Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle

Chef Hung does it right...

I first heard (or rather, read) about this popular tbn (taiwanese beef noodle) joint from reading food blogs and other blogs alike.  It recently opened up in Aberdeen Centre (Richmond) and has since, garnered rave reviews from bloggers (although there are those who talked about it being overrated).  Apparently, Chef Hung has won a (or several?) 'taiwanese beef noodle competitions' in Taiwan. I've also heard from a friend that there are a number of tbn competitions in Taiwan (and thus, may make Chef Hung's tbn less significant than they really are).  Regardless, I - being the tbn fan that I am - decided to venture out to Chef Hung's myself to have a taste of what the bustle was all about...

Food:

We started the meal off with our usual appetizers - the Marinated Pork Ear as well as the Beef Wrapped in Crispy Pancake.  I love the cold, marinated appies that the Taiwanese offer.  Although I must say that it doesn't sound the most appealing, pork ear is actually really good.  It's thinly sliced, marinated in a wonderful sweet, soy-saucy type of sauce, and garnished/topped off with cilantro.  I love the crunch you get chewing on the cartilage, too. I know, doesn't sound very appetizing, but you just have to try it before making any sort of judgments :).  The Beef Crispy Pancake was good, too.  Tightly packed with a generous amount of nicely-thinned marinated beef, a bit of green onions as well as julienne strips of crish, fresh cucumber.  The portion was generous (7 tightly-packed pieces).  Our only complaint was the lack of hoisin sauce.  We asked for a side of hoisin sauce and the problem was quickly solved! :)  We also had the Pan Fried Grounded Pork Cake.  The flour-doughy covering (what do you call that?) was very fresh-tasting (made in-house), while the filling (grounded pork) was juicy and delicious.

As for mains, I was told, by one of my fellow dining companions, that it was the Champignon Beef Shank with Noodle in Spicy Soup that won (the competition). Stupid me didn't sample this supposed award-winning bowl, but was told that it was goood.  I had the Beef Tendon, Tripe (and Shank) in Noodle Soup (I love all edible parts of the cow).  The soup base was very good - I don't quite know how to describe it, but should mention that there was a bit of herbal taste/aroma to it. Maybe it's what characterizes Chef Hung's tbn soups from others  The beef shank was very tender.  We were also given a choice of noodles - flat or thin.  I opted for the traditional flat noodles.  They were done al dente and "justttt right"(to quote Goldilocks, lol) 

We also had the Braised Beef Shank on Rice, which was probably the least popular of the dishes as we thought that there was too much rice.  The beef shank, once again was excellent and as tender as can be.

I should also mention that the drinks were good too.  Even the pearls were chewy and of good quality. We had a Pearl Milk Tea, as well as a Honey Green Tea.

Service:

Friendly and prompt.  Not much verbal communication though.

Value:

At $10.95 for a bowl of soup, the price is a little steep (fine, a lot more steep) compared to other Taiwanese joints.  It's worth a try though! Side items and drinks were on par with typical places alike.

Ambience:

Not worthy of praise nor complaints. Decent.

Overall: 7.8/10

Yay:  Located in a mall - could be convenient if you want to get some shopping done. Great beef noodles.

Nay:  Line ups usually (20 mins or so come peak dinner/lunch times, from what I've heard).  Steep prices for the noodle soups.