Food Intelligence

Mr. H, who is the expert on all things Taipei, knew that I was a beef noodle soup (BNS) fan…what probably tipped him off was the fact that every time I visit, when he asks me what I am in the mood for, I always respond, mm, I don’t know, BNS?  Usually we would go to typical restaurants or hole-in-the-grounds for this stuff, but this time around, Mr. H brought me over to the Sheraton Taipei.  I am usually apprehensive of hotel restaurants, but trusted that Mr. H knew what he was doing.  The Lounge was the area just to the left of the check-in counter, and doesn’t really look like a restaurant.  There is a long list of items to choose from on the menu…I think…I don’t remember seeing the menu since we went specifically for BNS.  Mr. H said that the chef hand-picks very fresh beef — that is, slaughtered on cooking day.  The beef seemed to just melt in the mouth, it was quite tender.  Noodles were just the right thickness and texture.  The boomerang plate consisted of some pickled radishes, cucumbers, and eggs with yolks that had a cheese texture–odd at first, but really grew on me by the second one.  By the time I was finished with the BNS, I wished I had booked a room at the Sheraton this time, because it was definitely time for a nap.  

As with hotel restaurants, the charge for BNS was steep – about $15 USD equivalent.  Would I recommend this, you ask?  Only if you have tried at least four to five other BNS shops around Taipei (I’ll make some recommendations in upcoming posts), so you can taste the difference, because you definitely would not know if your first bowl of BNS was eaten at the Lounge.  But if you have done so, you would know that this is what BNS should taste like.

Last taste: 7 December 2008

Location: The Lounge, Sheraton Taipei, 12 Zhongxiao East Road Section 1, Taipei.  Five minute walk west of Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT on the Muzha (Brown) Line.