Du Hsiao Yueh Restaurant

Why Du Hsiao Yueh Restaurant is special ?

Du Xiao Yue (度小月) is most well-known for its noodles (擔仔麵). The brand has been around since 1895 and considered one of the most recognized Taiwanese restaurants among tourists. Second to Ding Tai Fung (鼎泰豐) perhaps?

The backstory of the brand is an interesting one. Back in late Qing dynasty, Taro Hung (洪芋頭), the founder of Du Xiao Yue, was a fishermen who lived in Tainan. In those days, life for the fishermen is especially hard in the months of April, July and September due to typhoons, which led to stormy sea conditions unsuitable for fishing. These months were also known as "Xiao Yue" or "小月" in Chinese (lit. bad months.). In those months, Hung would go to town and sell noodles in front of the local temple to maintain a livelihood. He named his shop "Du Xiao Yue" (lit. living through the bad months) and the rest is history.

The popularity of this noodle has led Tainan people to regard it as one of the "national treasure". The main ingredients for this dish are: noodles/rice noodles, bean sprouts, cilantro, shrimp, and the special meat sauce. You can either have it dry (撈麵) or with soup (湯麵). I personally prefer the dry version as the noodles seemed to be more fragrant. The noodle usually comes in a small bowl as it is meant to be enjoyed as a snack and not to be eaten as a meal. So don't be surprised next time you order this noodle and found yourself hungry for more.

In addition to their noodles, the restaurant also offered other Taiwanese dishes. The restaurant applied the same concept to the other items on the menu. i.e., most of the dishes came in small plates. I appreciate it because I can try a variety of dishes without being stuffed. It's almost like eating Taiwanese tapas.

Source: http://letstalkfoodandetc.blogspot.sg

How to get to Du Hsiao Yueh Restaurant?

Located behind Mingyao Department Store near Zhongxiao Dunhua MRT station (捷運忠孝敦化站), the restaurant was a place highly recommended for Taiwanese treats.