Now that winter weather (well...kind of winter-ish) has descended upon Taipei, it's time to tuck into some beef noodle, one of my favorite Taiwanese dishes. Luckily there's a great spot in Tianmu that's delicious, trendy, and absolutely affordable. Called "Noodle Flat," it opened a few months ago and has an easy to figure out English menu.
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| Easy-to-read English menu |
Location: Just north of the intersection of Zhongshan N. Road and Dexing Road, Section 6 on the east side of the road. The outside is easy to spot as there is a plot of grass (strange I know) outside the front door.
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| Modern looking exterior plus grass that is looking a little worse for the wear... |
The dishes are simple and the menu isn't overwhelming. Jordan and I usually start with the mixed appetizer, which has a variety of traditional "small dishes" like tea eggs, seaweed, and pig ears. They also offer a bunch of different single dishes.
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| Mixed appetizer dish |
I would definitely recommend their beef noodle soup as the meat is very tender and flavorful. It isn't a spicy broth like some places, but they have all of the traditional condiments so you can add additional spice if that's your jam.
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| Yum...just looking at the beef makes me want to eat it NOW! |
They have two different dumpling offerings: traditional and xiao long bao. The regular dumplings are yummy but nothing super special. The xiao long bao, on the other hand, are really good. They don't beat out Din Tai Fung's (let's be honest, what place could??) but for half the price and no waiting in line, they're a great deal. I don't have a pic, but I promise they're worth it.
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| Traditional dumplings (a bit unceremoniously displayed on the plate) |
If you're not in the mood for beef noodle soup, but still want to try Noodle Flat, they have different types of noodle dishes as well. Plenty of choice for everyone! Therefore if you're in the 'Mu and feeling the need for something new, this is a perfect spot to fill your craving!
