Many of the first-time customers at Matsu Noodles Shop try to order "Matsu noodles," which they suppose is a type of noodles indigenous to the Matsu archipelago, one of Taiwan's outlying islands. There are in fact no Matsu-style noodles here and the name of the eatery was thought up ad hoc by its proprietress who happened to come from Matsu.
Located in a quieter section of Liaoning Street Night Market, the two-floor eatery is always crowded with all kinds of customers. Since opening over 10 years ago, the proprietress' family has pushed its business hours further and further into the night, finally opening 24 hours. Two years ago, it even expanded to include a neighboring two-floor space, which offers lunch boxes and rice dishes as well as noodles.
Matsu's noodles -- with pork sauce, sesame sauce, wonton, or sha-cha sauce -- do not sound much different from the menus of noodles stands everywhere, but their homemade recipes create a particular flavor that you won't find elsewhere. The sauces have a strong taste without being too greasy or heavy. The pork sauce mixes pork with pickled cucumbers. Both are so finely minced and mixed that the sauce has a rich flavor and blends well with the noodles. The sesame is finely ground in the sesame sauce. It is strongly fragrant and much less sweet than the usual kind. The sha-cha sauce is not greasy but highly appetizing. With a little bit of chili-pepper sauce, it taste even better.
PHOTO: VICO LEE, TAIPEI TIMES
Matsu's homemade wontons are relatively large and firm. A special way of wrapping the filling prevents the pork inside from losing its flavor when the wontons are served in soup. Noodles with oil is somewhat similar to the better-known Fuchou dry noodles, with its light taste and use of vegetable oil. This is a good choice if you want to taste the original flavor of Matsu's Fuchou-style noodles. All the noodles mentioned here come in large, medium and small sizes (NT$40, NT$35 and NT$25).
With mixed soup (NT$50), you can have a sampling of all the items Matsu is best at: two Fuchou fish balls with a filling of tasty pre-fried fish, some wontons and a smooth-tasting boiled egg. The eatery also has several homemade side dishes. Pork leg (NT$50), tender and light-tasting, is the most popular.
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