Tucked down a narrow alley, Wu Yue Ren Jia has been serving sumptuous bowls of suzhou-style noodles paired with flavorful broths for nigh on 12 years.

And still today, the chun xiang paigu mian(RMB 22, pork brisket noodle soup) and qing chao xia ren mian(RMB 28, stir-fry shrimp noodle soup) are sufficiently filling and fortifying to bring the customers back.

While other noodle shops cram all the ingredients into one bowl, Wu Yue provides diners with their own Petri dish of ingredients to mix with the broth as they please.

Add traditional wood furnishings, batik-clad waitstaff and exquisite hangings of Chinese calligraphy, and you have the ideal lunchtime respite from 21st-century Shanghai.

Wu Yue Ren Jia
Daily 4:30am-9:30pm.
706 Huaihai Zhong Lu, by Sinan Lu
53065410
Cost for two (excluding drinks): RMB 50