Xiang Ji Noodle Shop that does good noodles

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Xiang Ji Noodle Shop is a new place I tried out last month. It's not newly opened, just that I've never been before. I was nearby around lunch time and it was pretty busy, seemed like a god idea to try it out.

Most eateries in Taiwan, especially the small ones, close pretty early around 7 or 8 in the evening. This place closes at 10pm, that's good if you need a late dinner or early supper depending on your lifestyle.

THE INSIDE

The first thing you see as you enter, is the counter on the right and the big plaque above it. These type of plaques are quite commoon when you open a new business, its a gift from people with a good luck message.

There are some appetisers stored inside the fridge just below the plaque, you can see its reflection in the glass. And there are more appitisers on the shelves. You help yourself to these and they add it to your bill.

Next to the appetizers is the condiment area. Apart from noodles, Xiang Ji also does dumplings. The two dishes can normally be found together, and when you have dumplings, it's common to use a variety of dipping sauces according to your preference.

Xiang Ji Noodle Shop is located on the corner of two roads, and is fairly spacious inside. It's bigger than your average locally run shop and a few table of guests had already left when I took this photo.

THE FOOD

Here's the menu. This is a very affordable place, the most expensive dish is around USD6.30 but the basic beef noodle is only less than USD4. And most of the other food is only around USD2 each.

Now for the food. I ordered a braised beef noodle. This is their standard dish. I always order the standard dish when I go to a new place as I think it's the best way to test how good an eatery is. If they can do the basic stuff well, that say's a lot about it's quality. My wife also ordered the beef noodle, but in a tomato based broth.

The broth for both was quite flavoursome, especially my wife's tomato base one, but my standard one was a bit lacking in depth. I found the beef a bit too dry, like I was chewy on wet jerky. I think it's the cut of the meat, that wasn't very nice. The third element of a bowl of beef noodle, the noodle itself, was very good. Probably a lot better than ones I've had elsewhere. That saved the overall meal in my opinion.

By the way, I took a photo of the two cups of drinks. Maybe its a sign I need to go away on holiday!