There is No Taiwanese Beef Noodles in Taiwan

Most of the food with the geographical label on them are non-existent in the region of their origin. For instances, there is no Hainanese Chicken Rice in Hainan; there is no Hawaiian Pizza in Hawaii; and the list goes on. Taiwanese Beef Noodles is also non-existent in Taiwan, but it is just simply beef noodles.

Yong-kang Beef Noodle (永康牛肉麵) is one of the best beef noodles place in Taipei and that was reaffirmed when I asked one of the taxi drivers there about the good beef noodles places for the local people. Sometimes the information that you get from travel guides are just some touristic information but the local people know better, This place has appeared on travel guides and reasserted by the local people, so it gotta be good.

This place is always full with diners during peak dining hours. So, a few minutes of wait is almost mandatory before you are seated. However, you can start choosing the items you want from the big menu board on the outside of the shop.

The setup is of a typical eatery in Taiwan or Japan where there are small tables for with stool seats. If you come in a big group, you will have to be separated into several tables.

We wanted to try most of the top-selling items on the menu, so we ordered three different type of noodles to share. The most popular item has got to be the spicy beef noodle soup with soya bean sauce. The spiciness of the soup is acceptable for a Malaysian who likes spicy food, but may be too spicy for those who have not tasted spicy food before. The beef chunks were soft and tender of which I could separate the meat by the fibres. The tendon pieces were gelatineous and chewy, and the noodles were cooked to al dente state. I would say, the best spicy soup noodles I have tasted!

If you do not fancy spicy food, there is another option of clear soup noodles. The soup tasted naturally sweet from the bone simmered for a very long time. I would go for this version of beef noodles for the time when I would like my food with lighter taste.

We also tried the dry noodles in minced pork sauce and I would say that it is a Chinese spaghetti bolognese. The minced pork was stir-fried in soya sauce until fragrant and topped on the dry noodles. When the noodles were smeared with the sauce after mixing the combination, the noodles acquired the flavour from the sauce and filled my mouth with its taste.

This place is highly recommended for the authentic taste of Taiwan. It should be on the top of the list when you want to sample Taiwanese food.