DanDan Aldgate East — Restaurant in London

又好吃又便宜！ 服务也挺好！ It was my first time visiting this restaurant because I was really craving some authentic Chinese noodles in beef broth and it's hard to find these restaurants with halal meat. So I was very excited.

The food is delicious, cheap, authentic, and the portion sizes are immaculate. However, the thing that made my experience truly worthwhile was the service! I could sense the kindness and friendliness of the staff immediately from when I stepped in.

THE SERVICE:

I arrived a little later than my friends who were waiting for me inside and I accidentally went to the entrance of a different café/restaurant. After realising my mistake, I quickly rushed back outside to find the right entrance and my friends pointed towards the restaurant's door (they could see everything because the walls are glass). One of the staff members also saw this and quickly opened the door for me, giggling at my silly mistake and welcoming me with the sweetest and friendliest smile. The look they gave me made me feel less embarrassed as if to say, "it's just a silly and cute mistake that anybody can make".

We then waited for another friend of ours to arrive and the staff were very understanding and did not pressure us to order the food. Later, while we are eating, the staff continued to fill up our glasses with water so often that our glasses never reached the half point of emptiness.

Since it was a very hot day, my friend had a nosebleed and she asked for some extra tissues and the staff members immediately rushed to help. They also bought her some ice to cool down. It was so heartwarming to have all the members of the staff rush to our table and they also advised to put the ice in a polythene bag (which they provided) and put it on her forehead to cool down.

They all seemed genuinely concerned and did not leave until they ensured my friend was alright (it wasn't even a big deal and she recovered quite fast but the staff were really attentive towards her). They also cleared all of her blood filled tissues immediately for her without showing any signs of disgust or hesitation. I was really touched by their hospitality and the genuine care they had in their eyes for the customers. I felt like I was visiting my aunty's restaurant and it took me back to the warmth and hospitality that I so missed back in Asia.

I plan to frequent this hidden gem of a place not only because of the plethora of dishes I want to try (they have a great menu with so many delicious options to choose from), but also because of the comforting ambiance and the friendly staff who made me feel at home!

Thank you so so...

If you’re black, don’t go. You know it’s bad when I leave a review. I only ever leave reviews when it’s bad. I live in one of the apartments directly above this place. I walk past it everyday and it’s always packed. Decided to check it out for lunch. First thing first, it wasn’t busy yet I had to wait a long time to be seated. Got shown to my seat…… 4 empty tables next to me…. For 20 minutes I’m sitting there, waiting… waiting…. Naturally I’m the only black person in there. The 4 empty tables get people seated on them and immediately they are offered water, & drinks and have their orders taken.. and I’m just there, blatantly being ignored. And it’s not like I wasn’t trying to get anyone’s attention I was, but I was blatantly ignored. Everyone who came in after me was served. Then finally one young boy came and took my food and drink order. Then….. waiting waiting… waiting….. everyone around me eating.. and I’m just waiting….. I got up and I went to the till…. Waiting waiting… bear in mind this is a small place…. Finally someone comes up to me and asks if they can help. I said yes I would like to change my order to go. He says okay. Less than 2 minutes later, my food has appeared, packaged and ready to go, like magic. Yet I had been sitting there waiting for 40 MINUTES.

Got back to my apartment and my order was incorrect. I should have gotten 6 soup dumplings, I got 4. And my main course was not what I ordered, because I literally showed the waiter a photo from their website of what I wanted.

Honestly I could have gone downstairs and made a scene but I already felt humiliated enough. Had the food. It was ok. Not amazing, but okay.

I...

Disappointing experience unfortunately. I'm always on the hunt for a good Sichuanese place. After seeing them on Instagram I asked if they had a vegetarian version of the Dan Dan Noodles, and they said that yes they could make one.

I showed up on a Sunday night alone. Firstly, the service could not have been less enthusiastic. No hellos, just pointing to a table to sit. Once they gave the menu, I asked if I could have a vegetarian version of the Dan Dan Noodles. The waiter went to check and came back saying yes, so I ordered that plus the black fungus with coriander, one of my favourite dishes.

The mushrooms were good but not great. The consistency was delicious, a bit milder and less garlicky than I like, but that's personal preference. The Dan Dan Noodles were clearly the exact same but just without the pork topping. I have no idea if the broth contained meat, but there was very little of it so it was hard to tell. It was SO bland and disappointing. Also, the fact that they brought it out in less than five minutes shows it's just sitting there.

There was literally no communication with the waiter aside from taking my order and then giving me the bill, which they automatically added 12.5% to. For what service?

The prices are reasonable. I would have been fine with the poor service if the food was good, but it just wasn't. Or at least not for vegetarians. Unfortunately I won't be coming back, which is a shame as I was excited about the prospect. I had a much better experience at Sichuan Popo, which I'll be...