There are perhaps only a handful of beef noodle restaurants in Taipei that are worth driving across town for, and Lao Shan Dong is one of them. The restaurant is buried in an alley behind Hsimenting's Ambassador
Unlike many watered down variations of Shandong cooking across Taipei, Lao Shan Dong has maintained its pedigree. The restaurant was founded 53 years ago by a Mr Kan, who arrived from China with a pregnant wife, spent his last bit of money to buy a few pots and pans, a sack of flour and a street stall. The restaurant is now in the second generation, but the recipes haven't changed.
PHOTO: DAVID FRAZIER, TAIPEI TIMES
The Shandong style of noodle making, when done correctly, produces wide flour noodles with a marvelous texture. The first step is kneading the dough and rolling it out flat and relatively thin. This giant flat square is then rolled into a giant roll, but a thin coat of flour keeps the spiraling doughy rings from sticking together. Then cross-sections about 2cm wide are cut off and unraveled, forming the individual noodles.
Lao Shan Dong's beef and broth are prepared with equal care. The restaurant prefers to use Taiwan beef as it is slaughtered fresh daily, unlike imported beef, and provides a better, fresher flavor. Through more than half a century, the kitchen has also refrained from incorporating any unnatural additives or preservatives into any of the dishes.
Perhaps the most singular bowl of noodles Lao Shan Dong offers is its dry noodles in sauce
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