Liu Shandong Beef Noodles. 70 Years of Authentic Hometown Flavours 劉山東牛肉麵

Restaurant name: Liu Shandong Beef Noodles 劉山東牛肉麵
Address: No. 2, Lane 14, Section 1, Kaifeng St, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
GPS: 25°02'44.6"N 121°30'49.6"E
Nearest MRT: Beimen Station 北門站
Tel: +886 2 2311 3581
Hours: 8:00am to 8:00pm (Sunday off)

Liu Shandong Beef Noodles is a well loved seventy year old shop founded by 劉佩芹. Liu Shandong is now run by second generation owner 劉少麟 who returned to his dad's beef noodle stall 30 years ago after his nightclub ventures failed.

Founder 劉佩芹 was recruited into the Nationalist Army, and unwittingly went to war after been tricked into believing that he is enrolling in a school as a student. He came to Taiwan in 1949 with the retreating Army, hungry and penniless. To survive, 劉佩芹 started a street side stall serving beef noodles of his hometown which he missed. It was an instant hit as many people from Shandong missed the same hometown flavour. Seventy years on, Liu Shandong Beef Noodles was awarded the Bib Gourmand in the inaugural Taipei Michelin guide in 2018.

Liu Shandong Beef Noodles is faithfully made, the same way for the past 70 years. Their famous beefy stock is made with beef bones as well as fat and tendon trimmed from strips and chunks of beef. The resulting rich, robustly flavourful, full bodied broth is served with the bowls of beef noodles at Liu Shandong.

To make stewed beef the Shandong way, 劉少麟 briefly cooks the strips and chunks of beef with beef bone master stock (which added to the broth's richness and flavour). The semi cooked beef strips and chunks are then stewed in beef stock with butter and caramelised brown sugar (which give the stewed beef its brown colour and layered sweetness). Liu Shandong does not use soy sauce or herbs to flavour its stewing stock. So, all we taste is beef, beef, beef.

Liu Shandong make their own noodles which are extra thick. The heavy gauge noodles need 15 minutes of cooking, so waiting time is a little longer here. Liu Shangdong is the only place in Taiwan to get this type of noodles.

Customers like the full bodied beef soup with robust beefy flavours and aroma at Liu Shandong Beef Noodles. The broth is also non greasy. They like the tender, juicy sweetness of the fresh meat. Fans like Liu Shandong's extra thick house made noodles because of their tender chewy bite - something you cannot get anywhere else in Taipei.

Prices are also very competitive, as 劉少麟 sincerely want to share the taste of authentic Shandong beef noodles with his customers, many of whom are seniors like his 90+ year old dad who pine for their hometown flavours. 劉少麟 said several come on wheelchairs to eat his Shandong beef noodles with their last breath before departing not long afterwards.