太郎中華拉麵 純素 — Restaurant in Tainan

First off, I'm not sure where the reviewer has had vegan Japanese-style ramen in Taipei for NT$120: I've only tried standard Japanese-style ramen in Taipei for NT$250! I think NT$190 is quite reasonable even here in Southern Taiwan. Plus, the chashu ramen broth (a combination of soy milk and miso) was absolutely fantastic, and the vegan chashu slices are made from lion's mane mushroom (albiet they aren't made in-house). The ramen noodles tasted authentic (curly and chewy) and really hit the spot on a cool winter evening.

My dad arrived at 17:25 on a Friday to be at the start of the line for dinner service at 18:00. Around 17:30 was when more people started to arrive after him. Only seven bar seats are available with a narrow aisle behind them, but since the first eight diners came in pairs, one of them stood near the door with his dining companion and enjoyed his bowl of noodles that way. We also used tongs to grab a couple of oden items (average price: NT$35 each) displayed in bowls on the bar, which are cooked in a spicy broth and served to you separately from your noodles. The smoked yuba rolls were my favorite. We were out within 30 minutes to allow other diners to enjoy the ramen.

Ramen flavors vary depending on the day, and the staff will list the available options after you sit down. The ones available when we went were chashu ramen, soy sauce, yuzu pepper, and tomato miso (seasonal special, slightly more expensive option). You can also add vegan cheese for NT$30.

The interior decor will remind you of Japan in the 1980s, including the playlist.

Pro tip: in case you don't want to wait for a seat, we also found out that they do offer take-out if you...

Looking at the reviews on HappyCow, I can see someone else saying that if you know the place you know to order tofu with your ramen. I do not speak Chinese, there is no menu, so there was no way of my knowing that. So my comment remains that was no protein.

There is also no menu. Once you sit down at the 6 person bar, the owner tells you there is miso, soy or soy milk ramen and you can pick between sesame or truffle sauce. You don't know what else is in it or how much it costs.

I don't like operating blindly like this, and with two bowls of ramen with no sides or drinks coming to $430NTD I consider it both opaque in pricing and expensive. The taste is nice, it is delicious, and I liked that the noodles were cooked firmly. But I like knowing what I'm getting to and knowing what options I...

Very popular vegetarian ramen.

First thing the owner warned me to bewere of the place being vegetarian :)

The soup was very tasty, with nice chewy noodles and tasty add-ons.

Apparently different options every day. The owner speaks a bit of English and can broadly explain. Generally just know if you want "clear", "soy milk", or "spicy". I saw some appetizers being served, which was not explained to me, but that's alright.

Sitting in the tight room around the kitchen space provides a very cool ambience. Very traditional yet more special than just eating on the street. Also allows for a bit of air conditioning on the hot days, which helps when eating a hot soup.

Be prepared to wait a few minutes even outside of main meals, and longer during lunch and dinner. Worth a...