Today, I revisited the Food Place food court, located at Pavilion Mall. The food court is located beside the Oriental Kopi Restaurant.
This time, I ordered Fresh rice noodles with beef offal (dry) from the Xiao Chan Sha stall, which cost RM16.50 per bowl.
The dish features flat, chewy rice noodles served dry, tossed in a savoury spicy soy-based sauce. On top, you’ll find sliced beef offal – such as tripe and other cuts – giving the dish a rich, slightly chewy texture that pairs well with the smooth noodles. Garnished with spring onions for freshness, it comes with a side of clear soup (lightly flavored with green onions) and some side dishes like chilli, garlic, and broccoli
The offal provides a hearty, slightly gamey taste, while the noodles absorb the sauce well, making each bite flavorful.
This style of noodle dish is rooted in Changsha cuisine, a branch of Hunan cuisine from central China. Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, is well known for its bold, spicy, and flavorful street foods. Beef offal dishes have long been popular in Hunan, where no part of the animal is wasted — offal is considered both nutritious and deeply flavorful.
Rice noodles themselves are a staple across southern China, especially in Hunan, Guangxi, and Guangdong. In Hunan, noodles are often paired with chilli, pickled vegetables, and beef or pork offal, creating a balance of chewy, spicy, sour, and savoury. This tradition later spread to other parts of Asia, and now stalls like Xiao Chang Sha bring these regional specialities into modern food courts for urban diners seeking authentic flavours.
This dish represents the marriage of tradition and convenience — rustic Changsha flavours adapted into a quick-service format for city life.
