Ottolenghi co-founder to launch Taiwanese noodle bar

Ottolenghi co-founder Noam Bar-Chang is teaming up with Chris Hsu, the founder of noodle brand Kung Fu Mama Retail, to open a London restaurant.

The pair will launch Taiwanese noodle bar Kung Fu Mama on Long Acre in Covent Garden on 8 April.

The fast-paced restaurant will have just nine indoor seats and four outside. Dishes will be priced from £5.75 to £11.25 per serving and are designed to eat-in, take away or for local delivery.

The menu will include bowls of Kung Fu Mama Retail’s sun-dried noodles alongside chicken thighs in a mild ginger and sesame sauce; beef in a lightly spiced Sichuan pepper sauce; Mapo tofu with spicy minced pork; and Portobello mushrooms in an umami-rich three cup sauce.

A range of bao sandwiches will feature fillings including chicken with home-made pickle; soft shell crab; and a vegan patty with sauerkraut and basil sauce.

Sides will include vegetables tossed in a range of spicy dressings and a mango shaved ice dessert with passionfruit and lime.

Everything on the menu has been designed to be more health conscious, with ingredients oven baked rather than deep fat fried, seed oil swapped out for extra-virgin olive oil and salt, sugar and fat levels kept to a minimum.

Bar-Chang said: “We set out to develop quality, healthy food that we would happily give to our kids every day, and we think we’ve done just that — all while making it fun. I am incredibly proud of the work we have done with Ottolenghi in revolutionising the global perception of Middle Eastern food, and Chris and I can’t wait to do the same with Taiwanese food.”

Kung Fu Mama Retail sells its sun-dried noodles to the UK through retailers including Selfridges, Whole Foods and Sainsbury’s.