Xiao mian is one of China’s great single-dish meals. It’s a noodle soup that originated in Chongqing based around a very simple combination of wheat noodles in a tart, spicy and tingling soup. It started as a street-side breakfast snack but became so popular that it’s now eaten all throughout the day, all over the world, including here in Australia.

That brings us to Chongqing Street Noodle, a small chain of Sydney restaurants doing some of the best xiao mian you can find outside of China (Wide Alley in Sussex Centre and Melbourne’s Dainty Sichuan are solid competitors, though).

The Chongqing street noodle soup is the most popular order, a classic representation of an unadorned xiao mian, which can be spruced up with intestines, braised beef, pork hock or even pork brains. There are other styles (a soupless version with cucumber and pork mince, pickled veg and fish, and a cold soupless version too) but it’s worth starting with the classic before exploring other options.

Whichever you order, the best deal is to get one of the above in a $15 meal set, an absurdly good deal that delivers your noodle soup with a side (also your choice, all decently sized) and a soft drink from the fridge.