Serving Taiwanese Michelin Bib Gourmand specialty beef noodles, black sesame sauce noodles & bubble tea

Niu Dian Beef Noodles is a Michelin Bib Gourmand (2018-2020) beef noodle institution which hails from Taiwan. They’ve simply opened their first abroad outlet in Singapore on 13 Feb 2023. I headed all the way down to VIIO @ Balestier through the first week of opening, and arrived there 5 minutes early.

There have been already 6 teams of excited clients queuing up on the entrance door, indicating how well-liked they’re.

Niu Dian Beef Noodles has additionally teamed up with homegrown bubble tea model, Palace Tea, to supply a collection of unique drinks for the restaurant. You’ll have the ability to spot their sales space subsequent to the doorway.

You may even see posters of Taiwanese superstar Show Luo on the eatery’s exterior. He is the model ambassador of the restaurant.

What I attempted at Niu Dian Beef Noodles

Before my meals arrived, I noticed a condiment sales space the place I helped myself to the chilli sauce, chilli oil and pickled mustard greens. This trio is a should for me.

On the ordering web page through QR code, you’ll have the ability to customise the doneness of your noodles (tender/regular/arduous), and specify when you’d like Original or Braised Soup (Spicy) (+S$1). You’ll even be requested if you need spring onions— excellent news for individuals who detest them!

The very first dish I attempted was the Combination Specialty Beef Noodles (S$19.90). It had a mattress of noodles doused within the Original broth crammed with items of boneless rib reduce, tendon, tripe, and golden coin (shin leg space).

The broth was clear tasting and lightweight. However, that being stated, a little bit extra seasoning would have made the soup extra delectable.

I’ve not had melt-in-the-mouth tendons for a very long time, and these have been braised to perfection. The tripe was additionally dealt with properly and had no gamey style.

The boneless rib reduce appeared superb with its numerous layers which nearly resembled a colourless terrine. Our total desk gave a nod of approval as we savoured the tender beef. Simply pleasant!

I picked up whiffs of beef aroma from the chilli oil. It bought us wracking our brains to determine what went into it, and we later learnt that it was sauteed with beef marrow oil. Interesting!

I attempted dipping the boneless rib reduce into it, and was a little bit upset. Although it was aromatic, the style was one-dimensional and all I may really feel was the warmth. Dang!

I used to be excited in regards to the Black Sesame Sauce Noodles (S$11.90). My final encounter with this dish was about 3 years in the past in Taiwan. This is a flavour that’s seldom seen in Singapore, and I used to be yearning for it.

Niu Dian’s noodles have been flat and barely thick, and jogged my memory of a thicker model of ban mian. After tossing the noodles along with the gravy, I may see wonderful speckles of black sesame in every single place.

The gravy gave a barely sandy texture to the noodles which was satisfying (jogged my memory of black sesame tang yuan), and had sturdy nutty and smoky notes. I used to be glad that the gravy was barely watered-down in comparison with the Taiwanese model— it made it much less jelak.

The closing dish that we ordered was the Beef Noodles (S$11.90) with a selection of Braised Soup (Spicy). We chosen the Boneless Rib Cut + Tendon and requested for our noodles to be tender.

The tender noodles will in all probability be appropriate for older people or folks with digestion issues— they have been a little bit too mushy for my liking.

The braised soup was flavourful and had a stronger infusion of beef flavours in comparison with the Original. The spice was very mild and never overpowering, which is good.

The golden coin was a tiny nugget of succulent meat which fell in the identical class as beef tenderloin— extraordinarily tender and of excellent high quality.

I attempted including the pickled mustard greens, and it was one of the best choice ever! It added mini crunchy surprises with tangy bursts of flavour— a much-needed improve.

To wash all of the meals down, we tried the big Chrysanthemum Milk Tea (S$5.30) with  an addition of Aiyu Jelly (+S$1.30). It was slippery and easy identical to chin chow and who knew that chrysanthemum tea matches so properly with milk? I’m formally obsessed!

We additionally tried the Lychee Mint Red Tea (S$5.90) with a Coconut Jelly (+S$1.30) topping. It had an entire lychee inside and the jelly was pleasantly chewy. My solely gripe was that it was too candy though I had requested for 50% sugar.

Final ideas

It’s nice that we’ve got many famed abroad eateries popping up at locations like Balestier as an alternative of on the town. The hype is powerful and I like to recommend that you simply come early to seize a seat because the restaurant doesn’t have a big seating capability. Go attempt it out quickly!

Expected harm: S$18 – S$36 per pax

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