Written/Compiled and Reported by Li Xinyi, MOOK Travel & Lifestyle Network
The winners of the "Annual Best Broth Shop Selection" at the 2012 Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival have been announced！ This year’s event changed the traditional method of having secret food critics judge beef noodle shops. Instead, the competition focused on the "beef broth." The Taipei City Government called on over 100 shops to gather at City Hall to present their signature broths for on-site tasting and a head-to-head competition. Five top broth shops were selected in each of the three categories: "Red Braised," "Clear Simmered," and "Tomato."
After being tasted and voted on by hundreds of participants, a total of 15 top broth beef noodle shops were selected. (Photo provided by Taipei City Department of Commerce)
Judging Director Si Wanchun stated that this year's broth evaluation included 100 beef noodle shops from Taipei City, divided into 40 shops in the "Red Braised" group, 40 in the "Clear Simmered" group, and 20 in the "Tomato" group. In addition to seven professional judges who evaluated across all groups, each category also had five foreign judges, 23 foodie judges, and three on-site judges—meaning each group had 38 judges, totaling 100 judges who tasted and voted on the spot. The scoring criteria were based on the "taste of the beef broth," with five top broth shops selected from each of the three categories to be named the "2012 Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival — Annual Best Broth Shops"！
The "broth" is a key factor in determining the deliciousness of a bowl of beef noodles. (Photography by Li Xinyi, MOOK Travel & Lifestyle Network)
The "broth" can be considered the soul of beef noodles, and how to simmer a great pot of broth is the ultimate skill that each shop strives to perfect. The "Red Braised" group emphasizes a rich, spicy broth that should not be overly aromatic with spices or too salty from sauces. A classic red braised broth is made by simmering beef bones along with various seasonings, soy sauce, and other flavorings—and it’s absolutely delicious！ This year, the top five in this category were Shenxian Chuanwei Beef Noodles, Face to Face Beef Noodles, Royal Heritage Beef Noodles, Seven Heavenly Kings Taiwan Champion Beef Noodles, and Hong Ergou Food House. The "Clear Simmered" broth wins with its light sweetness, and the selected shops were Royal Heritage Beef Noodles, Jiangji Hometown Noodles, Old Dong Beef Noodles, Shenxian Chuanwei Beef Noodles, Niuniu Beef Noodles, and Hong Ergou Food House. For the "Tomato" broth, the secret lies in the enzymes in tomatoes that tenderize the beef and make the soup lighter and more refreshing. The winning shops in this category were Old Dong Beef Noodles, Master Hong Noodle Bar, Yongkang Chenji Knife-Cut Noodles, Five Flowers Horse Dumpling House, and Face to Face Beef Noodles.
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