Dubai: Chongqing Noodle House – Lunch in International City

Meydan South, where I live, is not far from International City, but since my brain still thinks we are in the Marina, a trip to International City still feels like quite a hike. Though yesterday, I had overcome my mental hurdles and booked an appointment for a mani/pedi in International City, and after I had my nails done, I decided to find a place for lunch in the area. International City is divided into Clusters with different country themes, and the China Cluster has some of the best and cheapest Chinese food in Dubai.

I ended up at Chongquing Noodle House and it turned out to be a real gem. The concept is simple: Homemade noodles in different kinds of soups and sauces along with a good selection of inexpensive sides. It is easy to over-order, but the food is served in takeout boxes, so if you cannot finish the food, you just ask for a lid, and you can take the leftovers home. Practical, but probably not very eco friendly, so let’s hope they come up with another solution in the future.

I ordered hot & sour soup, beef noodle soup, chicken wontons and cucumber salad, and everything I had was amazing. From the first bite, I suspected that the noodles were homemade, because they had that delicious, slightly bouncy texture that you rarely find at the store-bought ones. I therefore asked one of the staff where the noodles were from, and to my great disappointment she replied “Chongqing”. However, it turned out that she had misunderstood my question, and thought I was asking about something else. The noodles were homemade, of course!

Chongqing used to be part of the Sichuan province, which is a Chinese region known for generous use of red chilies, and the food at Chongqing Noodle House is no doubt on the spicy side, but manageable, if you are into spicy food.

Chongqing Noodle House, Shop No 16, China F15, International City, Dubai