A hidden gem beef noodle shop in Minsheng Community, plus huge fried pork chops

Text & photos byOld K

Last time I came to Apron Café for afternoon tea, I discovered this Blue Sky Beef Noodles place next door. It looked quite historic, giving off that hidden gourmet vibe. So I looked it up online, but there wasn’t much information—just an unofficial fan page. However, the reviews were pretty good, with mostly locals dining here. It seems to be a local favorite in Minsheng Community.

This shop is located on Xinzhong Street, right next to a lottery ticket shop.

This is it—there are seats inside.

The prices are quite reasonable; a small bowl of beef noodles costs less than NT$100.

So Old K orderedone small portion of shredded pork with garlic sauce noodles (NT$55), one small portion of beef soup (NT$90), and one piece of fried pork chop (NT$50), totaling NT$195. Some famous beef noodle shops charge that much for just one bowl.

The shredded pork with garlic sauce noodles are a bit different from the usual ones you see outside—the garlic sauce isn’t on top but at the bottom.

It really feels and tastes more like dry noodles. The garlic sauce flavor isn’t very strong, and overall it’s quite tasty. But if you hit a spot with minced meat, it can be quite salty, so it’s better to mix it well. So this bowl could be considered a lightly sauced version of dry noodles.

For NT$50, the fried pork chop is pretty generous in size and thickness. It looks like lean pork tenderloin with no fat, and it’s firm and bouncy without being dry. Pretty delicious. The crispy coating is also nice, though slightly too salty—it has that childhood-style flavor. Old K doesn’t eat super salty food these days, so it’s a bit of an acquired taste, something you’d have once in a while.

There’s also a decent amount of baby bok choy in the beef soup.

There are about four or five pieces of beef, all quite large, and one of them is even beef tendon. The beef tendon is soft and chewy—quite tasty.

The beef is beef shank, which is soft and tender. The beef part performs quite well. The soup has a hint of creamy beef bone aroma, though it’s also a bit salty.

K’s little tip: Blue Sky Beef Noodles is a traditional-style beef noodle shop. The braised flavor is on the saltier side, which is a bit much for Old K, but it might suit those who love bold flavors. It’s actually not bad if it weren’t so salty.

K’s personal rating (out of 10, higher is better)
Taste: 7.7
Value for money: 8
Dining environment: 5
Price: 8.5

Blue Sky Beef Noodles
Address: No. 1, Lane 4, Xinzhong St., Songshan District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2768-2852
Business hours: 11:30–20:30

Old K
Keep eating, Old K!!
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