Noodles may have been around for centuries, but our nationʼs history with the long, stretchy strips of dough is young and surprisingly vast, spanning Asia from China to Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan and beyond. Here’s a taste.
Camellia Ling Aebisc
Flat, stretched, chewy, slippery, egg, wheat or rice: whichever one you slurp, noodles are ubiquitous in Melbourne. Spicy soups hailing from regional China, hearty Vietnamese broths, and wok-tossed dishes from Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are peppered across menus from the CBD to the outer suburbs. But our history with the humble noodle is actually less than 200 years old.
Australiaʼs first taste of noodles came during the gold rush of the 1850s. Cantonese miners introduced soups and stir-fries that would define early Chinese-Australian cooking. That legacy endures on Exhibition Street in the CBD at Beef Ricenoodle Bar, where Chaozhou-style beef meatball noodle soup is powered by a long-cooked bone broth.
More than a century later, as the White Australia Policy was phased out, Korean migrants added jjajangmyeon to the menu − the black-bean-sauced wheat noodle dish itself a derivation of Chinaʼs zhajiangmian. A favourite spot for those seeking volume and flavour is Han Guuk Guan in the CBDʼs north-east corner. There youʼll find bowls of bouncy golden noodles dressed in glossy black bean sauce.
Later, Taiwanese beef noodle soup arrived, now found at Bourke Streetʼs Ahma, where the broth is rich and layered.
Vietnamese migrants also expanded the cityʼs noodle soup selection. Nam Giao in Springvale remains a cosy stop for bun bo Hue, the broth rich with pork and crab.
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The 1970s and ʼ80s brought South-East Asia further into focus, with Indonesian and Filipino communities putting down roots. Some Pinoy families opened fine diners, like Russell Street favourite Askal, whose sour and sultry claypot pancit is impossible to overlook. For simpler fare, Indonesian bakmi is the order at Bakmi Lim Noodle Project in QV, where springy wheat noodles are topped with braised chicken or pork and a scatter of greens.
In Glen Waverley, Grand Tofu takes care of the local Malaysian community. Hor fun is served blazing hot straight from the wok, the silky, charred rice noodles hugged by an egg-laced vegetable gravy.
Today’s noodle offering is all-encompassing, with items that once required a passport to find.
Find Pintoʼs boat noodles – served the Thai way with blood tofu, pork liver, bouncy meatballs and extra hot chilli – on Exhibition Street in the city.
In Box Hill, Dolan Uyghur Cuisine serves elastic laghman, just like in Xinjiang, crowned with Australian lamb and capsicum.
The udon at Bentleighʼs Musashino Udon Kan, thicker than a pencil and begging to be dragged through dashi broth, are chewy, Japanese perfection.
An increase in students and skilled migrants from all over China has brought regional specialties like the cold skin noodles (liangpi) of Shaanxi province. At Chinger Biang Biang, on Victoria Street in Carlton, the chilled sheets of wheat starch are doused in a chilli oil dressing, topped with steamed gluten and fresh cucumber.
These venues featured in the print edition of The Age Good Food Guide 2026. For more noodle spots and recommendations, including every venue from the Good Food Guide, download the Good Food app here.
With Emily Holgate
