Taiwan Beef Noodle Soup Tour Stop #5: 72 Beef Noodle Soup - 台灣牛肉麵導遊之五: 七十二牛肉麵 (Taipei, Taiwan)

七十二牛肉麵 (72 Beef Noodle Soup)

Yes, this is it! This is part 5, and the final chapter of my mini beef noodle soup tour of Taiwan. Although some of you guys might be sick of reading about beef noodle soup that's all the way in Taiwan, it was enjoyable for me to write about the cuisine from my home country. There's no way that I was going to end my tour without writing about my favorite beef noodle stop in Taipei.

七十二牛肉麵 (72 Beef Noodle Soup)

I was brought to 七十二牛肉麵 (I'll refer to it as 72 NRM (aka niu rou mian) on this post) by my friends on my second night in Taiwan. Already stuffed from an all you can eat hot pot lunch with my aunt and cousin and then snacks at KTV (Chinese karaoke), I was seriously questioning the idea of getting more food to eat. Yet, since I am on vacation, that doubt quickly dissipated, especially when I saw all the cow bones hanging outside. Oh ya, I thought to myself, this shit is going to be good.

七十二牛肉麵 (72 Beef Noodle Soup)

The interior was clean and quaint. And for all those that are afraid of the heat, like myself, this place does have air conditioning.

招牌牛滷花干 (Niu Lu Hua Gan)

We were first given this small bowl of the restaurant's famous 牛滷花干. Frankly, I don't know what's the best way to translate this thing other than the fact the items were stewed in the beef broth. Tender, beefy, and delicious. We were given this for me to test the broth, as the actual 牛滷花干 was actually sold out and this was the remaining batch they had left that night.

皮蛋豆腐 - (Thousand Year Old Egg Tofu - Pi Dan Dofu)

Yup, another beef noodle soup place, another order of the thousand year old egg tofu side dish. As I've said, I love this stuff!

乾拌牛肉麵 (Dry Beef Noodle Soup - Gan Ban Niu Rou Mian)

While  I don't normally order the dry version of the beef noodle soup, I was told the version here was fantastic. True to their word, it was delicious. We ordered two bowls of the dry beef noodle soup and chose each of the two broth offered. While I've mentioned before that I've generally passed on the clear broth with regards to beef noodle soup, the version at 72NRM was phenomenal. In fact, I liked it a lot more than the soy sauce braised version. It was rich, beefy, and yet, subtle enough you could drink 2-3 bowls worth of the broth.

清燉牛肉麵 (Clear Broth Beef Noodle Soup - Qin Doun Niu Rou Mian)

Yup, more of this amazing broth. It reminded me of the Korean Oxtail Soup (gomtang), but better. Also, instead of having the beef in chunks, we were served thick sliced beef. The beef itself was tender and flavorful. This was a delicious bowl of beef noodle soup.

紅燒牛肉麵 (Beef Noodle Soup - Hong Shao Niu Rou Mian)

This might be something most are used to seeing. The dark beefy broth was quite nice, but comes second to the clear version. Although a delicious bowl, I personally prefer the clear broth version.

七十二牛肉麵

I liked this place so much I had to make a return visit before my flight back to Los Angeles.

七十二牛肉麵

Since 72NRM was a 15min walk from my aunt's house, I decided to work up an appetite and walked over for my last meal in Taiwan.

招牌牛滷花干 (Niu Lu Hua Gan)

Since what I had previously wasn't the exact dish since they ran out of a few of the items to make this, I had to order this. Again, it was delicious. Beefy, tender, cooked in that beautiful broth.

炒滷味 (Stir Fried Stewed Combo - Chao Lu Wei)

This is their signature side dish, 炒滷味. Basically it's a mix of the stewed items, but stir fried in chili oil. So. Fucking. Good. This is a must order! Add a bit more of the bone marrow chili sauce that's provided, it's off the hook. Yes, I said bone marrow chili sauce! This would go SO well with an ice cold beer!

乾拌牛肉麵 (Dry Beef Noodle Soup - Gan Ban Niu Rou Mian)

What did I order? I went with my favorite from the previous visit: dry beef noodles with a side of clear broth. Again, it was delicious.

