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COMPASS MAGAZINE December 2015
　

Specialty noodle eateries in Fengyuan district--Authentic Beef Noodles, Kagoshima (Fengyuan Miaodong branch), Le Cheng, New Vegetarian Bistro (Xinsu Shitang) By Shi Yong Feng Translated by S. Ying

Authentic Beef Noodles (04) 2512-1590 556, ZhongShan Rd, Fengyuan Dist Hours: 11 am-2 pm, 5-8:30 pm (closed 2nd, 4th Wed. every month) Cash only. Almost hidden by Fu Chuen Primary School next door, this beef noodle place has plenty of faithful repeat customers, including many employees of nearby finance businesses who are adept are doing a cost-benefit analysis of their meals. Their loyalty is helped by the fact that the owner cooks Australian beef for a full day with a special technique that separates the fat from meat. Every pot of beef is made fresh daily, it's not oily and does not need any spices for seasoning. Each bowl of beef noodles is served with three thick pieces of beef brisket, making this extremely good value. A: Spicy General Dry Noodles (Beef) comes with chewy Chinese yam noodles and spicy beef, making it a delicious dish for fans of hot-flavored food. B: Signature Beef Shank Noodles is stewed in a tangy red soup stock that isn't spicy, salty or oily. The half-tendon, half-meat beef has a tenderness that highlights the owner's culinary skills. C: For a lighter-flavored meal, try the Classic Braised Beef Noodles broiled with thinly-sliced beef heel muscles in a clear stock brewed with Chinese medicinal herbs, fresh green veggies and green onions, making this also a great option for senior citizens. A.　B.　C.

Kagoshima (Fengyuan Miaodong branch) (04) 2520-2852 3, Lane 167, ZhongZheng Rd, Fengyuan Dist Hours: 5-10:50 pm Cash only. As MiaoDong Street comes alive with after-school/work crowds at 5 p.m. sharp, this Kagoshima branch welcomes customers with a big red lantern. The ramen served here is distinctly more Taiwanese than Japanese. Made fresh daily, the soup stock is cooked for 12 hours with pork and chicken bones and vegetables for a savory, fresh, less-oily product that customers desiring a stronger taste can add rose salt to. Each bowl of ramen is a very affordable NT$100, yet still a nutritious meal. Soup stock choices vary, including soy sauce-based, miso, kimchi, pork bone, and spicy hot, with a variety of rich ingredients such as seaweed, asparagus, eggs, corn and BBQ pork. For those with big appetites, there is the Sumo Wrestler Ramen Noodles (NT$180). A: Soy Sauce Ramen features very sweet marinated meat that is refreshing and not overly salty. B: Miso Noodles also come with a clear stock that is not salty and exudes the aroma of naturally fermented soybeans. C: Pork Ramen comes with a white, richly-flavored soup stock. A.　B.　C.

Le Cheng (04) 2522-7797 150, BoAi St, Fengyuan Dist Hours: 11:30 am-2:30 pm, 5-9 pm; holidays 11:30 am-9 pm (closed Tue) English menu. Cash only. What is the difference between French-style and Chinese-style beef noodles? The former refers to a combination of French cooking techniques and Chinese ingredients, with the soup base prepared out of beef, pork and chicken bones, plus nine kinds of western spices and vanilla, all brewed for an extended period of time for extra richness. A: Braised Beef Flower (NT$80) is more than just a beef tendon dish, but entails multiple preparation steps as the beef tendon is braised slowly with the beef so the tendon and beef will actually melt in your mouth when done; this dish is only available in limited quantities. B: Pumpkin Noodle with Cheese is a ideal, colorful summer noodle dish for non-beef eaters that comes with pumpkin, shredded meat, shredded carrots and peas, topped with freshly-grated cheese. C: To prepare Red Wine Beef Noodle Soup, the beef is first grilled to seal in juices before it's cooked in red wine. Due to a lengthy preparation time, this dish is offered daily in limited quantities and comes with handmade beef meat balls, freshly made each day. Its non-oily soup is sweet and slightly tart. A..　B.　C.

New Vegetarian Bistro (Xinsu Shitang) 0978-244-550 304, NanYang Rd, Fengyuan Dist Hours: 11 am-1:30 pm, 5-8:30 pm (closes early when sold out) Cash only. Local residents traditionally enjoy warming up in winter with meaty options like "shao jiu ji" (chicken with rice wine), "jiang mu ya" (stewed duck with ginger) or lamb hot pot. However, the Xincun traditional market along Fengyuan's NanYang Road is home to this vegetarian eatery offering vegetarian ramen noodles made with a rich soup stock created from natural ingredients. For example, Tomato Ramen has a broth with chopped tomatoes and five kinds of vegetables that make it a healthy high-fiber, nutritious and low-fat meal option. A: The sweetly-flavored Pumpkin Ramen includes a rich creamy pumpkin soup with black fungus, fresh mushrooms, shredded carrots, lettuce and corn, making it a satisfying, solid meal. B: Another refreshing noodle option, Miso Ramen is made with tofu, fresh veggies, bean curd, black fungus, carrots, corn and layered tofu. A..　B.