Jen Cafe

Charing Cross was once the locus of London's book trade (my wife tells me Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft made a movie about a Charing Cross book dealer who struck up a correspondence with an American woman after World War II. The movie ends, sadly, when the woman final musters the courage to meet this man only to find he died a week or two before she arrived :<). Now, however, there are only a few old-fashioned book dealers and the area has become a mix of theaters (and theater-related bars and restaurants) and Chinese restaurants, shops, and stalls.

Jen Cafe is tiny little place, but in addition to selling a variety of teas, it makes its own noodles, which was enough to get me to stop in for lunch on Tuesday, while I was doing some shopping.

I knew I was in good shape when my server made clear he didn't understand what I was saying and asked me to point to the menu, so he could read the Chinese translation of what I wanted (I was even more confident when a set of chopsticks, with no accompanying western cutlery, showed up on my table).

There was nothing fancy about Jen, but I had a very nice plate of noodles that was quickly served for a very reasonable price (5 pounds). While the plate wasn't overly large (though it was a reasonable portion) the noodles were quite fresh and garnished in a wonderful spicy sauce loaded with ground duck.

From an HFG perspective, Jen has to be representative of an entire neighborhood and style of cuisine. That said, it was a really good ambassador.

I couldn't find a website for Jen, but here's a link to a map and some reviews: http://www.qype.co.uk/place/184848-Jen-Cafe-London