溫柔鄉 (The Tender Land in Taipei)

溫柔鄉



Yes, that is soupless tantanmen. But the story is so much more than that of just some good noodles.



One of my awesome Instagram followers, Hungry in Taipei, was out in Korea while I was slurping my way around Taipei. But with the magic of the internet, no human interaction was required for a solid recommendation. She pointed me to a secret whiskey bar that serves a couple dishes every night; usually a meat dish and some kind of noodle dish from what I gathered.



Tender Land opens at 11:00pm, and the entire place was full by 11:05. We grabbed a prime seat and started sampling. Yes, the entire bar is hanging from the ceiling.



With such a variety, I had to try some lesser-known Taiwanese single malts from Omar.



Excellent. Just the perfect side for some tantanmen. I had actually been recommended the beef noodles here, but they weren't on the menu this time. If I lived in Taipei I would just go every night until they had them.



And a few more whiskys, naturally.



I'm not connoisseur of this stuff, but a cocktail bar with a legit vibe is something I will always enjoy.

And I am fully aware that plenty of foodies are big into the Whisky scene. So for them, let me pay this one forward, The Tender Land is a must-hit in Taipei.



Just remember that they are probably full when you come.





No. 22, Lane 175, Jinzhou Street, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 10491

Open 11:00pm - 6:00am
Closed Friday and Saturday

牛爸爸 (Niu Baba Beef Noodle in Taipei)

牛爸爸 



If you are a food nerd, you might have heard of this one. Niu Baba, or Beef Papa, has a record for the most expensive bowl of soup noodles in the world.



The Presidential bowl comes in at 10,000 Taiwanese dollars, roughly $330 US. For a bowl of soup. It is insane, but I was honestly intrigued. So much that I was completely on the fence about dropping the cash until the night before. The best beef from three different continents? I kind of want it.

As I sat sipping whiskey at one of Taipei's hidden speakeasies, I was recognized by a Japanese guy sitting next to me. He was out here on business (he's in the fashion world) and had recently had the bowl together with one of Japan's most known street fashion designers. He put the nail in the coffin, saying it was a let down.



Funny thing about this shop, they also have NT$500 and NT$1500 bowls, so at least you can try a bowl and say you've been.



I went for the Tomato Beef Noodle at NT$1500. I made some arithmetic error, and thought this was less than $30, but it turned out to be more like $50 when my credit card bill came. So even though this isn't the Presidential, it is still one of the most expensive bowls you can buy.



First the good. The three kinds of beef are phenomenal. Like, really tops.



Each is prepared differently using secret techniques of boiling, freezing, and stewing.



No for the bad.

Everything else. The noodles were weak, but the soup was terrible. I blame the tomatoes. Looking back at the description, it has four different kinds of tomatoes, two of which come from cans. If you have ever eaten a low quality tomato out of a can (I mean, who hasn't), then you know. It isn't good eats. And an hour after eating, I had a metallic, preserved taste in my mouth. If you do go, get the normal bowl, and tag me on your Instagram post (@ramenadventures).

Beef was good though.

I want my $50 back.



This was the last day of my trip, and the only day without torrential rains. Tip: avoid June.



But, like I said before, there is so much amazing food that you quickly forget the mediocre ones.



For those who value my opinion, here is my ranking of beef noodle shops I visited, with only the top three being ones I would actually recommend:

1. 桃源街牛肉麵 (Taoyuan Street Authentic Shandong Beef Noodle in Taipei)
2. 林東芳牛肉麵 (Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodle in Taipei)
3. 故宮晶華 (Silks Palace Noodle Beef Noodle in Taipei)
4. 永康牛肉麵 (Yong Kang Beef Noodle in Taipei)
5. 牛爸爸 (Niu Baba Beef Noodle in Taipei)

No. 149, Section 6, Minquan East Road, Neihu District, Taipei City, Taiwan 114

Open 11:00-9:00pm

桃源街牛肉麵 (Taoyuan Street Authentic Shandong Beef Noodle in Taipei)

桃源街牛肉麵



Thank you to all of my followers on Instagram and Facebook. I put out a call for suggestions, and Taoyuan was one that came up again and again.



