Stowell Street

I've been frequenting Stowell Street Chinese restaurants for at least 35 years, in fact I had my wedding reception in The Mandarin. The street has changed a lot, gone is the free parking behind it where you could safely leave your car, now you have to pay for 'secure' parking underground. Today's prices are interesting. They are hardly changed from the 90's when Chinese dining was in vogue and Stowell Street was a vibrant, bustling confusion of bars, clubs and restaurants and booking a table was essential.

The Mandarin has long gone, it's now a Chinese buffet, a gorge yourself sick establishment (and be sure to pile your plate with more than you can possibly eat).

Some of the old names are still around, Dragon House, King Neptune, Palace Garden... Others have gone, their previous owners having moved back to Hong Kong or Darras Hall, others succumbed to the lure of the casino!

Today it was damp and miserable in the City so to cheer ourselves up we went to Mangos the home of the best Ho fan Noodles in Newcastle - if not the universe. Broad flat rice noodles high heat, fast fried with Cha Sui strips, scrambled egg, beans sprouts, shreds of spring onion and green pepper and crispy scrumdiddlyumptious King prawns and a hint of chilis. Oh how I love that dish.

Problems in the kitchen when we arrived 'gas oven' issues or something but they were doing a Dim Sum menu so we had gloopy but lovely Steamed King Prawn rolls, Deep fried prawn parcels, Won Tons, Pork Dumplings, Coriander and Chicken dumplings and China Tea. I can forgive the young waitress for spilling my tea over my iPhone but not/NEVER for not allowing my intake of noodles.

I've appended the noodle dish with today's pic of Stowell Street. Mango's is the blue low fronted building at the far right of the pic.