Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodles — Restaurant in Zhongshan District

I was eager to try the beef stew noodle soup at this new noodle shop, but unfortunately it fell short of expectations. The broth had a nice depth of flavor, with aromatics. However, the beef was a letdown in both texture and quality. The tendon was chewy to the point of being hard to chew, lacking the velvety texture it should have after long stewing. The beef also contained lots of gristle and small bone fragments that made eating tricky. Some pieces were downright tough, while other bits were nice and tender. The overall quality of the meat seemed inconsistent. For a stew that should be meltingly tender after hours of cooking, this one missed the mark. The noodles were also a bit too firm and it felt stiff for what I think was lacking the pleasing bite. While the broth showed promise, the poor beef quality and execution made this a disappointing bowl overall. For an authentic stew noodle soup, I would likely seek out other options next time in hopes of finding beef that is properly tender and boneless. This spot still has room for improvement when it comes to their namesake dish. I thought it was a bit weird that we are supposed to grab the chopsticks and spoons on our own, from where I was sitting it was across on the other side of them room… and the waitress only told me after my food arrived so I think this shop misses the mark from a conceptual point of view that I wasn’t able to enjoy the food as soon as it arrived at my table. Def room for improvement there too...

Taxi driver and a friend both recommended this restaurant as some of the best beef noodle soup in taipei so decided to give it a try. Went with a couple of friends around 6:30. Luckily as soon as we got into the queue, a line formed behind us of about 10 people. Heading upstairs to the seating area, you can see the kitchen where large, delicious pots of broth were being brewed to perfection.

I ordered the meat and tendon mix, large. The beef and tendons really were cooked to perfection. The flavor was on point, and it had the right amount of chew, not too tough and not too soft. The noodles were the right amount of texture, very Q. The beef really was exceptional. The broth was average for beef noodle soup. It had good flavor but tasted water down, or not as hearty as some other beef noodle soup broth I've tased in the past. There also wasn't any pickled mustard greens that traditionally come with beef noodle soups.

Something weird though, at the end of the meal they brought in a ladder and this guy started spraying this foamy stuff along the ceiling... with people still down below eating. I think it was a pest control spray. You can probably still see it up on the ceiling. Just weird they should be doing that stuff after hours.

For the beef noodles, especially the beef... I would...

Ordered 2 LARGE to go and got home and it was literally 3 pieces of tendon total for the tendon order. What a ripoff. 500 NT for 2 large orders. I should have checked the bag. 3 pieces of meat for a large to go order!!! The other order was right amount but the tendon order was a joke. And TONS and TONS of soup and noodles that does not fit the paper bowls they gave us. Just the noodles alone overflow the bowl without the soup. The bowls they gave us are for regular size order I guess. Anyways just troublesome. But tiny pieces of beef. Meat was refrigerated cold in bag. I guess you warm it in soup. They are not honest by giving me 3 pieces of meat for a large order. It was bag of noodles, broth, bag of meat and paste. Plain. I had better noodles at train station. I fell for this tourist trap. Also not great service. I guess they know tourists will just keep blindly coming. In terms of seating, there is a single long table to seat 3 cramped and long row of single seating for about 6 people. Prob the place can seat 9 or 10 people total at a time.

40 minutes later: left bowl of noodles sitting for 40 minutes in kitchen counter and thick hard layer of white fat formed. Scary. Can't imagine this is good for arteries. Is this normal for all beef...