If your mouth waters at the thought of hot, spicy, or sour food, Ms Marlene Sun’s Xichuan noodle shop is the place to go.
Ms Sun, math office secretary, and her family opened their very own noodle shop in early February. The shop features Sichuan cuisine, which often contains food preserved through pickling, salting, and drying. What gives Sichuanese food it’s distinct spicy kick? Three main ingredients: chili oil, garlic, and pepper.
“Ms Sun’s noodle shop is a great combination of high quality food at reasonable prices. Everything we tried was delicious, “says Mr Lopez, Upper School math teacher. “The beef noodle soup was obviously made with a lot of care and dedication because the meat was tender and the flavor permeated the broth quite nicely.”
Besides beef noodle soup, Ms Sun’s restaurant also features dandan noodles,topped with a spicy sauce that contains over thirty different ingredients (preserved vegetables, chili oil, and minced pork, just to name a few). Meat dumplings, either dipped in spicy sauce or immersed in flavored soup, are also among the most popular dishes.
“I recommend everybody to visit Ms Sun’s noodle shop. I had a smoked chicken dish which was very delicious and had unique flavor,” says Ms Noda, Upper School math teacher, who visited the restaurant with her family. “According to Ms Sun, this dish takes four hours to prepare, so don’t miss this one.”
Ms Sun’s Xichuan noodle shop is a family business. While her daughter, Celia Huang, age 27, works as the cashier, her son, Joseph, age 25, works as the master chef. Joseph, who just received his chef’s license in Taiwan, was once an apprentice of Ms Sun’s sister, who is a chef with twenty years experience under her belt. Occasionally, Ms Sun’s sister will also help out at the restaurant.
During the weekends and every day after work, Ms Sun devotes herself to the restaurant, and the hard work pays off: it is always full of customers.
“In terms of the décor, the restaurant is very modern but finds a way to be welcoming and warm,” says Mr Lopez. “Ms Sun was a great hostess who treated us to some fruit for dessert and made sure we were well taken care of.”
Address: No. 215, Sec. 2, Xinhai Rd., Da’an Dist., Taipei Taiwan