Only 40 bowls available per day – A popular ramen shop in Banqiao’s food battleground!

Text and photos byXiaohu’s Dream Food Blog

The main battlefield of Japanese ramen is undoubtedly “Taipei City,” but the up-and-coming secondary food hub of Banqiao isn’t one to be left out. However, most ramen shops in Banqiao these days serve a more “Taiwanese-style” take on Japanese ramen — for example, the earlier “Lemonian House.” But the hottest spot lately is this place in Jiangzicui called “Wu Er Ting,” which claims to only make 40 bowls a day and closes once they’re sold out.

I first found out about this ramen shop from our very own Banqiao — no, actually, from the queen of all food blogs, the fabulous Devil Zhenjia. After checking the address, I realized it was just a ten-minute walk from my home, so I immediately picked an ordinary weekday to go check it out. When I arrived, it was just past five (the shop opens at 5:30 p.m., but you can pick up a number in advance — I got number 3). I should mention that both the staff inside and outside the shop were super friendly, smiling the whole time, and didn’t act snobby just because the place was busy…

They say they open at 5:30 p.m., but more accurately, that’s when the staff comes out with forms for everyone to fill out first, though priority is still given based on your number. After handing in your order form, you’re seated according to your number. I think I got seated around 5:45 p.m.

The shop isn’t very big — there are roughly 10 seats at the counter, plus two small square tables in the corner that seat two each, totaling around 14 people.

I’m not sure if the ramen comes with half a marbled egg by default or if I added one, but luckily this shop’s marbled egg is pretty good — the egg white is soft and chewy yet almost melts in your mouth, and the yolk has a great creamy texture with a nice level of sweetness.

Generally, Japanese ramen comes with chopped green onions, but seeing them sliced like this was a first for me XD. It’s not necessarily bad, but eating it with the noodles and soup feels a bit bulky. It goes better with the pork slices though.

Wu Er Ting Tonkotsu Ramen – NT$180.

I went with tonkotsu because it’s my favorite, and also because I think tonkotsu best reflects how much care a shop puts into making their broth. At first, when I saw the price was NT$180, I didn’t have high expectations, and the presentation did turn out to be quite “Taiwanese-style.” The good part is that there’s plenty of soup — so much that the noodles and pork slices are barely visible, leaving only the half-floating marbled egg XD.

The broth doesn’t have much flavor — even though I chose the saltiest and richest option, it only had a faint sweetness from the bones. Honestly, for those who often eat ramen in Japan or love rich, oily tonkotsu broth, you might be disappointed like I was, even just by looking at the broth. I can’t say for sure if this broth definitely has MSG powder, but it tastes completely different from Japanese tonkotsu — though I wouldn’t say it’s bad.

As for the noodles, I chose thin ones and asked for them “firm.” The first bite did have a slight firmness, but the chew afterward wasn’t the chewy texture I was expecting. Instead, it felt a bit like hollow Italian pasta. I’ll just say it’s very unique.

The pork slices were probably the closest to what I’d expect from Japanese ramen — tender, with good oiliness and sweetness, and the edges had a slight charred aroma from being grilled. Overall, it was just decent. But I want to stress that I’m judging by “Japanese ramen” standards, even though it only costs NT$180.

The bamboo shoots and seaweed slices were also just okay, nothing particularly noteworthy.

The char siu rice ordered by the handsome guy next to me looked amazing — I instantly regretted not ordering one too. Thanks to him for letting me take a photo. Maybe I’ll come back to try the “char siu rice” next time.

Also, the shop next door seems to only serve lunch — I’ll have to come back and try it someday!

Wu Er Ting Ramen:
Address: No. 3, Lane 64, Renhua Street, Banqiao District, New Taipei City
Phone: 0987-850552
Business Hours: 5:30 p.m. – until sold out.

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