七十二牛肉麵

72 NRM is a place I'll return over and over again. It has become my favorite beef noodle place in Taipei. It's a place I'd recommend to family and friends (which I did here). The 72 from 72NRM meant the 72 hours the shop takes to make its beef broth. The pain staking process of making their broth were shown beautifully in each of their bowls served to their customers. Although everyone has their favorites in Taipei, 72 NRM has become mine. Trust the Panda, eat at 72NRM!

If you can read Chinese, this and this were great posts on 72 NRM.

Rating 5 out of 5

七十二牛肉麵 (72 NRM)
台北市大安區 (Taipei City, Da An District)
建國南路一段188號‎ (Jin Guo S. Rd, Section 1, No. 188)
Phone: (02) 2752-5970‎


View Larger Map

Taiwan Beef Noodle Soup Tour Stop #4: Yong Kang Beef Noodle - 台灣牛肉麵導遊之四: 永康牛肉麵 (Taipei, Taiwan)

永康牛肉麵 (Yong Kang Beef Noodle)

As I start on the fourth installment of my beef noodle tour of Taipei, no trip is complete without dining at the famous Yong Kang Beef Noodle. While Din Tai Fung lay claim to the soup dumplings, around the corner, Yong Kang Beef Noodle has been serving patrons since 1963. I've eaten at Yong Kang Beef Noodle on my previous trips to Taiwan, and while I left unimpressed, I'm hoping this trip would change my tune about this tourist institution.

永康牛肉麵 (Yong Kang Beef Noodle)

Like with Din Tai Fung,the menu posted outside are also in English and Japanese. Taiwan generally attracts a good number of Japanese tourists, thus it's not surprising to have the menu in all three languages.

皮蛋豆腐 (Thousand Year Old Egg Tofu - Pi Dan Dofu)

Again, I had to order the Thousand year old egg tofu (皮蛋豆腐). Since it's something I make for myself here in the States, it's pretty hard to mess this one up. Let's move on to the main attraction, the beef noodle soup.

酸菜 (Sour Mustard Greens - Suan Cai)

The sour mustard greens are an essential part of any beef noodle soup in Taiwan. You always put it in your bowl to taste, I generally put at least 2-3 spoonful of this stuff.

紅燒半筋半肉牛肉麵 (Half Tendon Half Beef Noodle Soup - Ban Jin Ban Rou Niu Rou Mian)

Finally, the main attraction, the beef noodle soup. This time I went with the half tendon, half meat beef noodle soup. The beefy, oily, and spicy bowl was just okay, it definitely not my favorite. The noodle to me was a bit lacking and the portion size was fairly small for what we were served. In fact, none of us at the table were that impressed by it. At 200 NT ($6-7) for a large bowl of beef noodle soup, I just expected more. Sadly, what I received was the worst bowl of beef noodle soup I've had in Taiwan.

永康牛肉麵

Like with the other tourist trap around the corner (Din Tai Fung), it's safe to say I won't bother with either restaurants in Taiwan and in the case of Din Tai Fung, in Arcadia. At Yong Kang, there's a steady wait, even on this rainy night in Taipei. The food in general was quite average, the prices were high. In the end, it's just not worth a return visit for me. Like with DTF Yong Kang only attracts suckers who were willing to pay a premium for an old namesake. In the case of this particular night, I was that sucker. Now I really know why I didn't care for this place years ago. Skip this place, skip the line, you're better off eating a bowl of instant beef noodle soup.

Yong Kang Beef Noodle = Fail
And my last dig at Din Tai Fung: DTF = Double Fail!

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

台北市 (Taipei City)
金山南路二段31巷17號 (Jin San Road S, No.17, Lane 31, Section 2)
Phone: (02)2351-1051


View Larger Map

Taiwan Beef Noodle Soup Tour Stop #3: NRM-ing around YongHe - 台灣牛肉麵導遊之三: 永和的牛肉麵﹕鼎記和老黃牛肉麵 (Taipei, Taiwan)

鼎記 (Ding Ji)

Although I was born and raised in Taipei city, the area I've become quite familiar with has been 永和 (YongHe District), which is located outside the city limited in an area known as Taipei County. Since most of my family lives in this area (which means it's the area I tend stay at when I'm back in Taiwan), I've had opportunity to explore YongHe. For some that area familiar with YongHe, this is the area that's popular for its soymilk (永和豆漿) and the famous breakfast joint (永和豆漿王). This post however will visit two of the local Beef Noodle Soup shops I frequently visited during my trips back home to Taiwan.

