japanese: INAKA UDON at SONGYAN ESLITE SPECTRUM

INAKA UDON
稻禾烏龍麵
at SONGYAN ESLITE SPECTRUM
No. 88 YangChang Rd.
信義區菸廠路88號
(02) 6636-5559

MRT: SYS Memorial Hall

website: Inaka Udon's FB page

hours: 11AM - 10PM

$-$$ Cash only

Kid friendliness: seating is first come, first serve.

Visit reviewed: 3/8/2014

Ever since people lined up for Marukame Udon at Mitsukoshi's food court, I've been seeing the self serve tempura cafeteria style udon outlets pop up everywhere. Inaka Udon at the newly opened Eslite Spectrum Songyan is very similar with its menu of assembly line hot and cold udons, tempura by piece offerings and popularity.

When the line is long, you can be entertained by watching the noodle maker pull and cut the udon at the front window.

So for first timers, you basically get in line, grab a tray and then grab whatever looks good while shuffling forward along the line. First are the drinks and cold appetizers. Skip the kimchi which on that day was a little sticky and off tasting. The seaweed salad was good though.

Then grab a plate or two and start getting your fried stuffs. I didn't realize until it was too late that they were out of tempura shrimp and I should have asked/waited for some, but I ended up grabbing some fried chicken skewers instead. 

At this point, you have to glance up at the menu and decipher the photos to see what you want to order before the people behind you get antsy. No English here, but hot udon soup choices range from tonkotsu pork broth, to curry, to the popular garlic beef (NT$100-160) or a cold udon with a dipping sauce (NT$90). I considered getting the mentaiko udon but the raw egg freaked me out a little. So I ended up with the curry udon (NT$130).

After you order, a flurry of scooping, pouring and condiments go together to make and hand you your bowl. You pay at the end and then find a seat in the food court area unless you already designated someone else in your group to lock down some seats first. 

Garlic beef udon (NT$160) has a nice flavor in the soup enhanced by the garlic, while the beef is mostly fat.

Cold udon (NT$90) is good for when the weather is hot and you just want to dip and slurp. I love the chewiness of cold udon, but this is a super bare bones version. For a more souped up version, you could consider the cold udon at Fu Yu Wu, or making your own like it by adding in tempura shrimp and soft boiled egg.

When I have time, I definitely want to do a little write up about Songyan Eslite's food court and the whole mall in general. If you get a chance, I'd recommend visiting it as well as the neighboring Songshan Cultural Park and the nearby alleys which have new cafes and shops popping up. This whole area is going to be insane when the new stadium is also open. 

OTHER LOCATIONS
No. 21, Lane 16, Zhongshan N. Rd Sec 2
台北市中山北路二段16巷21號
(02) 2536-2828

at Xinyi Eslite 誠品信義店
No. 11, Song Gao Rd, B2
台北市松高路11號B2捷運大街 
(02)2723-5252

Banqiao Eslite 誠品生活板橋店
No. 46, ZhongShan Rd, Sec. 1, B1
新北市板橋區中山路一段46號B1
(02)8953-5298

Tainan Shin Kong Mitsukoshi 新光三越台南小西門店
台南市西門路一段658-1號B2 
(06)213-6989

勤美誠品綠園道店
台中市公益路68號1F 
(04)2326-2186

taiwanese/beef noodle soup: i recommend PIN CHUAN LAN

 

PIN CHUAN LAN 品川蘭
No. 10, Alley 11, Lane 216, ZhongXiao E. Rd, Sec. 2,
台北市大安區忠孝東路四段216巷11弄10號
(02) 2721-7397

MRT: SYS Memorial Hall

website: Pin Chuan Lan's FB page

hours: 11AM - 9:30PM

$-$$

Kid friendliness:

Visit reviewed: 8/12/2014



When I'm in the states, I devour all the things I can't find here in Taipei. And when I return to Taipei, I return to all my Taiwanese favorites- shaved ice, dumplings, soy milk and shao bing you tiao, or anything that can be found at the night market.

So when I was invited to try out Pin Chuan Lan, the newest beef noodle soup shop to open up in Dong Qu, I couldn't resist.

In a prime location right across from the ZhongXiao Din Tai Fung, Pin Chuan Lan has a new, modern  feel to its decor, its menu and its presentation (almost similar to the red, black and wooden look of Japanese ramen spot Ippudo). 

The heart of the menu are the beef noodle soups, which can be ordered as spicy braised version, or the lighter clear broth. Diners can opt for beef shank, rib fingers, tendon, tripe or even rib eye steak. There's also pork chop noodle soup or chicken noodle soup for non-beef eaters, as well as spicy chili noodles, beef pancake rolls and a variety of side dishes such as spicy shredded pig ear or eggplants stuffed with ground pork. The stylish menu has some photos and both English and Chinese, as well as identifies where its beef is from with little flag symbols (US or Australian).

Lunch sets are available (it's the only part of the menu not in English).

Plum juiced tomatoes, spicy shredded pig ear and sweet taro (NT$60)- small appetizer dishes to start off the meal.

