The noodles at Mian Wu Hui are soft yet chewy and springy, and the half-boiled egg is fresh, tender, and eye-catching.

Text and photos by /Orange Dog Loves Candy

After Taipei had an exciting wave of Japanese ramen shops in 2013, things quieted down a bit following the opening of Menya Musashi. Naturally, some businesses did well while others didn’t, but now the competition is gradually spreading to other cities and counties in Taiwan—like Kaohsiung, which has Musashi Bugei and Ippudo, and Tainan, where Ippudo has also set up shop...

So I only found out that Mian Wu Hui had already opened next door at SOGO because one day I casually saw a photo posted by a stranger on Facebook, and only then learned that Mian Wu Hui had opened a store nearby. Of course, I immediately called up a friend to go the next day (this is the first time I’ve used the GX7 to take photos, and they’re pretty bad, so please bear with me T_T).





Mian Wu Hui at the food court on the 15th floor of Guang San SOGO is really surprisingly low-key, with no large posters at all.




Unless you notice the orchids at the entrance, you’d have no idea it’s a newly opened shop. And because of that, almost no one knows about it, so there was absolutely no line and we could just walk in and sit down easily.





The shop entrance is small, and inside there are still a few bags that look like flour sacks lying around—it feels like they might still be in a trial or adjustment phase. But overall, it seems about 90% ready. There aren’t many seats and the space isn’t very large. The counter seats are, of course, right next to the kitchen where the noodles are cooked, and there are still Japanese chefs working there at the moment.




(Because when they brought out the noodles, I saw the chef—he was speaking some not-so-fluent Chinese XD) That was reassuring, since Japanese chefs usually have certain standards when it comes to quality. I was really afraid it would turn out to be a ramen shop that’s just Japanese in name but Taiwanese in substance—those always make me feel like I might as well just eat street-side plain noodles.





Plus, although I hadn’t yet tried the Mian Wu Hui in Taipei, which is one of the very few ramen shops I haven’t been to, I’d heard good things about it, so that made me feel a bit more at ease about bringing a friend here.




As soon as we sat down, they gave us the menu. Right now, they mainly offer only two types of ramen: one with a fish-and-pork-bone broth, and tsukemen (dipping noodles). At most, there’s also a spicy version of the broth. There aren’t many choices when it comes to noodle types, but the prices are okay for me. For tsukemen, you can choose portion size without paying extra: large (280g), medium (210g), or small (140g), but you can pay an extra 30 NT to upgrade to the “special large” size.




(I sincerely suggest not ordering the special large lightly, because that amount of noodles—I’m someone who could easily eat 40 dumplings, and even I felt stuffed!) Then, all the ramen comes with thin noodles, while the tsukemen all come with thick noodles. There are also options to upgrade your meal set by paying extra.

This, to be honest, I find quite thoughtful, because what you pay extra for are Japanese-style gyoza and fried chicken—two side dishes that are usually insanely expensive at ramen shops. But here, you can get them for just 40 NT and 60 NT respectively. They’re still not super cheap, but at least it saves you a bit. There’s also a pork slices rice bowl, anyway, the menu is pretty much just that.

[Japanese gyoza / 6 pcs / add 60 NT for the set meal] — I thought this would be a great deal, but actually I’ve never had high expectations for Japanese gyoza, and indeed, they were unexpectedly small = =a... Among all the gyoza I’ve had at ramen shops, Mian Wu Hui’s are the tiniest—about the size of my thumb. The wrappers are nicely pan-fried, but the filling is pretty ordinary.




[Japanese fried chicken / 2 pcs / add 40 NT for the set meal] — The fried chicken was also just okay. Neither the meat nor the crispy crust really stood out. It made me miss the hearty fried chicken from Takayasu Ramen in Kyoto’s Ichijoji—now that was unbeatable.





[Fish-pork-bone-pork-slice tsukemen / large / thick noodles / 230 NT] — If you don’t specifically choose the pork-slice ramen, you’ll only get one slice of pork. But their pork slices are actually quite thick and tender, and the fatty parts are just to my taste.

Next, I’m looking forward to seeing when Q戗Nagi, Yamatohiko, and Tunking will also join the battleground too！ However, when it comes to Menyuki, I have to say it was a bit under my expectations. It’s not that I thought it tasted bad, but there was a slight gap compared to the perfect state I had imagined—mainly in terms of the soup’s flavor intensity!

Otherwise, the noodles and the half-boiled egg were both really good. But the soup is arguably at least half the score of a bowl of ramen. I wonder if it’s because the new shop hasn’t fully adjusted to its optimal state yet? But if you’re interested in trying something new, you should definitely give it a shot. For now, probably only Taihai Ramen can rival it nearby XD


[Menyuki (面屋辉)]

Address:15F, No. 459, Section 2, Taiwan Boulevard, West District, Taichung City
Phone:None
Business Hours:11:00 AM～10:00 PM
Consumption Tips:No reservation needed, just head there in person！ It’s on the 15th floor of SOGO Department Store
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