AI Spot Summary
The beef noodle soup has a delicious broth, and the thick noodles can absorb the flavor of the soup, but the beef is too tough. The performance of the fried pork ribs and tofu was average and did not leave a deep impression. Overall, it seems that the reputation exceeds the actual taste.
The restaurant space is small and crowded, but the air conditioning is comfortable, making it suitable for dining in the hot summer.
You need to order in advance and queue for seating. The service efficiency is acceptable, but due to the long waiting time, the experience may not meet expectations.
Reviews
The well-known old restaurant for beef noodles in Taipei is located near Taipei Main Station and was recommended in the inaugural 2018 Michelin Guide Taipei as a Bib Gourmand. Its reputation has already reached foreign tourists, and even during off-peak hours on weekdays, one must still join the queue with visitors from various countries and order in advance. Once seated, diners are expected to settle the bill when the food is served.
The dining space is somewhat small and feels cramped, but the air conditioning is comfortable and cool, allowing one to enjoy hot soup in the sweltering summer without breaking a sweat.
I ordered the clear-stewed beef noodles. There were plenty of beef chunks, but they were not tender; rather, they had a bit of a chewy problem. If this were a foreigner's first introduction to beef noodles, it might not pass as satisfactory. However, the thick noodles performed well; they weren't overly chewy, but they could absorb the flavor of the beef broth. The broth itself was tasty and fresh, though slightly oily, making the overall quality quite good.
On the table were the common pickled vegetables and the restaurant's special fermented black beans, but I personally don’t like that flavor, so I didn't try it.
I also ordered the braised tofu skin, which was perfectly infused with the sauce—not too dry or too wet—highlighting the bean flavor quite nicely! However, it was slightly salty upon first bite.
I arrived at the venue around 10:30 in the morning. I originally thought there would be no need to queue, but it turned out that there were at least 10 guests lined up at the venue. It seemed that most of them were tourists.
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Beef noodle soup ($80), fried pork ribs ($100) and dried flowers ($30)
The portion is too big, and the soup base cannot be chosen to be stewed. It has a fresh and sweet beef texture, which is okay. The noodles are not ordinary noodles, but slightly thick udon noodles, which are too soft and not chewy.
The ribs stack up like a hill, and they are thin and hard to eat. The dried flowers are just dried flowers. There is nothing memorable about either of them.
Based on the Michelin Bib Gourmand food recommendations, I feel that the reputation of the food is more important than the taste. Overall, it is overly praised. Taking into account the time of queuing, it is not worth it.