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Ok I admit it … I’ve been on a restaurant binge lately (I’m sure you’ve noticed). But it’s only so that I can give you as many choices as possible for your next evening out. (No thanks are necessary). Speaking of being spoilt for choice, PRON, or the People’s Republic of Noodles, is a new Chinese restaurant that calls Linden its home – but this definitely isn’t the run-of-the-mill Chinese food that you might be picturing.
Let me start off by saying that the décor at PRON is amazing! There are Chinese-themed goodies (some edible, some not) scattered around in what looks like a random way at first but, upon closer inspection, they really pull the place together and give it an amazingly quirky feel!
PRON was started by Emma Chen, who used to run the Red Chamber in Hyde Park. She decided to go back to her roots and open up a restaurant that serves the food she grew up eating – noodles and bread. (Chen is from the South of China … rice is a staple in the North … just in case you were wondering.)
When I say PRON is authentic, I mean it. They certainly do things differently … here’s a little quote from the menu so you can see what I mean:
“PRON is introducing another kind of authentic Chinese cuisine. There is nothing deep fried. There is no sweet and sour sauce and no spring rolls. All the bread and noodles we use are made by us. We invite you to take this adventurous journey and challenge your taste buds.”
Sounds good, right? We started dinner off with jasmine tea and, while sipping it, I guess we must have looked a bit confused about what to eat because our waitress noticed straight away. After we ummed and ahed about which tapas to order, she made a few suggestions of her own. We decided it was best to go with her recommendations – and we were so glad we did!
We ordered Chinese bread, which is kind of like naan bread, some air-fried green beans and a leek and cucumber salad (it was super spicy but oh-so-flavourful). Sharing is the way to go here so that you get a taste of everything. For mains, we had chilli chicken noodles and a bowl of noodles with tofu, served with a tasty broth. The portions are huge but that didn’t stop me from finishing all my food! My dinner companions couldn’t manage, though … which meant leftovers for lunch!
For dessert, we weren’t given much of a choice when our waitress said: “You’ll have the chocolate chilli cake?” The chocolate was smooth like ganache. It was topped with chilli flakes and surrounded by pastry – if it’s on the menu when you go, it’s a must! The bill arrived with White Rabbits, which was the perfect way to end things off. We will most certainly be back!
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