Well good morning good morning.
Today is our last day in Taipei (臺北市) so we're going out for a dish that we've been
saving for last.
We're going to be trying beef noodle soup (牛肉麵 - 牛肉面) and this is a super
popular dish.
We plotted a whole bunch of places on our phone and finally settled on one.
So let's go find Jianhong Beef Noodles (建宏牛肉麵).
Alright, so the food is already here.
It came out super quickly.
We ordered two bowls and this is a small portion but you know what?
I think this is going to be pretty filling for one person.
Yeah.
I was kind of worried we wouldn't be able to get a table because it is already eleven
thirty in the morning.
So kind of close to lunch but there is still plenty of space so that is good.
Um, but yeah, anyways let's have a look.
A closer look at the meal.
So here you have it.
So it is a noodle soup with a beef broth and these chunks of meat on top.
Those are really generous chunks of meat.
I know.
Yeah, it is a lot thicker than I would have imagined.
Yeah.
And the beef it can be tendon, brisket or shank.
And again I was worried this was going to be all tendon.
I'm not a huge fan of tendon so I'm glad to see like some really nice cuts of meat in
here with not a whole lot of fat.
So yeah, I'm going to grab some chopsticks right here.
Lots of what appears to be chives.
Green onions as well.
Yeah, chives on top.
So let's do this.
Let's try noodles first.
I love my noodles.
Putting my noodles on a spoon perhaps.
Mmm.
That is good.
They look thick.
Mmmm.
They are quite thick yeah.
They are nice.
A little chewy.
They've been soaking in the beef broth so that is nice.
Let's go for some noodles and meat now.
Oh my.
This is messy.
I do not have a talent for noodles and chopsticks.
My goodness.
Haha.
Why don't you try the meat?
Both of them.
Noodles and meat.
Okay.
So you're getting the noodles on there.
Got the noodles.
Ooh, okay.
You know what?
Let's just go with the meat guys.
The chopsticks aren't helping me today.
Mmmm.
Oh wow.
It is like really salty and savory.
Mmm.
You like that?
Mmmm.
It is quite tender as well.
Yeah, this has been cooking for a while.
This is good.
Pleasantly surprised over here.
Alright, time for me to try it so before I try the noodles or the meat I'm just going
to go in for a bit of soup.
Alright, I want to see what the broth tastes like.
So I've got a nice big thing of broth.
Mmmm.
That is really nice.
It is not overpowering.
It has just got kind of like a nice beefy broth taste.
Yeah.
It is not spicy.
It is a little bit savory but yeah not sweet either.
Yeah.
But just really nice.
It is just kind of a light broth that I think will compliment the noodles and the meat which
I haven't tried yet.
Yeah, I would say the meat has a stronger flavor than the broth.
Because you think.
I'm going to go for the meat then next.
Mmmm.
Your right it does have a stronger flavor.
Yeah.
And this piece has a bit of fat.
A little bit of fat on it too.
Oh no.
It gives it.
I mean it is tender but it is also chewy.
It is very chewy.
Wait, was it fat or tendon then?
It was just fat.
Okay.
A little extra flavoring.
Let's try the noodles.
Mmmm.
Those are also good too.
I like thickly cut noodles so it is tasty.
And just yeah overall it is a nice soup.
You've got a light broth, you've got your meat and then you've got your thick noodles.
So it is perfect to warm you up on a fall day like right now.
Maybe a little less animalistic.
So I'm actually a little bit curious about this.
There is like a huge bucket of sauce.
It looks more like a paste.
An orange paste.
I can not identify this.
It looks like in terms of texture it almost looks like polenta but I mean obviously it
is not.
Does it have a strong smell?
It does not have a strong smell.
So let's just get it in there and see what happens.
Let's have some noodles with sauce.
This one has me totally stumped.
Although now I'm starting to feel it burn in the back of my tongue.
Oh my.
So spicy obviously?
It is definitely hot.
I have no idea what other ingredients are here or what gives it that consistency or
texture.
But it is definitely spicy.
Oh man.
It kicks in at the very end.
So I'm putting a pretty good dent in my soup I would say.
Already half way done.
Although, Sam has been helping to be honest.
Look at mine.
I'm just working on the broth.
He's been stealing some of my meat and noodles.
I have been.
But anyway just to give you an idea of how popular beef noodle soup (牛肉麵 - 牛肉面)
is every year they have a festival here in Taipei (臺北市) and chef's get together
and they kind of compete to create the best recipe but also give it a bit of a twist and
make it a little different.
Um, and apparently one year there were rumors circulating that the festival wasn't going
to happen and everyone was so upset and they were like protesting so the mayor was like
it is okay guys.
He had to reassure them.
The festival will go on.
So I mean if people think they are not getting their beef noodle soup (牛肉麵 - 牛肉面)
it is a pretty big deal.
I guess this means somebody enjoyed their meal.
Yeah, the bowl is empty.
Satisfied over here.
And in terms of price point it came to a hundred and ten Taiwan dollars.
So you're looking at just under $3.50 US.
So yeah, good value.
It is a cheap meal that you can have and it is something you can get anywhere in Taipei
(臺北市).
Just walk around and you'll find one of these shops and just go in and place an order.
That's what we did.