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Today, Miss. Delicious is on a journey to find the taste of happiness. There's a saying in Chinese that delicious food brings joy and happiness. No doubt, Taiwan offers some of the most palatable food in all of Asia, and does so, so effortlessly devoid of gift wrapping, or assertive marketing. This is a place to taste food because it is in the rawest sense of the word, simply delicious.
Taiwan is home to a very ethnically diverse population having been occupied and visited by not only the mainland Chinese, but also the Japanese, Dutch, Spaniards, and even many Southeast Asians.
Because of Taiwan's early rise to development, it is known as one of the four Asian dragons which also include Singapore, Hong Kong and South-Korea. With this early affluent economy, Taiwan was able to assimilate delicacies from all over the world, blending them with it's own ethnically diverse traditions. The result - a nation labelled as the food heaven of the east.
Today, we'll be eating around the lively neighbourhood that is Ximending. This is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Taipei, but remains one of the most lively. You are never too far away from alluring food waiting to be eaten, whether it's the snack foods, night market stalls, or full blown restaurants, the options are everywhere and you just don't have enough time (or stomach space) to try them all!
Just below where I lived, there is a beef joint, called Beef Shop. It's considered a five star beef noodle joint and has won awards of being a top 10 Beef Noodle Soup joint in Taipei at the 2010 Taipei International Beef Festival.
The restaurant is so popular that after passing and forth for several days, I never found the opportunity to just walk straight in to eat. There was always a queue. On this particular day, I decided that I would permit the waiting time and join the queue. It's as simple as writing your name down on the list then waiting to be called. All in all, about 30 minutes waiting time can be expected.
Outside, they have a few examples of their signature beef noodle soup dishes, as well as some of the cold appetisers frequently consumed with the noodle soup.
Like most shops, restaurants or stores in this area of town. They are tucked away inside the pavement which itself is overlapped by the buildings. It's a curious design, one which suggests that it probably rains a lot and people want the ability to walk around places without getting wet. In either case, the result is we have a lot of these places out of view, and a lot of neon lights and sign boards hanging on the side of buildings to advertise their existence.
These are all the people waiting, within the crowd, i hear a mixture of languages, there is of course English, but also Japanese. Clearly this place is more than just the talk of town, but probably also TripAdvisor (no, I haven't checked).
This is the sign stating that they're a top 10 Beef Noodle Soup restaurant in Taipei according to the 2010, Taipei Beef Festival. Knowing how essential Beef Noodle Soup is in Taiwanese Cuisine, that's quite a prestigious prize!
The restaurant is arranged such that the kitchen where they prepare the noodles, broth and beef is at the front by the entrance. Like in Hong Kong, you can see the chefs working tirelessly as they prepare the various dishes. The teasing aroma that seeps outside is a reminder to the people queuing, it's worth the wait.
This is the menu of appetisers which you are given whilst waiting outside. Obviously, I was mistaken for being Korean because all the writing is in Korean !
This is the Beef Noodle Soup menu, and also where you tick off which dishes you would like to order. As soon as you enter, this is handed to the kitchen, and they prepare your food right away. The red sign is pointing the "registration". This is where you write your name down to join the queue.
Once inside, you realise the restaurant is not very large at all. The kitchen already occupies nearly a third of the available space.
The cold dishes are pre-prepared and are at the end of the kitchen near the dining tables. Some restaurants even allow customers to serve themselves. Here, they are paid for at extra cost.
At first, I thought this board was decoration. The writing looked very much like Chinese poetry or calligraphy. At closer inspection, it is actually their menu! This is an example of functional decoration!
This another board hung on the opposite wall. The bricks and mortar give the restaurant a sense of an unfinished industrial refurbishment. Of course, this was the intention of the design, and I think it bodes well with the overall atmosphere of the restaurant, fitting in with the rustic Japanese colonial style buildings of the area.
The restaurant has had a significant amount of media attention because of it's prestigious award, and as a result has framed these pieces in a glass display for all to see.
This is the dining floor. Not much space as you can see, and all tables occupied as expected. Right at the back, a formidable painting of a bull, pointing it's horns towards a set of real bull's horns. I always wondered why restaurants like to animate the animals from which their meat comes from. It's a little off putting and doesn't make the meat more appealing, quite the opposite.
