I'm always amused at how much people in Taiwan think about food—including us! At any point of the day we'd be thinking about our next amazing feast, even if still full from the last.

Beef noodle soup is the pride and joy of a culture already obsessed with deliciousness.

Niu rou mein appears in dozens of forms in Taiwan, but the one most commonly thought of as typical, the variety that Taiwanese proudly state mainlanders no longer make properly, is Sichuan-influenced. Good-quality sirloin is slow cooked to perfect tenderness, while the broth is flavored with ginger, garlic and plenty of chili peppers. Noodles should be thick and al dente. It's a perfect meal, and one I ate often growing up because it's one of my father's favorites.

Taipei recently decided to market this fabulous dish by creating the "Taipei Beef Noodle Festival." We were a month too late to witness the 2nd annual competition but managed to squeeze in two beef noodle visits into our brief visit.

The production line

Note the menu has no English.

We gave one of the Festival finalists a chance. There are two next to each other on the famous food alley Yongkang Street, both equipped with signs featuring happy cows and newspaper articles posted on their front windows declaring the superiority of their dish. I don't know the name of the one we tried, but one of them was hosting a private party so we tried the other. Here the noodles were round like spaghetti (I prefer a square shape), but the overall dish was absolutely delicious. We got a side order of "Szechuan hot oil wontons," one of my favorites.

My dad's longtime favorite is located near his high school, 16 Tao Yuan Street off Heng Yang Road, near the Ximending subway stop. No sign and no name, but so popular it's always packed; my father was extra-pleased they did not "feel the need" to compete in the festival. I had to give it to him...this was the best bowl of beef noodle soup I've ever tasted (sorry, Mom). Fork-tender sirloin infused with amazing flavor, perfectly chewy square noodles, a bright red spicy broth I wished I could take with me so as not to miss a drop. The portions are very generous; with a shared side dish of pork short ribs (coated in rice and steamed), none of us finished our bowls except my dad.

Beef noodle soup could never be bad—the basic ingredients are bound to be delicious! However, my dad's favorite had the slight edge, so I highly recommend seeking it out if possible.

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