
#100 Ways to Travel
Address: No. 200, Section 1, Wenxin Road, Nantun District, Taichung City, Taiwan 408
Atmosphere/Facilities: Halal noodle shop, self-service payment, checkout first, cash only
Features: beef meatball hotpot, dumplings, pulled noodles, platter
Price per person: 800 yuan
Rating: This is a very famous halal noodle restaurant near Wuquan Road on Wenxin Road in Taichung. An online search shows that in addition to being delicious and unique, you have to wait for more than an hour without reservation, and there may not be seats available on holidays. It is said that the dining experience is better than take-out.
A few years ago, when I was doing business with a client nearby, I was invited to eat here a few times. The theme was a Xinjiang earthenware pot with halal flavor. The appearance was very similar to the Beijing mutton hotpot that you often see on TV, but the pot is slightly narrower. There will be a lot of Chinese cabbage, soy products, and wide vermicelli at the bottom. On top is a generous amount of five-spiced beef and mutton (the so-called five-spice refers to braised beef and mutton) and beef and mutton meatballs. The rest are side dishes, rice noodles, pastries, and dumplings. The overall atmosphere is very much like a Jianghu noodle restaurant in the military dependents' village style, where you can eat and drink at the same time.
Beef meatball hotpot (small) 950 yuan
I remember the price was 800 yuan a few years ago, and due to inflation in recent years it has risen to 950 yuan. The ingredients are still as abundant as before, with the bottom covered with vermicelli, cabbage and frozen tofu. The upper layer is filled with 5cm thick cuts of beef shank and beef meatballs, each standing in a half circle. The pot is heated by charcoal fire, which is why the experience of using it is better. A whole pot of original soup will be served on the table, and the portion is definitely worth the price. The soup tastes like braised beef noodle soup, very similar to the early San Shang Qiao Fu but with a thicker soup base. Since the charcoal pot will keep boiling and the store provides the original soup, if you don’t drink alcohol. It is normal for it to become saltier as it cooks. The only difference I noticed this time was that the amount of Chinese cabbage and frozen tofu was smaller, and the amount of vermicelli was larger. But overall it's a full pot with pointed ends.
If you can’t finish it, you can add soup and pack it up. You can heat it up the next day and it can become beef noodles. If the soup is dried up, it can be used as a stew for rice noodles.
Yellow beef dumplings 8 yuan/piece starting from 10 pieces
Very large dumplings. The dumpling skin is elastic and does not break even when boiled, and is filled with pure ground beef. The beef is not too salty, but has a very strong meaty texture and flavor.
Sula skin 85 yuan
Cold noodles made from mung bean flour, with a lot of cucumbers at the bottom. Drizzle with sesame sauce, garlic sauce, mustard vinegar. The taste is very refreshing.
Assorted platter (small) 165 yuan
The small platter only has tripe and beef, while the large platter has beef tendon. It is a braised cold dish that you need to pour soy sauce, vinegar and chili on or soak in hot soup before eating. The texture is soft and the fiber content is very low. Mouth full of meaty aroma.
On weekdays, there is basically no need to queue up when the restaurant opens, but from 5 o'clock to 6:30 when we finished dining, the phone calls for take-out orders never stopped. The store wasn't full. For dining inside, you need to pay by yourself, fill in the table number and go to the counter to check out.
Except for the boss lady and the lady who came to pack the bags, the other employees spoke in a very harsh manner. The service standard in Taiwan is to have a very fierce attitude. In fact, in popular restaurants in other countries, these feelings can be ignored in order to convey messages more efficiently, where gentleness and smiles are the norm.
Post by Rays traveller | Oct 31, 2024






















