A few years ago, the Chinese food situation for both the gobblingwoman and the gobblingman was a simple one-stop affair. With the death of that restaurant and the owner, it is no longer as simple and it took us a while to lock our sights on the Frankfurt district close to the main station which traditionally has lots and lots of exotic restaurants … which also traditionally sucked more often than not. That time seems to be over now.
The Mian Nudelhaus is found close to the less savory streets where drug addicts and shady fellows roam and usually you would not think to find such a gem in an environment such as this. But you do. The place is very small and is run by Chinese and usually filled up within 30 minutes of opening (at least around midday) with Asians and local workers who like good food.
You get seated wherever there is room and sometimes you will end up at a table with people you do not know. It is always funny to see two Germans come in, look around and when the waitress points to 2 free spots at a half-occupied table, they stick their heads together, smile and then leave. Their loss, our gain.
The menu is small … basically you get some dumplings, soups and a few noodle-bowls. Every time we visit the place, we read the menu and well…most of the time, we order our favorites. The woman loves the Jiao Zi with wild garlic (Jiao Zi mit Bärlauch) while the man goes for the noodles with minced meat (Zha Jiang Mian).
Even when it is full, the orders are usually delivered quite quickly, maybe if overrun with dumpling orders, it can take a little longer. But the wait is worth it.
Jiao Zi with wild garlic
The dumplings come piping hot and there is — as one would expect — soy sauce, vinegar and hot sauce at the table to season them if needed. I stole a dumpling from the woman and have to say the meat is very well done, only slightly seasoned but the wild garlic is noticeable. They are delicious but they are no side order…the first time in, the woman and I ordered 2 “main” courses and some dumplings on the side and we found out that we can no longer eat so much..:)
Zha Jiang Mian (Noodles with minced meat)
The freshly made noodles in the Zha Jiang Mian are really delicious and one tastes that the person making them knows what he/she is doing for sure. The mince is well seasoned but not overwhelming and a spoon of hot sauce makes the dish even better.
We did not mention prices yet…the woman paid around 9 Euros and I paid around 11 Euros, prices that are on the low end of the scale in Frankfurt.
Long story short, the Mian Nudelhaus is an excellent spot for lunch and dinner if you are lucky to get a table. You should not mind chattering people, noise and the rather shady neighborhood (which is safe during the day) and you will get wonderful, homemade food at a good price.
