Pan-Asian noodle bar Chopstix opened its newest store at London Victoria in January, which presents a great on-the-go option for commuters.
Since their first store opened on Oxford Street in 2002, Chopstix have become one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains, with more than 100 stores across the UK.
Boasting quick and fresh food, I was curious to see what the fuss was about and ventured to Victoria Place on a busy Thursday evening for my first Chopstix experience.
Greeting you at the top of the escalator are their neon lights and quirky décor and the customers who lined the bar could see the food being prepared in woks that filled the dishes on the counter.
It was a welcoming atmosphere and the small seating area in the restaurant offered some respite from the hustle and bustle of one of London’s biggest transport hubs.
I wasn’t familiar with Chopstix or how the noodle bar worked but it was relatively straightforward.
Customers can sit in or takeaway as the dishes are served in useful boxes, making it easy to carry your food as you dash to the platform.
You are offered a choice of a small (one topping), medium (two toppings) or large (three toppings) box before you choose from a base of either vegetable noodles, egg-fried rice, or the lower-calorie skinny rice.
A word of caution here, the boxes hold more food than you think and I found the portions to be both generous and reasonable in price.
I opted for a large box with a base of the noodles and egg-fried rice before I was presented with a range of toppings of which I settled on their popular firecracker chicken, salt-and-pepper potatoes, and the no-beef teriyaki.
This was before I was easily persuaded to opt for their vegetable spring rolls and a drink on the side for an additional £1.99.
The experience from one end of the bar to the other was quick, seamless and the friendly staff helpfully explained each dish, nonplussed at the growing queue behind me.
The food itself was piping hot, fresh, and bursting with flavour.
The compact boxes are a blessing here as the sauces and juices from the toppings seeped through the rice and noodles.
This redeemed the egg-fried rice which was a little dry and was lacking a good amount of egg.
But the vegetable noodles were flavourful with a good number of vegetables running through them.
For the toppings, I was particularly taken aback by the taste and texture of the no-beef teriyaki.
Combined with wok-fried peppers and onions and covered in a sweet teriyaki sauce, it was the best of the three toppings.
One thing to note here is that vegetarians and vegans may be disappointed with the options available to them here but the no-beef is a must have.
Hoping to enjoy a bit of spice, I thought the firecracker chicken could have packed a bit more of a punch, but that is only my personal preference.
It was still fiery and was covered in a mouth-watering chilli sauce with stir-fried peppers and onions.
The salt-and-pepper potatoes were nicely seasoned but felt like a bit of a wasted topping, not offering much in terms of taste and lacking a certain crispiness I was expecting.
The spring rolls were crunchy and full of flavour and they would have been even better with slightly more filling.
I dipped these in a fiery-mayo dip which, like the firecracker chicken, needed a bit more heat but the caramel dip, despite my initial reservations, was surprisingly good and I then regretted not opting for their caramel drizzle chicken.
I thoroughly enjoyed the meal overall and wasn’t disappointed with my first experience at Chopstix at Victoria.
The staff were great, the food was cooked fresh and waiting to be served on the counters, presenting a quick, easy and tasty option on your travels.
All pictures taken by Jordan Farrell
