September 02, 2008
度小月擔擔麵
擔擔麵 is one of those classic Taiwanese 小吃 dishes that we've never gotten around to eating in our time together. We'd wandered over to Yongkang St. for dinner after pushing our way through the stupid-crowded Millet art exhibition. We weren't all that hungry, and I was more interested in hitting Ice Monster anyway. 度小月 happened to be right there, a nicer place than the street vendor stalls and famous for their noodles, so I figured we'd give it a try.
Originally from Tainan, the Taipei location was set up more to appeal to the tourists spillover from Din Tai Fung around the corner. The space was decorated with a pseudo-historical way, with fancy multi-language menus with color pictures showing off the fare. The noodle station is open and set up right up front, visible from the street through the picture window.
Meanwhile, the food is simple, as you'd expect. A bowl of noodles in a simple meat broth with some 肉燥 soy-roasted fatty pork bits on top for flavor, with vinegar and cilantro added to taste. There is something to be said for offering famous local street foods, done consistently in a nice setting, but I'm sure most folks already know a nearby street vendor who do noodles and vegetables better for less. At least DTF's xiaolongbao requires some skill to master the dumpling filling process. Didn't order anything beyond the noodles and a plate of greens because I couldn't make myself pay the menu prices for such simple food. Nevertheless we were grateful for a nice air-conditioned place to sit and rest our feet for a while. But next time we'll have to go to Tainan and find the best darn hole-in-the-wall dan-dan-noodle place for ourselves.
度小月(永康店)
台北市大安區永康街9號之1
02-33931325