by Ken Tsui | Huang’s Beef Noodle, located on the outer reaches of Victoria Drive, is an old standby dedicated to Taiwanese beef noodle soup. The staple dish is to Taiwan as ramen is to Japan: a culinary expression of national identity.

At Huang’s, it starts off with dark, deeply flavoured beef broth fortified with hints of anise, black cardamom and chilies. This is poured over a healthy serving of thick, chewy noodles with slices of beef shank and bok choy for freshness. Finally, it’s topped with sweetly pickled Chinese cabbage. Whenever I take the first comforting slurps of soup and noodle in the ad-hoc dining room, I feel instantly rescued from the chill and drear of winter.

I order a marinated tea egg to go along with mine, together with a plate of Taiwanese fried chicken. Commonly found as popular snack fare at Taiwanese night markets, this particular style of fried chicken is a love child between Japanese kaarage and American fast food-style popcorn chicken, only with an idiosyncratic hint of basil.

6940 Victoria Drive, Vancouver | 604-324-8884 | Closed Mondays | Cash Only

AH, BUT HAVE YOU HEARD OF THESE?