Taipei 101 - Yong Kang Beef Noodle

You can’t go to Taipei and not try the beef noodle - the most famous delicacy that Taiwan has to offer. Having done quite exhaustive research on the subject, we settled on Yong Kang Beef Noodle which comes highly recommended by local afficionadoes. Yong Kang Beef Noodle is located on Lane 31 Jinshan South Road, not far from Yong Kang Street - a popular local food haven with many great cafes and restaurants.

Beef Noodles may seem like a simple dish - but anyone who has tried to prepare a good stock knows the hard work and skills involved. That is why a lot of so called “Taiwanese Restaurants” outside of Taiwan serve very inferior versions of the dish - you simply cannot cut corners and still prepare a good bowl.

When we arrived at Yung Kang it was just before lunch. We were lucky to get some tables - as the restaurant started to fill up right after we arrived. 

They have two versions of beef noodles here - the traditional “Hong Shao” - braised beef noodles, and clear broth. We ordered both. The Hong Shao beef noodle was excellent. The broth was rich and beefy, with subtle hints of spices. The beef was of great quality - and meltingly tender. It was easily the best beef noodle I had tasted.

To my surprise, the clear broth noodles was even better then the “hong shao” version. Clear broth is even harder to perfect then hong shao as there is nowhere to hide. The quality of the ingredients must be top notch or the soup would not taste right. Their version here is simply outstanding -  very light and clean but with a very strong aroma of the beef. You are offered several cuts of beef - each with a unique texture. This was the stand out dish of our Taipei food sojourn.

 

Besides beef noodles, Yong Kang also serve many small side dishes which complement the main dishes. I especially liked the  anchovies with peanuts and chili.

If you are not into beef - they also have other noodles like the popular Pork Chop Noodles.

If you like beef noodles, you must give Yong Kang a try. It could be the highlight of your trip !