Lanzhou Hand Pulled Noodles — Restaurant in Isle Mauritius

Now this is different. In Mauritius, it's common to go for the classic fried or boiled noodles and feel a sense of both cultural and culinary richness, but I think there's something here that most other sellers offer; tradition. Pure tradition that can be traced back to China, of course. "Lanzhou Lamian hand-made noodles" kind of gives it away.

So, it's located in the popular Des Forges Street (I don't know exactly how it's spelled). First of all, it's upstairs in a building that's surrounded by other vendors. You may not notice it at first, but it's there. When you head up the stairs, you'll be greeted by an image of a dragon (see the pic) and the walls are a bright right and white. The gates, the window frames, the posters, the art, the tables, the menu... Everything combined creates an atmosphere that will almost disorient you... You'll think you're not in Mauritius anymore.

Now, this is a family-run establishment, and the lads that run it are on very good terms with locals. Saif and co are very welcoming. And yes, this is a Muslim restaurant so everything is Halal. Another positive I saw was the attention to detail that the lads out into setting up shop. Before they opened, I arrived 15 minutes early. I asked when they would open, and they told me 'in 15 minutes'. But the owner was busy setting every single table up in the same order without any utensil or napkin missing. That is the type of dedication to a craft that builds a legacy.

The menus are hardback and have their pages laminated... seriously, that's an insane level of care. I ordered the beef noodles with soybean paste and half a dozen mutton dumplings. They asked if I wanted the spicy variation, but I wasn't feeling brave enough... Hehe. I expected the food to take a while to be made... Nope. 7 minutes. And the food did not disappoint. The meat was tender. The broth was rich and thick, the noodles were whole and of a consistency that cannot be achieved without technique- which I will guess the family running the establishment have honoured over the years. It was filling. You definitely get your money's worth. It's comfort food. It's good food. It's "calm the anxiety down" food.

And even though it feels like the retro restaurant from a 90s action movie (in a good way), they do allow for juice payment.

I gave the owner a firm handshake and will be telling my friends about this...

It was my first time dining at Gansu Barakah, formerly known as Langzhou Lamian. The restaurant was recommended by a Muslim friend of mine, and at first, I didn’t realize why. Only later did it strike me that of course—being Muslim, he wouldn’t eat pork.

As I browsed the menu (completely free of pork dishes) and noticed the restaurant even had a prayer room, it clicked: the place is Halal! I was pleasantly surprised, and happy to know that our Muslim Mauritian community can enjoy authentic Chinese cuisine right here in Port Louis.

Now, let’s talk about the food—it’s absolutely amazing! The hand-pulled noodles were soft beyond description, with a taste that felt on another level. Their chili oil gave every bite an extra punch of flavor, and the lamb dumplings were simply delicious. I went for the beef noodle with soybean paste (extra spicy), and the flavors just burst in my mouth! My husband had the stewed noodles with mutton, while his friend tried the chicken fried rice—each dish was a hit.

The service was excellent too. It felt like a real family business, with the three sons helping out and doing a wonderful job keeping everything running smoothly.

As for the atmosphere, while it’s welcoming, I do think the décor could be refreshed to bring out more of that traditional...

Tried it for the first time. Certainly very different from the typical “mine bouillie” we’ve become so familiar with.

I went for the spicy Stewed Beef Noodles and it was really really mouthwatering. My partner went for some Beef noodles as well but had some tomato add on (I don’t remember the dish well), and dumplings on the side.

Service time is mind blowing fast. But again, there were only people on only 2 other tables.

Please do speak in English with the personnel.

In the end, we paid around Rs. 700 for 2 bowl of noodles 🍜, 6 dumplings, 1 water (1.5L), and 1 Pepsi (0.5L). Makes it very value for money as we were both full and satisfied.

Looking forward to try the other dishes’.

For the Muslim ladies; I noticed that there’s a...