The menu at PRON is a one-pager but the noodles are long. Decor is modern Mao-inspired kitsch cool but the food is old-school authentic. It makes Linden's newest eatery a collision of cuisine and creativity. None of it is coincidence, though. It's deliberate design by restaurateur Emma Chen. PRON stands for People's Republic of Noodle - the name is tongue-in-cheek and sets the unfussy, laid-back and contemporary tone. It's a departure from the ornate, traditional styling and food that Chen's Red Chamber patrons in Hyde Park have grown to love over the last two decades.At PRON, Chen says she's cooking home-style food that reminds her of growing up in Taiwan. It's also influenced by the fire and spice of the Sichuanese who fled the Chinese mainland during the civil war, becoming her family's neighbours on the island."My parents come from the north of China where rice doesn't grow well, so most people eat noodles or breads. In summer we'd eat cold noodle dishes and in winter noodles in broth. We also ate tapas-style side dishes."Expect dishes like "Dandan noodles with pork mince" - the "dandan" being a half-boiled egg that adds sunshine and creamy decadence to a bowl of noodles - spicy beef noodles and noodles with tofu and leeks.Sides include crispy spring-onion pancake, pig-ear salad and the best green beans you're likely to ever taste - Chen's dry-fried green beans. The trick, she says, is to bake them "till they're soft and hungry for flavour". Flavour is black bean paste - home-made of course.Also, be sure to spoon Chen's ''secret sauce" on whatever you order. It's chilli, sesame seed oil yumminess that has patrons asking why it's not bottled and sold.Chen says: "PRON is a statement for me. For a long time I thought of opening a second restaurant to show people Chinese food is not just Peking duck, and sweet and sour or deep-fried everything. We don't eat like that in our homes."I've been pleasantly surprised by my customers - they've been adventurous in trying dishes, even the pigs' ears."The only thing Chen can't get used to is the small kitchen in the intimate PRON space. It means noodles are handmade in the un-dried style at the bigger Red Chamber kitchen, which she still oversees.PRON is a playground. You'll leave with a happy, full tummy, also with a giggle at the décor and the PRON logo itself of Mao-era peasants raising their fists to a bowl and chopsticks. Yes the people will rise . for excellent noodles!PRON is at 69 7th Street, Linden, Johannesburg 011-782-1736...