Ding Ji (鼎記) as the sign on the door states on the first picture, are known for their 刀削麵 (knife cut noodles, dao xiao mian). I used to eat here quite frequently since my great-grandmother's care home was a few buildings down, which was the main reason I even noticed this shop in the first place. This time I made a special trip back to eat at Ding Ji.

小菜 (Side Dish)

At any beef noodle place, you're likely to find 5-10 different side dishes to choose from. They're usually priced around 30NT ($1) and goes great with the bowl of soup noodles. The one above shown above is my personal favorite, though the name in Chinese escapes me at this time. It's basically marinated tofu strips with celery strips and wood mushroom. It's simple, yet delicious.

炒刀削麵 (Stir Fried Knife Cut Noodles)

This is something I've had at Ding Ji a few times. You can actually find this at a lot of noodle shops around the world, especially in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles. Although chow mein isn't something I'd usually order at a restaurant, I love the texture of the noodle here. Great texture and bite from the knife cut noodles were key parts to make this plate of noodles work.

清燉牛肉麵 (Clear Beef Noodle Soup - qing dun niu rou mian)

The clear beef noodle soup isn't my cup of tea, but my mom prefers this version as it's lighter and perhaps healthier. The version here is fine, but for me, I consider it a bit bland. Though I consider most clear beef noodle soup bland (except for one place, which I'll post later).

紅燒牛肉麵 (Beef Noodle Soup - hong shao niu rou mian)

This was more like it. I personally prefer a more bolder, "beefier" taste in my beef noodle soup. Although the broth and the beef itself were not my favorites compared to all the other places, I just love the noodles, which was probably the reason I've been eating here for the past 6-7 years. It's hard to go wrong with a great bite in your bowl of beef noodle soup.

Apparently Ding Ji is Strongly Recommended by These Publications

Although Ding Ji isn't my favorite place to get my bowl of Beef Noodle Soup, I personally love knife cut noodles and would probably return here on my next visit back to Taiwan. I guess over the years, I've had some good memories here.

老黃牛肉麵 (Lao Huang Niu Rou Mian)

Lao Huang NRM is probably my favorite place to get a bowl of beef noodle soup in YongHe these days. Conveniently located across the Ding Xi MRT Train Station, I seemingly always stop in when I'm in the area, which was quite often. As noted on the pictures above, the prices ranges between 90-110NT ($3-4) as the large bowl tops out at 110NT. There were 4 noodle choices, but I only get the 家常 (Jia Chang) option, which were the thickest noodle available, similar to the knife cut variety.

小菜 (Side Dishes)

As I mentioned earlier, these side dishes are usually great complements to a bowl of beef noodle soup. The ones we ordered on the top pictures were (from left): beef tripe, seaweed, and another one of my favorites, thousand year old egg tofu (皮蛋豆腐). I just love the bold flavors of the thousand year old egg, along with the silken tofu and the soy sauce paste, it's quite delicious.

紅燒牛肉麵 (Beef Noodle Soup - hong shao niu rou mian)

Now this is what I'm talking about! This bowl had great broth and noodles, and of course, tender pieces of beef, lots of it! Add some of the mustard greens provided 酸菜 (not pictured), you have yourself a fantastic bowl of Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup!

Between the two shops in YongHe, I do prefer Old Huang a bit more, but both are great stops to fulfill your beef noodle soup cravings. Though in terms of location, price, flavors, I have to give my personally recommendation to Old Huang Beef Noodle Soup. Just watch out for the line during lunchtime! And to those that hate communal tables and sitting with strangers, good luck with Old Huang NRM. Just sit down with stranger next to you, don't mingle, just eat your delicious bowl of beef noodle soup!

