As I've said before I'm not very picky. I love eating, whatever it may be and that includes....INNARDS. I know it may be off putting for some of you to consider eating things like tripe, tongue, lungs, and tendon, but I think it's a pretty everyday thing for most Asian cultures. It's not scary I promise. I'll help you through this.
For those of you who are adventurous or eating innards is an everyday occurrence I strongly recommend going to Xi Men Ding and eating some 大腸麵綫。It's freaking delicious.
There aren't any tables for you to sit at, but the owners of the joint have kindly provided a couple of stools for you to sit on while you eat your mian xian. However, be warned these stools are almost always crowded with people, most of the times I go I have to eat standing up. The service is incredibly quick and they focus more on efficiency than small talk. It's nice though...I get to eat my mian xian faster.
Mian Xian is like Taiwanese soul food: warm, thick, and flavorful it's something that you crave for during cold weather. Although, even during the especially hot Taiwanese summers I still like to eat it and other people do too. As proof, the lines here are still incredibly long even in like 29-34 C weather. The thick golden broth is overloaded with noodles and each bite is more satisfying that the last. The flavor of mian xian is quite hard to describe, each place having a different flavor and recipe, but I'll do my best.
Mian xian is definitely a savory food, salty and vinegary and...yet not overwhelming to the palate. Sometimes you get food that's good in the first few bites, but when you eat more of it your liking of the food goes down....this isn't one of those things. The intestine mentioned earlier is chopped roughly and is paired with cilantro as a garnish on top of the bowl. (More often than not I decide to opt out on the cilantro) Chewy with a distinct almost palate covering milky flavor, intestines are not to be feared.
Cheap eats, a nice atmosphere, and lots of things to do. I strongly recommend Ah Zong Mian Xian if you're ever in Taipei. Thanks for coming!
+Love
Price: $ out of $$$$$
Kid Friendly: Yes and no, it's an open street so keep your kids close if you don't want them to wander...
Repeatability: Yes!
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