MEI NUNG NOODLES

Aside from Japanese ramen, I have a soft spot for all types of noodles. I could probably live without rice, but not without noodles. My search for an authentic bowl of Taiwanese beef noodles led me to Mei Nung Beef Noodle House at First Markham Place. The BF and I stopped by on a Friday night with a couple of friends who also appreciated the acquired taste of stinky tofu.

Atmosphere: The dining space is small, about 30 seats in total. We arrived before the dinner rush and was able to grab a table while a queue of diners formed at the entrance. Our meal didn’t last long, around 90 minutes but the restaurant went from full to sparse in that time. It seemed like most customers came in for a quick meal and the servers were fast to turn over tables. This meant service was a bit rushed.

Service: Our server spoke English, Cantonese and Mandarin. When she first came to take our order we had some questions and hesitated, so she left to take care of another table first. She returned later but it made the whole ordering process stressful, especially on a first visit. Our food was delivered quickly and arrived hot, but it was hard to get someone’s attention for water refills.

Food: For the Taiwanese beef noodle bowls, the menu items have various topping combinations with tripe and tendon. It is possible to customize your toppings if the combination you’re looking for isn’t listed. Everyone went with a bowl of their house made noodles and we ordered a plate of stinky tofu and pork dumplings to share.

The pork dumplings were plump, made with hand rolled wrappers and served with a dipping sauce. I am partial to boiled dumplings vs. pot stickers and liked the authenticity at Mei Nung. I would still prefer my mom’s dumplings, but these were good. On the other hand, the stinky tofu was meh and a disappointment. It seems like they used a pre-fried tofu puffs and the end product was not crispy enough. The pieces were too big, they weren’t fried long enough and there was no hot sauce served with the dish. I would pass on the dish here and wait for a summer Night Market event to satisfy any cravings.

As for the noodle bowl, that was mostly satisfying. The noodles were thick and chewy and the beef was soft and tender. There was a generous portion of tripe and bok choy. The broth wasn’t salty but it seemed a little thin. I had a better time with the soup at Moo Beef Noodle House, a food court stand in Scarborough.