Corner Beef Noodle House – Beef Noodle Soup
There are probably a million different types of noodle soups all over the world. Each has their own unique profile, but the most famous one from Taiwan is beef noodle soup. On paper it is rather simple but as always, the devil is in the details.
Taiwanese beef noodle soup is actually a bit of a misnomer, as it is not a noodle soup made from a stock as many others are, but it is actually more of a loose stew with noodles added into it. Beef shanks are braised in a mixture of soy sauce, doubanjiang (spicy bean paste), tomato, aromatics like ginger, garlic, and scallions, and flavored with warm spices like star anise. After braising until the beef shank becomes tender, the stew is severed with bok choy, wheat noodles, and pickled mustard greens on the side.
As ubiquitous and emblematic as beef noodle soup is in Taiwan, not all Taiwanese restaurants do it well. What feels like a necessary add-on to a restaurant’s menu, it often falls far short of what the dish is supposed to be. Flat, one dimensional, or bland is what comes to mind when I see beef noodle soup from a restaurant that doesn’t specialize in the dish.
Imagine my elation when I found Corner Beef Noodle House in El Monte, California. You know when you see the name of the dish in the name of the restaurant that you are going to be in for a good time. The restaurant specializes in and does a good job with the Taiwanese classics, but keeps us coming back is their beef stew noodle. They go the extra mile for developing those small nuanced flavors, striking that perfect balance of a beefy and rich soup, warm spice, a slight tang from tomatoes, and a very subtle sweetness. They also give you the choice of thick or thin wheat noodles, so you have the option for a chewy bite or a broth enhanced slurp.
⭐⭐⭐The Corner Beef Noodle House in El Monte serves up the best beef noodle soup I have ever had! The perfect marriage of a rich broth with deep beefy flavor that pairs perfectly with tender braised beef and fresh chewy noodles. Certainly, worth traveling for!
Corner Beef Noodle House
3948 Peck Rd
El Monte, CA 91732