Alas, the Beef Noodle Soup arrives. Let's see what all the fuss is about?
Beef Noodle Soup originated from Mainland China during the Tang Dynasty and was first prepared by the Muslim ethnic minority called Hui. Today's red braised beef noodle soup as popularised in Taiwan, came across from Chengdu, China. It wasn't until it became a popular dish in Kaohsiung that the rest of Taiwan began taking notice and also started cooking this dish.
Up first, the Red Braised Beef Noodle Soup - "Highest Quality".
Beef in the noodle soup tends to lose it's flavour the longer it is left in it's soup as the soup dilutes the taste. On the other hand, beef tends to absorb more flavour the longer it is left in it's sauce. It is this restaurants desire to allow it's guests to choose how much taste is retained in the beef and noodles.
The little piece of paper suggests that you take a sip of the noodle soup for reference, then take some noodles and put it in the small empty bowl. Then, according to the degree of taste of the soup, you can add the beef to the noodles in the small ball, and garnish with the picked vegetables. If the taste is too strong, then add some more soup to dilute. If the taste is too bland, you can add more braised sauce to the mix.
To most Chinese people, Taiwanese cuisine is known for being light. Not only is it not very salty, it's also not very oily. So, my preference was to add more beef sauce to the mix!
I really enjoyed the ability to eat the beef with noodles dry. One of the things that stand out to me was how soft the meat was. You could "chew" it with your tongue!
This is the half tendon half meat, beef noodle soup. This is the classic dish that most people will be familiar with. There is an option for full meat instead of half tendon. I would say go for the latter. It's probably the tastiest part of the meat, and also good for people who need some collagen supplementation.
The scallion doesn't just add to the visual appeal of the dish, it also brings out a rich herbal scent that makes the soup taste more flavoursome.
After the noodle soup, I was craving for some dessert, unfortunately these specialised restaurants don't serve desserts.
So I wandered around for about 30 seconds and came across this bubble tea stall. Instead of opting for bubble tea, I was curious about the colourful fruit teas. Some are a mix of quite contrasting colours, others just a single colour.
I opted for a mixed fruit tea, which I thought would be a gradient of colours. Turns out it's just pink. Still, it was worthy of a refreshment and there's always a big variety to choose from, you could never get bored of choice!
Finally, another short wander from the bubble tea place, and we're at the main entrance to the Ximen MRT station.
Here, the lights are very bright, and there are so many stalls everywhere.
One stall that caught my eye was this Starfruit ice stall. Also originally from Chengdu, this store was founded in 1966 and thus has over 50 years of history. Interestingly, the store has maintained it's original appearance and even selling it's original Starfruit ice, Plum ice and Pineapple ice.
Starfruit takes 3 full months to brew before being ready to serve. It's known for it's particularly sour taste. It's quite different from the sugar filled desserts and drinks we're used to in the modern day, and it certainly gave me a strong kick when I took my first sip. It has a cheeky fragrance with a bit of spice. Despite the odd taste, it was definitely authentic and most importantly natural. Really great for granting some relief after a long hot day.
This is my closing picture of the Ximen pedestrian area. One of the oldest places in Taipei, and yet one of most visited. In a later blog, we'll take another look at Ximen more closely, and discover the reasons why it remains one of the most popular places to visit in Taipei.
Today, we learned about the origins of one of the most popular local dishes in Taiwan, the Beef Noodle Soup. Not only did we find out about it's acclaimed history, we also had the chance to visit one of the absolute best restaurants in Taipei to enjoy this dish. It turns out that the preparation has indeed evolved some what over time, and now people are discovering many new ways to prepare, cook and eat this traditional food.
For people who have had Beef noodle soup elsewhere, you will be surprised by the stark contrast of taste the Taiwanese version will bring you, and for that reason, I highly recommend this dish as one of the must haves during your (potential) stay in Taiwan.
