Wang's Beef Noodle House

To start off, I wouldn't say I am a die-hard fan of noodle soups per se (trust me, I know some people who just loooove noodles in soup!) but I do occasionally enjoy delving into a nice, steaming, heaping bowl of homemade Pho :), a spicy bowl of Bun Bo Hue...or a hot and savoury bowl of laksa (only from Bo's Laksa, of course)

Adding to that list of 'enjoyable savoury noodle soups' is of course the Taiwanese's very own version of beef noodle soup, also known as TBN (an acronym that I have acquired from some local food bloggers).  Their version generally consists of stewed beef, beef broth, noodles (either thick or thin), with various ingredients such as: star anise, white pepper, green onions, etc that is added to the flavouring of the soup.  Different variations of tbn also exist in the form of spicy, tomato, garlic and a herbal broth.

TBN

From Corner 23 to Bubble World to Tri-ty to The One,  I have frequented a fair share of bubble tea joints, (as well as Taiwanese eateries) and thus have sampled, tasted and devoured quite a number of tbns! Each bowl differed from the previous one in terms of the spiciness level, degree of stewed flavour, sweetness, amount of beef present, types of noodle(s) available, etc.  After recently reading about Wang's Beef Noodle House, a d.c of mine trekked out to the other side of town for our very own experience...

Food:

Marinated Pork Ears

My dining companion and I both decided on the usual picks: Marinated Pork Ear, Pork Potstickers, Beef Roll (Sliced Beef in Chinese Pancake) and we shared a large bowl of their Spicy Beef Noodle Soup.  The marinated pork ear (served cold) was a good starter - loved the crunchiness of the cartilage, chewy bits of the ear (I know, doesn't sound too appetizing but trust me, it`s good) and the sweet flavours of the accompanying sauce.  We also thoroughly enjoyed the homemade pork potstickers (prepared in a longer shape similar to the ones that Corner 23 serves) as well as the Beef Roll (though it was a little dry - but tasted really good when dipped into the same sweet soy sauce accompanying the potstickers).  As for the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup, we chose the thick (flat) noodles (as usual).  The heavily-stewed broth tasted and smelt divine, though I would've liked it a tad bit spicier.  The chunks of beef were huge and deliciously tender.  It was also topped off with specks of green onion and pickled vegetables, which I loved.

Beef Roll (Sliced Beef in Chinese Pancake)

Service:

Speedy and friendly, some English speaking servers

Value:

Fair

Ambience:

No real decor or ambience here - just a place to dine and go!

Overall: 8.10

Yay:  Come here for an authentic and delicious bowl of TBN, as well as crispy and tasty homemade pork potsickers

Nay:  Cash only





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.