Kaohsiung's Most Notable Beef Noodle Restaurants Wang's Beef Noodle and Ben's Triple Ox/牛肉麵高雄小王和 (三隻牛)
Kaohsiung's Most Notable Beef Noodle Restaurants
Wang's Beef Noodle and Ben's Triple Ox
◎English text by Peng Hsin-yi
◎Photos by Yang Wei-ren
When it comes to comfort food, Beef Noodle Soup is definitely at the top of the list. Beef Noodle Soup has certainly become a prominent dish in Taiwanese cuisine. Some of Kaohsiung's most notable beef noodle soup restaurants include: Wang's Beef Noodle Soup and Ben's Triple Ox.
※Wang's Beef Noodle Soup
Mr. Wang Jyun-hong is the second-generation owner of Wang' Beef Noodle Soup Restaurant. The restaurant gained its fame when it won both "Best Marketing" and "Most Popular Dish" at the 2008 Taipei Beef Noodle Festival. This greatly increased the restaurant's clientele and has enjoyed a steady stream of customers seeking this delicious dish. The restaurant has been in business for more than 30 years and carefully selects the finest ingredients and cooking processes. Wang only uses the freshest Taiwanese beef, delivering the most delectable flavors. Over the years, Wang's excellent reputation and word-of-mouth has earned the restaurant a large customer base.
One of Wang's most popular dishes is the Beef Flank Ramen. This dish uses a good portion of Taiwanese beef flank tendon. Mr. Wang feels imported beef just doesn't taste the same. The meat-to-tendon ratio of imported meat is not as well distributed and doesn't provide the same texture.
The Half Tendon, Half Meat is another of the restaurant's specialties. This dish is usually made with beef shank, integrated with tendon strings. The result, a delicious bowl of beef noodles with half beef and half leg tendon chunks. This tasty combination defines the uniqueness of his cuisine.
The beef broth itself is also a key element. Wang's soup base has been adapted from a recipe from Sichuan (the original home of Beef Noodle Soup). Wang's soup base is made from a special blend of flavor extracted from the beef bones, Chinese herbs and spices and ginger. The soup is left to simmer for several hours until it reaches its characteristic smoothness and flavor. It is a dish that certainly shouldn't be missed.
※Ben's Triple Ox
Ben's Triple Ox is not your ordinary beef noodle soup vendor. Ben's owner was once an executive chef at a European-style restaurant. He opened his beef noodle soup restaurant after quitting his job. By utilizing the experience he had gained from the European restaurant, he created a wonderful beef consomme.
Mr. Tsai confesses, the thought of making beef noodle soup never crossed his mind when he left his job. One day, at the market his friend commented, "Beef Noodles are all the same. They are greasy with too many herbs and spices. They taste like medicine." It was then Mr. Tsai decided that he would create a beef noodle dish, using a European-style soup base. He began by simmering the beef bones and ribs, then balanced the rich flavor with apples, oranges, onions, various fruits and vegetables. He added fresh herbs, such as lemon grass, thyme and mint to give it a unique fragrance and taste. He then put it in the fridge to congeal and subsequently removed the excess grease.
The consomme became the base for Mr. Tsai's signature Clear Broth Beef Noodles. The delicate flavors contrast the heavy-handed herb and spice flavor of traditional beef noodle soups. His version was much lighter, delightfully sweet, with a fragrant hint of fruit and fresh herbs. The soup also did not become greasy even after it became cold. Mr. Tsai then added top-grade beef shank, making the perfect blend of meat and tendon. After a long simmering process the meat becomes tender and slightly chewy. This gourmet beef noodle soup will be savored from the first spoonful to the last bite.
Wang's Beef Noodle (Kaohsiung)
Address: 94-1 Liuhe 1st Road, Sinsing District, Kaohsiung City
Business Hours: 11:00~00:30
Ben's Triple Ox
Address: 80-1, Singjhong 1st Road, Kaohsiung City
Business Hours: Monday to Friday: 11:00~14:30
Holidays and Weekends: 11:00~14:30, 17:00~20:00 (Closed Wednesdays)
牛肉麵
高雄小王和 (三隻牛)
◎文．攝影／楊為仁
堪稱台灣庶民美食代表的牛肉麵，不僅深植台灣飲食文化，更以獨特的風味享譽國際。「高雄小王牛肉麵」和「 」(三隻牛)牛肉麵，各具特色，前者榮獲2008年台北牛肉麵節雙料冠軍，人氣居高不下；後者則以西式熬煮湯頭手法，讓牛肉麵變得很不一樣。
※高雄小王牛肉麵
拿到2008年台北牛肉麵節「行銷爭霸戰」和「超級人氣王」雙料冠軍的高雄小王牛肉麵，創店30餘年來，始終堅持選用現宰本土牛肉，精挑細選食材，加上用心烹調，讓店家的好口碑傳遍千里。
來到高雄小王牛肉麵，絕對不能錯過牛腩拉麵！「我們用台灣牛本土牛腩，由於帶筋，嚼起來格外鮮腴。」第二代經營者王竣鴻說，同樣是牛，進口牛肉的味道就是不到位，肉筋比例也不如台灣牛，口感自然有差。另一道超人氣的半筋半肉牛肉麵，作法也和一般牛肉麵店不同，別人半筋半肉是帶筋的牛腱肉，小王則是採用牛腳筋搭配牛肉塊，真的是一半筋、一半肉。
湯頭是高雄小王牛肉麵另一個致勝關鍵，店裡只賣一種湯頭，湯汁濃郁香醇，可說是川味紅燒牛肉麵改良版，店家以牛骨、薑和獨門配製的中藥包，長時間熬煮，喝起來相當夠味。
※ (三隻牛)牛肉麵
「 」(三隻牛)的牛肉麵味道很特別！原本是西餐廳行政主廚的蔡老闆，離職後，用他擅長的西餐烹調手法熬煮牛肉高湯，氣味清香、不油不膩，令人為之驚艷。
當年離開大飯店，蔡老闆從沒想過要賣牛肉麵，直到朋友一句話：「坊間牛肉麵總擺脫不開油膩感和中藥味，吃來吃去都大同小異。」激發他以西餐廚藝烹煮牛肉麵的念頭，他把牛大骨、牛小排和蘋果、柳丁、洋蔥等大量蔬果熬煮湯頭，過程中還加了香茅、百里香、水果薄荷等新鮮香草，為了降低湯汁的油膩感，冷卻後放入冷藏，透過溫度的變化，讓浮油凝結到湯汁表面，即可輕易除去浮油。
蔡老闆以獨門蔬果加香草牛肉高湯做成清燉牛肉麵，鮮甜中帶有獨特的香草香氣，不似傳統牛肉麵濃郁的中藥味，湯汁就算放涼了喝也不覺油膩，搭配頂級的大花腱肉，肉中帶筋，口感軟Ｑ無比，值得細細品味。
高雄小王牛肉麵
地址：高雄市新興區六合一路94-1號
營業時間：11:00~00:30
(三隻牛)牛肉麵
地址：高雄市興中一路80-1號
營業時間：平日11:00~14:30；假日11:00~14:30、17:00~20:00(周三店休)