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都说美食让人吃出幸福的味道， 来到台湾之后，每天都是狂喜的状态，好像可以完全忘记不开心是什么滋味了。台湾，除了浓烈的人情味给我别样的亲切感受，那惊艳的美食小吃更是让人赞叹不已。有时候总在想，宝岛台湾应该是用美食征服全宇宙的吧，那千千万万种口味各异的本土小吃，总有一款会夺走你的心，成为你的挚爱。台湾有着多元的民族和文化，历经南岛民族，荷兰人，西班牙人，明朝和清朝，还有日本人，东南亚及战后中国各省人大规模的迁徙移民，再加上宝岛的物产丰富，较早富裕起来的经济可以让台湾从世界各地引进美食。在历史的传承，不断的融合创新中，成功的赋予台湾丰富的饮食文化，从而诞生了各式各样的台湾美食。
今天就让我们一起走进台北最热闹的西门町，探索一下那里的特色小吃。论西门町美食小吃的密集度，绝对是别的街区难以比拟的，住在西门町的我，出门就有大堆极具诱惑力的美食等着我，简直让我欣喜若狂。听到台湾的红烧牛肉面，你会不会已经垂涎三尺了。在我住的旁边就有一家卖牛肉面很牛的店，名叫牛店。它号称可以提供五星级牛肉面，曾经在2010年获得台北国际牛肉面节10大好店的殊荣。我来来回回观察这家店很久，发现人气火爆一点不假，到了用餐时间，门口排队等位的人潮络绎不绝。今天行程不满，我也决定加入排队人潮，试吃一下这碗超人气的牛肉面。这家店由于人手忙不过来，采取自助排队方式，在门口的纸条上写上名字和人数就算排上队了。我在门口足足站了半小时，还好透过橱窗，可以欣赏到厨师们现场制作牛肉面的过程，只见厨师把那色泽鲜亮的美味面条从浓郁的汤锅里捞出来，顿时烟雾缭绕，仿佛隔着玻璃也能闻到那勾魂的香味。
快排到我的时候，店员递给我菜单让我选择，这家餐厅提供丰富的清凉冷菜以应对炎热天气的需求，面条的选择则简单明了。走进餐厅，店內空间不大，位置不多，分为小菜区，煮面吧台，用餐区和自助茶水区，每个部分都干净整齐，布置精细。从细节之处的观察就能发现，虽然店面大小被局限，但是店主在装修上有精致入微的发挥。例如店面灯光气氛柔和，以灰色为主调的环境，水泥地面，复古的红色砖墙，还有店面正中挂着超大幅一头壮牛的海报和那引人注目的牛角，侧面墙上挂着木质画板，上面是手写风格的菜单，乍一看还以为是一幅漂亮的书法画作。餐桌也是由古色古香的原木打造的，把店内的各式装饰融合起来看，确实别有一番风味。
热腾腾香喷喷的牛肉面上桌，这盘极品红烧牛肉面以套餐盘的形式来到桌上，秀色可餐。盘子里纸条上还贴心的提示了面的吃法，首先要尝一口原味汤头，再把2或3勺汤匙的红烧浓汁加入面里，夹些面条到小碗里，拌上红烧汤头，再添加些酸菜拌匀，搭配红烧浓汁里的鲜嫩肉块，就可以尽情享用了。虽然第一次用这样的方式吃面，但是尝过之后才发现，这真是红烧牛肉面最极致的吃法。如果喜欢口味重，还可以加点店里特调的辣酱。我吃的津津有味，完全停不下来，真是让人满足的一餐享受。吃完了够味带劲的牛肉面，我又继续沿着街走，尝了路边百喝不厌的水果茶，凉爽清新的感觉扑面而来，让人欢喜的不得了。
吃过美食之后，我还想找一家甜品吃一吃。这家成都杨桃冰吸引了我的注意，这家店创立于1966年，已经有40多年的历史了。有趣的是，这么多年这家店一直保持着最初的模样，连卖的甜品也只有杨桃冰，李梅冰和凤梨冰。为了保持食物的品质，让杨桃和酸梅入味，这些人工采摘的优质食材需要酿制3个月才能卖。老板递给我菠萝图案的小碗，晶莹剔透的杨桃藏在碎冰下面，尝了一口，才发现这纯天然的新鲜滋味是真的，尝不出一点人工色素和香料的影子，口里只有杨桃纯粹的沁凉滋味，齿颊留香，妙不可言。在炎热干渴的温度里，一碗透心凉的杨桃冰纾解了我一整天的乏累和疲劳。夜幕下的西门町散发着迷人的魅力，今天的台湾美食之旅就要告于段落了，希望大家享受这里的美味佳肴，之后还有更多的美食故事想要和大家分享。