RESTAURANT REVIEW: LUNCH AT MURGER HAN, SACKVILLE STREET
This month, we took a trip to London's first authentic Xi'an restaurant - Murger Han on Sackville Street. This intimate, dark wooden panelled restaurant screams of old world Mayfair, with the added fun of emoji cushions. Tables were filled with enthusiastic lunchtime diners gushing over glorious gyoza and an open kitchen adds a touch of theatre to the establishment. Friendly staff are on hand to offer recommendations with a smile.
Murger Han is aptly named after the historical "Murger", considered to be the Chinese equivalent of the Western hamburger. The signature Murger is a speciality, made with an authentic "Muo" - a wheat flour flat bread baked in a clay or mud oven. Muo dates all the way back to the Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC) and is traditionally filled with slow cooked pork - a meat recipe dating back even further to the Zhou Dynasty (1045 BC to 256 BC).
We tried a vegan-friendly Mixed Vegetable Murger to start - surprisingly filling for such a healthy looking sandwich. The best Tofu Skewers i’ve ever had arrived next - 5 tempting tofu sheets topped with creamy sesame sauce, finished with a splash of chilli oil. Vegetable Gyoza and Chicken Gyoza with perfectly crispy bottoms and soft tops were extremely well received. James, a chicken fiend, ordered a side of Deep Fried Chicken Wings and had no complaints. Eating at Murger Han is thirsty work. To drink, we ordered a couple of mocktails and an Ice Peak (orange soda from Xi'an).
For the main, we could not resist the Spring Onion and Chilli Oil / Tomato and Egg Biang Biang Noodles - something else Murger Han is known for. These show-stopping, thick and flat 12-foot noodles are simply superb and it’s no wonder they have been widely celebrated via foodies’ Instagram stories and the press. Expect table etiquette to go slightly out the window, for even an expert chopstick user will forced to slurp and slap their way to successful completion. The best part? They taste as good as they look and it’s only £10.80 per portion.
The team here are welcoming and polite. Memorable, authentic Xi’an dishes are expertly and speedily prepared and the portions are very generous, suitable for sharing (if you can bear to). I have not stopped thinking about Murger Han since we left and will be recommending it to every food lover I know.
Murger Han have three London restaurants for you to visit - Mayfair, Euston and the City. They are soon to open a new site in Elephant and Castle.
Murger Han, 8A Sackville St, London W1S 3DF
020 7734 0300
