A century of Taiwan taste captured in Du Hsiao Yueh’s new branch

Fried okra is one of the many side dishes to go with Du Hsiao Yueh’s Dan Tzai noodles. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Customers to the new restaurant can get an idea of the founder’s early career from the noodle-selling peddler’s kit displayed behind the glass window outside the restaurant. Compared to its successful start, what’s more precious is how Hong’s secret noodle recipe has been handed down through the generations, who are seen in old family photos on the restaurant wall.

“The Dan Tzai noodles here taste exactly the same as the ones as I grow up eating,” said Jennifer Hsieh, a Taiwan native and operations manager with Great Wall Group, the restaurant managing company. “By opening restaurants in the Chinese mainland, we want to introduce not only Du Hsiao Yueh, but also the true taste and culture of Taiwan.”

The signature noodles, Dan Tzai Noodles with Shrimp Soup, 18 yuan ($3), are served in a small bowl, which is faithful to its street-cart origins. The yellow noodle soup is topped with flavorful braised minced pork and a fresh boiled shrimp that credits its birthplace near the sea. As noodles are eaten, careful diners may find a map of Taiwan surfacing on the wall of the bowl.