without hesitating she
02:40told me to get the beef shin wide noodle. I was eating by around 12.30 and personally
02:46felt this was a little bit too early for something this decadent. I can imagine on
02:51a late night when it's raining outside and it's acceptable to have a cold beer this
02:55will genuinely be one of the best feeds in London.