07/01/2020

The One Dim Sum & Noodle Bar, Newcastle-Under-Lyme

The One Dim Sum & Noodle Bar is an unassuming little place in Newcastle-Under-Lyme. Doing a roaring trade in takeaway, there’s a few tables in the bright, modern interior too. I went there to eat recently and discovered reasonably priced, tasty dishes served promptly and with generous portions.

If you want to eat at one of the tables at this dim sum and noodle bar on the corner of George and Seagrave Streets in Newcastle-Under-Lyme, you’ll have to go on spec as there’s no booking.

That suited other half (ID) and me down to the ground last Saturday night. We suddenly fancied eating out, something tasty where we could try a few different things, but nowhere fussy. And we didn’t want to take too long about it either.

Perusing my list of places I hadn’t yet tried (yes, I do have an actual list!) The One caught my eye straight away as having the potential to tick all those boxes.

I confess I’m not as familiar as I should be with Newcastle-Under-Lyme, especially at it’s only around twenty-five minutes’ drive from home. In fact, I think Amore is the only other place I’ve eaten in the town.

So that seemed another good reason to head out to The One.

THE ONE

Unusually these days, I can find next to no online presence for The One. No Instagram, Twitter or Facebook except one of those unofficial Facebook pages with recommendations and check-ins.

There is a takeaway menu on the Big Foodie ordering platform but, from memory, I’m not sure this is the same as the eating in menu.

I honestly can’t tell you how long the place has been going, although comments on the usual customer review sites indicate maybe a year or so.

What I can tell you is that the Borough Council awarded The One a Food Hygiene Rating of 5 in January 2019. It certainly looked very spick and span when we visited.

PRICES

I should say, on this impromptu visit, that I didn’t make a note of the eating-in prices. But, totting things up using the online menu linked to above, I was surprised to find that they seem to be roughly the same as the takeaway prices.

We paid just over £38 in total which included two iced teas. Using the takeaway prices gives a food bill of £34.10 so that sounds about right. But do note that the prices I’ve given below for individual dishes may vary from what you’ll see on the eat-in menu – but I doubt it will be by much.

Also note that on the night we were there it was cash only.

WHAT WE ATE

We chose six dishes to share and they started arriving what seemed like five to ten minutes after ordering. I’d say that’s pretty quick considering they were serving two other tables plus a stream of takeaway orders.

SALT & CHILLI CHICKEN

First off was Salt & Chilli Smoked Chicken Strips (£4.80). This is listed as one of their best sellers and I’m not surprised.

We were presented with a heaped platter of gorgeously crispy yet strangely satisfyingly chewy chicken strips. They had a good salty taste and an understated smoky tang.

Among the chicken were lots of crunchy stir-fried onion, spring onion and green chillies. These brought lovely freshness and a little heat.

NOODLES

As you’d expect, there’s an enormous variety of noodles on offer at The One which styles itself a dim sum and noodle bar.

I like the way you could mix and match by choosing your type of noodle (e.g. ramen, flat rice, udon), then your meat or fish, then a sauce or have it as a soup.

We went for thick udon noodles with char sui pork in a Singapore style sauce (£5.50) which was extremely good.

There was a nice ratio of fat, silky noodles and tender, rich pork. There were lots of crunchy veg too: onion, green pepper and carrot. The sauce had bold flavour with a medium heat which is just to my taste.

The portion was enormous. If you wanted just a single dish, then I think this would fill you handsomely at a bargain price.

TOFU

The next dish was also rather larger than we’d anticipated. In fact, unusually for us, we couldn’t quite finish either.

Mapo Tofu (£7.50) is among The One’s ‘speciality selections’ and consists of diced tofu stir fried with minced pork, chilli, garlic and spring onions. A portion of boiled rice is included in the price of this dish from the Sichuan province of China.

ID is more of a tofu fan then me, but as I love spicy minced pork I was happy to go along with this choice. But for my taste there was just too much tofu in relation to the pork, although I did like the salty, hot sauce.

However, looking at images online for Mapo Tofu, I see that is how it’s often served. So, it’s not really a criticism as such, just maybe not the dish for me.

ID enjoyed it though, even if defeated by the sheer volume of tofu.

SICHUAN DUMPLINGS

More to my taste were Sichuan Dumplings (£7.50). Here again was that hot and sour, bold chilli sauce that had accompanied the tofu. But now, sitting in it, were a dozen light and slippery dumplings.

Inside these was a generous stuffing of pork and vegetables which was enlivened by breaking open a dumpling and dipping it back into all that chilli, vinegary goodness.

Getting twelve dumplings for £7.50 is another example of the great value you get at The One. I think the big portions would be ideal for sharing among a larger group too.

JAPANESE DUMPLINGS

After all that robust Sichuan flavour, Japanese Pan-Fried Vegetable Dumplings (£3.80, also available with chicken) might seem a little tame. At first, I wasn’t sure whether I liked them, despite their pleasing green-hued appearance.

Inside were simply cooked vegetables with seemingly no added spices or flavouring at all. The little bowl for dipping with its strips of ginger added a little tanginess.

But as I ate another and then another (ID wasn’t keen), their simplicity grew on me. While I was making my mind up about what I thought of them I found I’d finished them off, eventually liking the contrast with the other dishes we’d chosen.

HIRATA BUNS

The soft, pillowy Asian buns sometimes call bao, sometimes hirata, are becoming increasingly popular in Britain. I like their lightness. It gives you something to enfold tasty things without being too filling.

At The One, Hirata Buns (£5.00) come filled with a small slice of saucy, slow cooked pork belly plus crunchy lettuce, cucumber, spring onion and carrot. The spices in the sauce were fragrant rather than hot and I enjoyed the contrast of textures and flavours.

Some may say the small piece of belly pork a little stingy. But I found the amount was just right. And when you consider you’re getting two of these (i.e. £2.50 a pop) I don’t think there’s much to quibble about.

At around £16 per head for a lot of food I think it’s great value. As a reviewer I like to order lots of different dishes and that’s reflected in our total bill. But I reckon your average punter could get away with spending a lot less. For example, Sesame Prawn Toast followed by one of those enormous noodle dishes would be just £9.30.

There’s also four Box Selections (£11.00 – £13.80) which generally include three starter type dishes plus a main and rice or noodle accompaniment.

Recommended.

Have you been to The One? Leave a comment in the box below.

ACCESSIBILITY

I’m not aware of a formal access statement for this venue and the following is my subjective impression only. Please note, however, that I’m not mobility impaired so you may wish to contact the venue directly to check whether it meets your own requirements.

There’s a step up into the venue from both entrances. Once inside, there’s level access to the toilet (signed ‘disabled’) which has grab bars plus low level sink and hand dryer.

There is limited seating in the eating area. Most of the tables are booth style or else bar style with high stools. However, there is at least one standard type table with reasonable space around it.

If you’ve visited this venue and can provide more information useful for people with disabilities, please leave a comment below. If you’re the owner of this venue, I’d be happy to update this post with any further information about accessibility.

Filed Under: Eating Out