Be warned, when this colourful, modish noodle bar describes a dish as hot and spicy, it means it. This is not Wagamama. My ramen, its stock red and glossy with chilli oil, was a sinus-clearer with serious depth of flavour. I was left coughing and spluttering over the first mouthfuls like an amateur. Luckily, this was takeaway, so I didn’t have to suffer stifled laughter from the next table. Composure regained, I delved into a small bucket of ingredients: prawns, fatty pork nuggets, vegetables, seaweed, tofu, all jostling for space in that soul-stirring broth. Imported from Hong Kong, the somewhat gluey noodles were the only drawback. Minmin’s menu roves across east Asia, taking in Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai dishes, several of which (spicy tripe, pig’s ear in chilli oil), throw down the gastronomic gauntlet. • Mains from £6.50. Unit 4, Latitude Building, Bromsgrove Street, 0121 622 5955, facebook.com/MinMinNoodle. Open Tues-Sun midday-10.30pm
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