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Restaurants: Niu Dian (牛店)

Niu Dian is not imaginatively named, but it does what it says very well indeed. PHOTO: JULES QUARTLY, TAIPEI TIMES

Kunming Street in Ximending is, in parts, lit by those rotating blue, red and white barbershop signs that are not advertising haircuts. I was on my way to a restaurant that had won a national beef noodle prize and was reluctant to stop when a man started talking to me, thinking it was a tout offering a "massage" from one of these establishments.

"Don't eat there he said," pointing to the prize-winning noodle restaurant that had been in business for 50 years, "the best place in town is here."

While Niu Dian (Beef Shop) wasn't shabby on first glance, it wasn't imposing either. Even so, a quick look on either side of the street suggested Niu Dian was the busier of the two restaurants. To cut a long story short, eventually the man said if I did not think his friend's beef noodles were the best in town he would pay for the meal. It was such an unusual offer that I agreed ... and ended up paying.

The Han-style beef noodles was as good a bowl of the national dish as you will find. Connoisseurs will tell you that, like Japanese ramen, the broth should be sampled first. Made from beef bones and simmered over a gentle flame for 16 hours it looked like a consomme it was so clear and golden. It had a subtle rather than strong flavor. The Australian beef was sliced and slightly marbled. The small lumps of tendon were so tender they almost dissolved in the mouth, leaving a pleasant briny back taste. I am not a fan of stomach, but this was most palatable and easily chewed.

Restaurant Info Niu Dian (牛店) Address: 91 Kunming St, Taipei(台北市昆明街91號) Telephone: (02) 2389 5577 Open: Daily, from 11am to 10pm, except Mondays Average meal: NT$150 Details: English and Chinese menu

Most beef noodle fans keep it simple but owner Lin Kai (林凱) is a bit of a perfectionist. He offers three jars of homemade chili sauce, which vary in strength from mild to piping hot. The spicy oil is a specialty of the house, as it is made from marrow. Cold side dishes include soft peanuts, seaweed, marinated cucumber and sliced bamboo. For the adventurous there is tofu with thousand-year-old eggs.

Lin has been a chef since he was 14 and worked at the Westin, Shangri-La and Regent hotels. He has brought Western expertise to the art of beef noodle making. This is his first restaurant and is charmingly fitted in a simple manner, with solid, wooden tables and chairs and exposed brickwork. Though Lin has a good friend who loudly sings his praises, his beef noodle dish speaks for itself. 
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