Hsiao Hsiang Ting (小巷亭)
8, Lane 250, Nanking W. Rd.; tel: 2555-2386, 2558-7258. 11:30am to 9:30pm. Credit cards not accepted. Average meal for two: NT$500.
Ever feel intimidated about going into a Japanese restaurant because you didn't know how to order? Hsiao Hsiang Ting has resolved that problem by the simple expedient of having the food on display. After all, it started out as a stall, and has simply grown backward up the ally, taking over shop-front space in the process.
Chen Te-cheng (陳德誠) came back to Taiwan from Osaka more than 20 years ago with the idea of setting up a food stall selling o-den (黑輪) and miso soup. Now his "stall," which has seating for more than 100, provides a wide range of Japanese standards, from futomaki (壽司) to shrimp or asparagus rolls (手捲) and sashimi (生魚片). Chen was one of the first people to make Japanese food self-service, keeping down costs and letting people see the food before they order.
Chen's "stall" attracts local office workers as well as the blue-collar crowd. Its menu makes it equally suitable for a quick snack or a long lunch over beer and sake. The stall is constantly restocked, so you can keep on going back for more. Chen says he provides good solid food - nothing fancy - but for all the "stall" appearance, he is insistent that hygiene standards are maintained. His section of the street is extremely clean by any standards, and is quite remarkable in this old part of town.
Chin Chun Fa Beef Shop (金春發牛肉店)
20 Tienshui Rd.; tel: 2558-9835. 11:30am to 10:30pm. Credit cards not accepted. Average meal for two NT$300.
In business for over 100 years, Chin Chun Fa provides the total beef experience. It is not to be confused with the ubiquitous beef noodle shop, as Chen Yi-yin (陳義寅), the third generation owner of the shop, is eager to emphasize. Although Chin Chun Fa does serve beef noodles, regular customers usually order beef soup, fried beef and rice. The beef soup is one of the restaurant's specialties, a clear broth with ginger. "It is straight beef soup, with no extra flavorings," Chen said. Other popular features of Chin Chun Fa are its fried beef noodles and fried beef, both flavored with curry. "This is unique to us," Chen said.
To say that Chin Chun Fa provides the total beef experience is meant quite literally. All parts of the animal are served, and the restaurant is particularly well known for its beef ball - the real thing - these are testicles, fried up and served. Tripe, tendon and intestines are also on the menu, the cold plate of white tripe and sliced tendon coming particularly highly recommended.
The shop has been in the area of the roundabout since it first opened and has been on Tienshui Road for 30 years, becoming a local fixture. It has been recognized by the Taipei City government as a 100 year store, a fact that confers considerable prestige, and a true indication that good food never goes out of fashion.
Lao Shan Tung Beef Noodles (老山東牛肉麵)
The Nanking East Road Roundabout. Credit cards not accepted. Average meal for two: NT$200
Beef noodles are a staple of Taipei dining. A beef noodle store can be found on almost every street corner, but each establishment has its own way of preparing this dish. Beef noodles have varied origins from all across northern China, and Lao Shan Tung makes a broad claim to derive from Shantung Province on China's northeastern seaboard.
However, whatever its origins, the main attraction to Lao Shan Tung is that it makes its own noodles, a thing that fewer and fewer places are doing these days. For connoisseurs, the test of a quality noodle is in its chewiness, its ability to retain an al dente feel in the soup. Lao Shan Tung's noodles incorporate this quality with a silky smoothness that makes for a great meal.
The noodles are served in brown soup heavily laden with spices. But despite the rich flavorings, the taste of the original beef broth still comes through. The beef itself, after long cooking, falls apart in your mouth, the tendon reduced to a jelly that slithers across your tongue. This may not be fine dining, but it has the intense flavor that street food should. And located in the roundabout, it lets you see Taiwan's grassroots culinary culture in the raw.
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