Lao Dong Beef Noodle-Taipei

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Why the hell do they only have tissues for napkins in Taiwan? You need like a whole pack t get you through the meal

Beef Noodle Soup has to be the national dish of Taiwan, I mean, there is a festival devoted to it. Sure we all know about Baos (via Momofuku and a Korean perspective at that) but Beef Noodle Soup is what you need to get before leaving here. I already tried Yong Kang but just like 'cue in the South, there are different styles and variations to Beef Noodle Soup in Taiwan.
Lao Dong Beef Noodle is another notable place to get Beef Noodle Soup, specifically the one in the Banciao District. Though they have a couple of locations, it is still a popular place and quality does not suffer at all. One thing that makes their beef noodle soup stand out is that they do it with tomatoes in the broth. Since my family is not crazy like me and cannot handle so much Beef Noodle Soup in repetition, they ordered a variation, that was the basic beef broth with rice noodles, tripe and fried tofu.

I like these little cases that these places have that have xiao chi that are all nicely lined up and you can just take what you want and bring it back to your table and chow down. I guess the little fat kid in my thinks of it as a mini buffet. I cannot say how long it has been sitting in the case, but it looked and tasted fresh enough and I generally stick to tofu or seaweed choices.

Beef Noodle Soup remix-rice noodles, tripe and tofu

The rice noodle soup was beefy but not as rich as the one at Yong Kang Beef Noodle. the tripe was cooked right and the fried tofu acts like a sponge, and soaks up the broth resulting in beef-sopped tofu with each bite. Great bowl of noodles-but not beef noodle soup.

I got their notable tomato based beef noodle soup. First taste, you notice that it is sweeter and the beefiness of the broth is cut by this sweetness factor. Yong Kang beef broth is intense this broth is a bit more soothing but the addition of the tomatoes is a great layer of flavor to the noodle soup. The noodles here I thought were more "q"/chewy and i preferred the noodles here rather than the ones at Yong Kang. the beef pieces, soup braised were still flavorful and soft at the same time. Though I still prefer the Beef Noodle at Yong Kang, I would not say no to this one either. I can appreciate the variation on this style of Beef Noodle soup and I could not stop thinking how they say in every great Italian chef, there is a Chinese guy inside, this bowl of noodles flipped that one around.

Lao Dong Beef Noodle
No 4, Lane 421 Wenhua Road Section 1
Banciao, Taipei