The old noodle houses open at dawn and are done by nine

Suzhou noodles are a clear broth, thin noodles laid in a comb, and a topping ordered on the side: braised pork belly, smoked fish, river shrimp in season. The good shops have a queue at seven and empty tables at ten.

Ask for hong tang (brown broth) if you want it richer, bai tang for the clear one, and eat it as soon as it lands — the noodles are meant to be caught before they soften. It costs less than the coffee on the tourist street.