Noodle soup delights

In salubrious surrounds, the Krahom Noodle Bar treats diners to a colourful take on traditional Khmer staples Served in a large earth-coloured ceramic bowl, the Krahom Noodle Bar’s “Signature Krahom Noodle Soup” is a thing of beauty. In translucent and slightly oily orange-brown broth, among neatly chopped bean sprouts, sits a hulking meatball impregnated with peppercorns and carrot bits, half a soft-boiled egg (orange yolk still gooey), crispy bok choi, chunks of tender, fatty braised beef and a vibrant green spring onion as garnish. A little fishing around reveals the new restaurant’s speciality: red noodles (krahom means red in Khmer) made with beetroot juice. It’s hard to tell if the vegetable affects the flavour much, but they sure look pretty and their texture is just about perfect, providing the right amount of bite. Like its signature dish, the red-themed eatery that opened on Street 322 just this week is an aesthetically appealing little place. The long restaurant has a bar and stools on one side and tables on the other, with a wide stripe of bright orange running the length of the ceiling. There are touches of red and orange everywhere, and the attention to detail is great: note the adorable red money boxes in the shape of a London bus, an antique petrol bowser and Union Jack lunchboxes.