Top 5 Best Broth Beef Noodle Shops Unveiled at Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival

By MOOK ScenicSpots Travel Life Network, compiled and reported by Li Xinyi

The winners of the “Annual Best Broth Shop Selection” at the 2012 Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival are out！ The event revamped the usual approach of having secret diners evaluate beef noodle restaurants by instead pitting them against each other in a “beef broth” competition. The Taipei City Government gathered over 100 shops at City Hall to present their uniquely brewed broths for live tasting and head-to-head judging. Winners were selected in three categories: “Braised,” “Stewed,” and “Tomato.”

Judging committee chair Si Wanchun stated that this year's broth evaluation included 100 participating beef noodle shops in Taipei City, divided into 40 in the “Braised” group, 40 in the “Stewed” group, and 20 in the “Tomato” group. Aside from seven professional judges who evaluated across all categories, each group also had five international judges, 23 foodie judges, and three on-site judges—meaning 38 judges per group, totaling 100 judges who tasted and voted immediately. The scoring was based solely on the “taste of the beef broth,” with five top shops selected from each of the three categories to be honored as the “2012 Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival – Annual Best Broth Shops”！

The “broth” can be considered the soul of beef noodles, and mastering the art of brewing a great one is the ultimate skill each shop strives for. The “Braised” category emphasizes a rich, spicy broth—free from overly strong spice fragrances or excessively salty sauces. Authentic braised broth is simmered using beef bones along with various spices, soy sauce, and seasonings, resulting in an incredibly flavorful taste！ This year, the top five in this category were Shenxian Chuanwei Beef Noodles, Face to Face Beef Noodles, Royal Heritage Beef Noodles, Seven Kings Taiwan Champion Beef Noodles, and Hong Ergou Food House. The “Stewed” broth wins with its light sweetness, and the winners here were Royal Heritage Beef Noodles, Jiangji Hometown Noodles, Old Dong Beef Noodles, Shenxian Chuanwei Beef Noodles, Ah Niu Beef Noodles, and Hong Ergou Food House. For the “Tomato” broth, the trick lies in the enzymes in tomatoes that tenderize the beef and result in a lighter, fresher-tasting soup. The winners in this group were Old Dong Beef Noodles, Master Hong Noodle Bar, Yongkang Chenji Knife-Cut Noodles, Wuhuama Dumpling Restaurant, and Face to Face Beef Noodles.

● Read more: A Collection of Authentic Taiwanese Flavors — Top 50 Taiwanese Souvenirs (Part 1)

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