Another shop claiming a championship win? My hopes drop when something has hype.



But here, at Taoyuan Street Authentic Beef Noodle, the bowl spoke for itself.

It was actually the noodles that stood out for me. While most beef noodle places had noodles on the soft-ish side, these were firm and chewy.

One more thing to mention. I might have actually gone to the wrong shop. When reading reviews on the internet post-trip, many people say that this shop has no sign and a no photo policy. Did I enter the wrong place? Did I somehow give my praise to a place masquerading as another? Regardless, I liked this bowl the most out of any on my Taipei trip.



For those who value my opinion, here is my ranking of beef noodle shops I visited, with only the top three being ones I would actually recommend:

1. 桃源街牛肉麵 (Taoyuan Street Authentic Shandong Beef Noodle in Taipei)
2. 林東芳牛肉麵 (Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodle in Taipei)
3. 故宮晶華 (Silks Palace Noodle Beef Noodle in Taipei)
4. 永康牛肉麵 (Yong Kang Beef Noodle in Taipei)
5. 牛爸爸 (Niu Baba Beef Noodle in Taipei)

桃源街11巷9號, Taipei
Noodle House · Zhōngzhèng Qū

Open 8:00-4:00pm
Closed Saturdays

故宮晶華 (Silks Palace Noodle Beef Noodle in Taipei)

故宮晶華



No trip to Taipei is complete without a trip to the National Palace Museum.



Or so everyone told me. This massive museum houses room after room of Taiwanese relics, from calligraphy to paintings to sculpture. The most famous piece here is a jade carving that looks like a cabbage. And here it is:



It was interesting watching the crowds. I don't think anyone actually looked at the green wonder without a cell phone to record it. Anyways, I was told the museum takes days or even weeks to go through, but I felt like I had seen every room in less than two hours (did I miss something?). In particular, the calligraphy was my kind of exhibition. If it sounds like I am dissing the place, that is far from it.

With all that extra time, I had to eat.



Turns out there is a fancy restaurant right next to the museum, a restaurant that won the country's top prize for beef noodle sometime in recent years.

There is a genre of beef noodle that can only be labeled as fancy hotel noodles, and some suggestions from people in the know were to avoid these at all cost. You'll pay double, and most of that cost goes into the white linen and professional menu creation services.

Silks Palace is one of those places, as they also have a branch at the Reagent Hotel. Sorry, I'm going to try it anyways.



Wow, that was some good beef noodle. Many beef noodle shops in Taiwan have either hongshao (dark and spicy broth) or qingdun (clear light broth). Here you get both. I thought it would be a gimmick, but this worked out. Each bowl has different cuts of meat, different vegetables, and of course a very different taste.

Silks Palace is a full fledged restaurant, and apart from the $15 bowl of noodles, a small group could easily spend a few big bills on a plethora of dim sum, Cantonese dishes, and a stewed cabbage that looks like the aforementioned work of art at the neighboring museum. This is definitely a gimmick, and the internet backs up my suspicions. Go for the beef noodle, crush it, and get on with your trip.



Doesn't this ancient drawing look like a dude Instagramming his food?

For those who value my opinion, here is my ranking of beef noodle shops I visited, with only the top three being ones I would actually recommend:

1. 桃源街牛肉麵 (Taoyuan Street Authentic Shandong Beef Noodle in Taipei)
2. 林東芳牛肉麵 (Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodle in Taipei)
3. 故宮晶華 (Silks Palace Noodle Beef Noodle in Taipei)
4. 永康牛肉麵 (Yong Kang Beef Noodle in Taipei)
5. 牛爸爸 (Niu Baba Beef Noodle in Taipei)

Official site here.