Ding Ji (鼎記)

Rating 3.5 out of 5

台北縣永和市 (Taipei County, YounHe City)
中正路 576 號 (Zhong Zhen Road, #576)
Phone: (02)2923-2314


View Larger Map

Old Huang Beef Noodle Soup (老黃牛肉麵)

Rating 4 out of 5

台北縣永和市 (Taipei County, YongHe City)
信義路10號 (Xin Yi Road #10)
Phone: (02)2924-2781
Hours of Operation: 11:20AM - 7:30PM, Closed Sundays


View Larger Map

Taiwan Beef Noodle Soup Tour Stop #2: Lao Shan Dong Homemade Noodles - 台灣牛肉麵導遊之二: 老山東牛肉家常麵店 (Taipei, Taiwan)

Lao Shan Dong Homemade Noodles (老山東牛肉家常麵店)

Lao Shan Dong, as the picture above shows, was established back in 1949. Located in the basement of Wan Nian Shopping Center (萬年大樓), in heart of the XiMenDing (西門盯), a popular area of Taipei, it's been under the same ownership since the very beginning. While the restaurant has been handed down through the generations, the quality of the food remained consistent. I've eaten at Lao Shan Dong as a kid growing up in Taiwan, and have continued to patron here during my yearly trips back to Taiwan. This past visit was no exception, as Lao Shan Dong is one of my family's favorite place to eat beef noodle soup in Taipei.

The Owner and Her Crew Making Dumplings

Why do we go back so often? Well, as you can see here, everything from the noodles to the dumplings are handmade. Also, the owners were originally from the ShanDong Province (山東省) much like my mom's side of the family, thus it's definitely flavors they're used to. Above, the owner (in yellow) was chatting with my mom and aunt.

Pork Gelatin - rou dong (肉凍)

This is a must order item at Lao Shan Dong. Loosely translated by me as pork gelatin, or 肉凍 in Chinese, this gelatinous' primary ingredient is pork skin. Thus, I've probably turned off most of the readers, but if you're one that enjoys pork skin, this pork gelatin is fantastic. You'll get a bit of meat, a lot of skin, and add a bit of chili paste and thick soy sauce (醬膏), it's delicious.

Beancurd - dou fu gan (涼拌豆腐乾)

This is a staple at most beef noodle soup places. You really can't go wrong with a delicious plate of beancurd to go along with a bowl of beef noodle soup.

Dumplings - Suai Jiao (水餃)

If you're eating at any Shandong-nese establishment, it's a sin by not ordering a plate of dumplings. The owner told us that they get the skin specially made by this one guy for the past forty plus years and there hasn't been a change in the family recipe since the inception of the restaurant back in 1949. The chive and pork dumplings were juicy and delicious. I'd highly recommend it.

Beef Noodle Soup - hong shao niu rou mian (紅燒牛肉麵)

The broth and the noodles were the definite stars of this bowl. The richness of the beef broth was evident and its oils were quite flagrant, yet not too intense. The noodles were of the knife cut variety, my favorite. The beef was plentiful and tender. All in all, it was just a wonderful bowl of beef noodle soup for me, and this is easily a top 3 bowl of beef noodle soup in my book. I can't wait to go back for another bowl of this stuff later on this year!

Lao Shan Dong (老山東牛肉家常麵店)

Lao Shan Dong has made a few changes since its inception back in 1949. While the restaurant has gone through a few interior makeovers, the food, thankfully, has not. My family has been eating here before I was even born. I mean, if this is a place where both my mom and I both approve of, can you pass on this? There are a lot of good stuff on the menu, but don't pass on the pork gelatin, dumplings and the beef noodle soup!

Lao Shan Dong (老山東牛肉家常麵店)

在萬年大樓地下室的老山東﹐這理的牛肉麵真的很好吃。我在看他們包餃子﹐桿麵條﹐
全部都是手工。而且假如你去老山東﹐你一定要點他們有名的肉凍。那個肉凍又Q又
爽口。冰冰涼涼的真好吃﹗它們的牛肉麵真的不賴。麵QQ的﹐牛肉湯的香也很吸引
人。我的家人在這裡已經吃了幾十年了﹐你也試試看吧﹗

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Lao Shan Dong Homemade Noodles (老山東牛肉家常麵店)
Wan Nian Shopping Center, Basement Level #15  (萬年商業大樓地下室 #15)
Xi Ning South Rd #70,Taipei, Taiwan  (台北市西寧南路70號 )
Phone: (02) 2389-1216

View Larger Map