Noodles capture food lovers' fancy

Traditional Chongqing treat posed to spread after hitting the spot with British diners

A successful run on his numbingly hot noodle soup at the Chinese Food Festival in London is leading Zhou Zhengbo into a new business venture: selling traditional Chongqing xiaomian in Britain's big cities.

Zhou arrived at the festival from Southwest China in late September with enough noodles and spices to last the entire event. But he sold out in just two and a half hours as customers lined up around his stand and showed a willingness to wait an hour for a steaming bowl of small noodles.