No. 221, Sec 2, Zhi Shan Rd, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111

Open 11:30-4:30, 5:30-9:00

永康牛肉麵 (Yong Kang Beef Noodle in Taipei)

永康牛肉麵



I had about 10 days in Taipei, and the second beef noodle spot I tried was the famous Yong Kang. This place is ranked #1 by most people and articles, and their line reflects this. Like all beef noodle spots, though, the line moves quickly.



I'd read that they choose to be left out of any annual beef noodle ranking competitions, so as to let the underdogs have a chance. How kind.



Yong Kang was founded in 1963, by Mr. Cheung, who followed the retreat of Chiang Kai Shek’s Kuo Min Tang army to Taiwan in the 40s. This area was a sort of refugee camp back in the day, and his spicy beef noodle was a welcome comfort food for the masses.

The menu has all of your favorites. I had to try both the light and dark soup. First up, the hongshao (紅燒).



To be honest, I wouldn't come here again. I found the noodles to be overly mushy, the beef a bit tough, and the soup on the salty side.

The lighter salt bowl wasn't much better, though I prefer it to the darker bowl. Maybe I've just been in Japan too long and have lost my appreciation for spicy.

Looking back on my experience, I realize that I have become very critical of noodles, and this has marred my experiences in both Taiwan and mainland China. I could forgive it on the mainland, where a bowl of soup noodles was about a dollar. Here in Taiwan, the food isn't as cheap as I thought it would be. A small bowl here runs 220 Taiwan dollars, about $7 US. 

Here's the cool thing about the food in Taipei. There is so much of it, that a bad meal is quickly forgotten. Many of the popular beef noodle restaurants have a choice of large (大) or small (小). Go 小 and you can go somewhere else.



Shaved ice, for instance.



The mango and the five-treasures from 龍都冰果専業家 were pretty good, but my favorite was the simple almond milk shaved ice from Yu's ALMOND DESSERT.



For those who value my opinion, here is my ranking of beef noodle shops I visited, with only the top three being ones I would actually recommend:

1. 桃源街牛肉麵 (Taoyuan Street Authentic Shandong Beef Noodle in Taipei)
2. 林東芳牛肉麵 (Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodle in Taipei)
3. 故宮晶華 (Silks Palace Noodle Beef Noodle in Taipei)
4. 永康牛肉麵 (Yong Kang Beef Noodle in Taipei)
5. 牛爸爸 (Niu Baba Beef Noodle in Taipei)

金山南路二段31巷17號, Taipei
Noodle House · Dà'ān Qū

Open 11:00-9:00pm

凪 (Nagi in Taipei)

豚骨拉麵 Nagi 凪 大直店





Nagi is a favorite of mine. They recently celebrated their 10th year, and though I wasn't there at the beginning, I was very close. I used to visit the original shop in Shibuya back in 2008 almost every Wednesday, have a bowl of their tonkotsu ramen, and chat with Natsu, the staff who was always there. It was a casual spot, without a a huge crowd, but it was a good, solid bowl of ramen, and it was one of the shops that started Ramen Adventures.



Fast forward a few years, and they have shops all over Japan and Asia. A real success story.



When I found that they had a few shops in Taipei, I decided to check it out on a recent trip. As always, a solid bowl of creamy tonkotsu ramen. Please check out my YouTube video for a bit more about their regular ramen.



To my delight, they had a limited bowl on offer; a collaboration between Nagi and Might Quinn's BBQ from NYC. I'm interested!



Smokehouse brisket with some pickle condiments.



And a healthy layer of smoked brisket oil on top. This one was fantastic.



I crushed not only the regular both, called the 豚王 or Original King, and a bowl of their limited BBQ collab, called the Mighty King, but a bowl of their soupless Mighty King. All were stellar.

I hear that they have this bowl quite often, though it is part of their rotating limited menu.

Here's hoping that Nagi inspired more people to have their own Ramen Adventures.



Official site here.





10491, Taiwan, Taipei City, Zhongshan District, Lequn 3rd Road, 301號

Open 11:30am-9:30pm
Friday and Saturday 11:30am-10:00pm