Taipei City - Tiger Noodles 韓記老虎麵

Value for money: 7/10

Cleanliness: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Quality of food: 7/10

Accessibility: 8/10

Overall: 7/10

This place is a firm favourite of a lot of Taiwanese in winter time, but whats to say it isn't good in the summer, too? The shop looks much better than a year ago since it has had its refurbishment, and is definitely much cleaner and nicer inside than before.

The menu is extremely easy, because all of the main dishes are $220. You get your choice of beef 牛 （niu2), lamb 羊 (yang2) or pork 豬 (zhu1). Within the choices of meat, you get to choose whether or not to add garlic: add = 加蒜苗 jia1suan4miao2 or not 不加蒜苗 bu4jia1suan4miao2. In addition, you can choose the strength of the chili starting with 微辣，小辣，中辣，大辣 in order of strength - lowest to greatest.

What we ordered:

1. 牛加蒜苗（微辣）niú jiā suàn miáo (wéi là  Beef with garlic (low spice)

2. 羊加蒜苗 （小辣）yáng jiā suàn miáo (xiǎo là) Lamb with garlic (a little spicy)

3. 豬血糕小菜 zhū xiě gāo xiǎo cài  Pork blood cake small plate

4. 豆皮小菜 dòu pí xiǎo cài Tofu skin small plate

1. 牛加蒜苗（微辣）niú jiā suàn miáo (wéi là  Beef with garlic (low spice)

$220

We ordered the beef soup with 拉麵 lā miàn which are hand-made noodles, usually of medium thickness. The soup was really great: it was slightly salty, mildly spiced and hugely flavorsome. The noodles were cooked leaving a very nice bite and the beef was great. The beef was ample and sliced really thin. It seems that the beef was added at the last minute, as it was lightly very delicately cooked. The beef is (as you can see by the picture) pink around the edges. There's a great handful of green onions scattered generously on top of the beef.

The beef has a great fat/meat ratio and, once stirred into the bowl with the onions and noodles, it's brilliant. The bowl of noodles, combined with the big portion of beef, is a very hearty dinner. 

2. 羊加蒜苗 （小辣）yáng jiā suàn miáo (xiǎo là) Lamb with garlic (a little spicy)

$220

We ordered the lamb with the 鍋巴 guō bā, which is a sort of salty rice crispy cake. As there are no noodles inside the bowl, the rice crisp gives the dish a great texture and also makes it more filling. If you're not fancying noodles, then I would say it is a great alternative.

The thinly sliced lamb meat is brilliant and has a great taste of lamb that you may be missing, living in Taipei. Let's face it: beef, chicken and (especially) pork are huge players in the Taiwanese meat market. Whereas, lamb isn't. There are a good amount of bean sprouts adding more depth to the dish, and the slightly higher spice level in the dish is great. One thing I would say about the spicing is: I have a good spice tolerance and I love spicy food. Yet, the 小辣 was even pretty spicy. It was delightful, but I cannot imagine the 大辣 dà là (big spice) option! 

3. 豬血糕小菜 zhū xiě gāo xiǎo cài  Pork blood cake small plate

$30

Beef noodle soups, dumpling shops, soup shops and noodle shops are all popular places to offer small side dishes (小菜) such as this pig blood cake. 豬血糕 is often quite a popular nightmarket dish and not usually a permanent fixture on the 小菜 cabinets within such restaurants. Cut into small rectangles and topped with a peanut-style chili sauce, this 豬血糕 is cooked very nicely and is sufficient enough to hold up as a side dish. The hint of chili gives the dish a nice kick and the sauce adds the dimension that it needs.

4. 豆皮小菜 dòu pí xiǎo cài Tofu skin small plate

$20

Tofu skin is, however, a regular feature on my 小菜 counters. Tofu skin has a somewhat unique texture, almost slimy and wrinkly on the outside but deliciously soft and chewy on the inside. 

Overall, the main dishes were really very good: the broth is well-balanced on all fronts, the meat is cute nicely thin but retains a bite, the noodles are also cooked very nicely, the scallions keep it fresh and clean and the rice cakes are tasty and add great texture. The small plates are also quite good and taste nicely fresh. 

Best dish: 2. 羊加蒜苗 （小辣）yáng jiā suàn miáo (xiǎo là) Lamb with garlic (a little spicy)

Dish I wouldn't order again: I'd order all of them again! 

11:30 - 21:00 Every day

台北市大安區金華街203號

No. 203, JinHua Street, DaAn District, Taipei City

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Eating in Taipei

Happy Eating!