Eggplant stuffed with ground pork (NT$90) 

Chili pepper stuffed with ground pork (NT$90) 

Beef noodle soup with heel muscle (NT$210) - the beef heel shank is cut in wide, thick pieces with swirls of muscle that make the beef still chewy, even if the meat is tender. There's a good amount of beef for each bowl, though I'm in like, not love with this particular cut of beef for beef noodle soup.

Beef noodle soup with tendon, tripe and beef heel muscle (NT$260) if you want a little more depth and bite to your bowl. Everyone will look for different things for their ideal bowl of beef noodle soup. I enjoyed the tendon and the beef, while I prefer my noodles on the chubbier and springier side. 

A side by side look at the braised vs clear broth beef noodle soups...

The chili noodles definitely have a kick to them, and was a favorite at the table. 

I'd definitely order this again- I loved the flaky, chewy freshly made Chinese pancakes paired with shredded pork that were used to make your own wrap (NT$120/portion). I guess the process reminds me of when I was kid eating moo shu pork in the states.

Otherwise you could order the Chinese pancake with beef shank roll (NT$140) where the wrapping is already done for you- with layers of beef and chinese pancake rolled together with scallions for a perfect bite. Crunchy, chewy, savory and a bit sweet from the bean paste sauce.

Even though it's only been open for a few months, the dining room was almost full of diners slurping up bowls of noodle soup. Not everyone is willing to go to the old school spots for beef noodle, so this place is ideal for people looking for a newer version.

dessert/soft serve: HONEY CREME

HONEY CREME

No. 8, Lane 169, DunHua S. Rd, Sec. 1
台北市大安區敦化南路一段169巷8號D室
(02)2740-7070

MRT: ZhongXiao/DunHua

website: Honey Creme's FB 

hours: 11:30AM- 9:30PM, open until 10:30PM on weekends

$ (about NT$150/person)

Kid friendliness: kids will want their own cone/cup.

Visit reviewed: 3/5/2014

If Honey Creme had NT$150 for every person that was curious about their glistening honeycomb soft serve ice cream, then they'd be rich. I suppose that's the idea. A rebranded version of Softree's soft serve from Korea, Honey Creme had lines around the block early on when it opened and it was not even summer yet. Even when I went in drizzly gray March, there were people lingering and eating their cones outside, though you could just walk in and order your ice cream. Was it the honey comb? Was it the craze for everything Korean because of the Korean soap You Who Came From the Stars? Was it just because people in Taipei LOVE to wait in line?

With the soft serve wars going down in Taipei, you could opt for a cone at 7-11 or Family Mart that would be less than half the price and just as tasty (with Matcha, Mango, Strawberry or flavor of the moment), or at Godiva, Gakuden or maybe your neighboring bakery. But then you wouldn't have the honeycomb- is it worth the extra dinero? 

I think part of Honey Creme's success is the design of the store and elements- everything is so photogenic and instagrammable. After all, that is how I started seeing a flurry of photos of colorful cones stacked up high, piles of honeycomb under the glass counter and perfectly swirled vanilla topped with a mini honeycomb chip on instagram. Otherwise, who would choose to pay US$5 for ONE soft serve cone (outside a theme park or restaurant).?

 

You can get the ice cream in a cup or a cone, from NT$110 plain to NT$170 for the ice cream in a pastry like twist roll and honey comb. There's also options for organic (?!) cotton candy, chocolate beans, honey castella cake or dark chocolate sauce toppings. There's only one vanilla ice cream flavor to choose from, which is rich and milky, like the hokkaido milk soft serve I've tried from Costco, but less intense.

After you order and pay, the next server will make your order to deliver to the pick up window. I stuck to the classic Honey Comb in a cone (NT$150), which she expertly swirled high on the skinny colorful cone. 

A small chunk delicately set atop from a box of precut honeycombs.

The yellow cardboard cutout at the base of the cone is a great idea for catching melty drips that are bound to happen in the hot Taipei weather.

Finally!! I get to try it after seeing it for weeks on friends' timelines and instagrams. 

The honey itself had a nice flavor and sweetness, though I kind of wished there was a bit more of it. At Softree in Seoul, which I tried in March, they were actually out of the honeycombs (which they called honey chips) and so have an option where you just get honey. Obviously that's not as hard to replicate at home and not as cool looking, but to be honest the honeycomb itself was waxy and not edible. If you suck all the honey out, then it's a bit messy. At first, I tried chewing it expecting it to be a bit crunchy, but instead it was soft and waxy and then I had bits I had to spit out. So I'm glad I gave it a try, but it's too pricey to be a regular treat. 

Before I left for LA, I spotted a branch of the OG Softree from Korea opened up in Taipei at ATT4Fun with less fanfare (and no lines) so it's interesting how marketing (and branding) plays a factor into the success of a dessert shop. Honey Creme is definitely more pretty and enticing, while the Softree location looked less appetizing (even their honey chips were not as beautifully presented). I wouldn't have even noticed it except that I had recognized their signage from visiting the Korean Shop and researching them when Honey Creme had opened. Interesting to see if it will ever blow up in the same way.

But if it doesn't, we'll have Honey Creme to fulfill our honeycomb ice cream desires.