When the weather turns cold, nothing beats sipping a hot soup from a bowl of Taiwanese beef noodles. As the temperatures continue to drop in Taipei, locals and international visitors need a quick relief from the chilly atmosphere. Most people will go to their favorite restaurants. Of the many eateries offering the same kind of local food, there are stalls that stood the test of time. Liu Shandong is one of them and I went there to taste their specialty, the braised beef noodle soup.
Hidden in one of the corners in Taipei. The restaurant is located at the intersection of Lane 23, Section 1, Chongqing South Road and Lane 14, Section 1, Kaifeng Street. One would be surprised to see the famous Liu Shandong filled with customers and with a long queue even though it is not visible from the major roads in the city. I was amazed to discover that there are still places in the city that hasn’t changed at all. Just a short walk from Taipei Main Station and amidst the tall buildings and shopping malls, a community coexists with its narrow alleys.
To get to Lui Shandong, one must board the Taipei MRT, get off at Taipei Main Station and then look for Exit Z6 or Z8. The “Big Maze” might confuse first-time visitors on where to find the exit inside the Station Front Metro Mall. To make life easier, tourists can just go to Exit M5 and then cross the street to find the alley where the restaurant is located. A Google Map app on my smartphone helped me find my way. Haha!
First-come, first-serve. Open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm from Monday to Saturday, Lui Shandong has lots of customers during lunch time. With the thousands of employees looking for something to eat at noon, people make a long line just to have a seat and have their orders taken. Knowing this fact, I went to the shop at 3:00 pm in the afternoon. The restaurant was still busy but there were empty seats where I can sit comfortably.
Can’t speak Chinese? No problem, they have an English menu with Japanese and Korean text to help international visitors choose the kind of noodles that they want to eat. The braised beef noodles was my first choice coupled with my side dishes, the pure braised beef, and pita bread. I waited for five minutes for these food to be served on my table. A few more minutes of waiting and my beef noodles had finally arrived.
Thick noodles with floating dark-colored slices of beef. Its invigorating soup is perfect for the rainy weather in Taipei. I stared at my bowl of Braised Beef Noodles for a few seconds. Wanting to know the difference with the “pure braised beef” on the saucer, I grabbed one from the tiny plate and compared it to the braised beef on my noodle soup.
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| braised beef |
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| pure braised beef |
The “braised beef” has all the flavors and aroma of the soup while the slices of “pure braised beef” tasted like it was just boiled. The delicious taste of the braised beef made it easy for me to eat all it. Without noticing that they were all gone, the pure braised beef sidedish helped replenish the meat on the noodle soup.
I also enjoyed eating the Pita bread especially when I dipped them in the soup. I just let them get soaked together with the thick noodles so they would become soft and easier to eat. It was not a typical bread that you put directly in your mouth. On the English menu, you can order beef noodles with the already soaked bread on it. It was really meant to those people whose stomachs are not yet satisfied with the thick noodles. Speaking of the noodles, they were the chunkiest that I have ever seen and they are definitely handmade by the owners of the shop.
What’s my verdict? A perfect 5 out of 5 luomujie stars. Comparing it with a bowl of beef noodles that you can buy in the food court in Taipei Main Station, it won’t have a match against the food cooked at Liu Shandong.
Since 1951. Seven decades and counting… Time and time again, it will always be hailed as one of the best beef noodles in Taipei.
Since 1951. Seven decades and counting… Time and time again, it will always be hailed as one of the best beef noodles in Taipei.
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Liu Shandong Beef Noodles (劉山東牛肉麵)
address: No. 2號, Lane 14, Section 1, Kaifeng St, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, 100
open: 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Monday to Saturday
[Google Map]
How to get here: MRT Taipei Main Station (Blue Line/Red Line) -> Exit Z6 [Google Map] or Exit Z8 [Google Map] -> walk to the restaurant
My order:
Total: NTD 270
My rating: 5 out of 5 luomujie stars
| Rapsa is a slang for the Filipino word "sarap" which means delicious. Delicious -> sarap -> "rapsa" (inverted syllable order). The Rapsa Edition of the "My Beloved Taipei" Travel Series will take readers to the tastiest and yummiest foods in Taipei. Get to know the best desserts and local delicacies that Taiwan's capital has to offer, through this subprogram of the luomujie blog. |
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