Affordable Taiwanese Fusion Food at Noodlemix

September 3, 2019 Taipei Expat

Noodlemix is a playful local restaurant with two locations — one near Zhongxiao Xinsheng, one in Tianmu — that serves up some affordable fusion food. We were excited to try it out, as we had read lots of positive reviews praising both their creativity and their price, which suited us just fine. We decided to visit their Zhongxiao Xinsheng restaurant, and were pleasantly surprised to find that it had a relatively down-to-earth neighbourhood feel to it, with lots of customers popping in by themselves to grab a casual bowl of noodles before, it seemed, heading home for the night. The staff were lovely from the moment we stepped in, going out of their way to help us despite it being a self-serve restaurant. One gentleman in particular was very friendly, with great English.

The first thing we ordered was the spicy hot chicken Taiwanese fettuccine noodles ($178). The server confirmed that this would be a spicy dish, and we should only order it if we were comfortable with that. We actually didn’t find it to be very spicy when we arrived, but it was really tasty, and very filling. It tasted very familiar — the Taiwanese influence was clear — but also vaguely reminded us of a pasta dish or Pad Thai. There was a nice mix of meat, noodles, and veggies, which gave it a good mix of textures. It was hearty, it was flavourful, and we loved it.

Our second order, national treasure angel hair noodles with garlic ($65) was a much more controversial one. It looks simple enough — to the point where a few of us felt instant disappointment upon seeing it — but what made it stand out was how seriously garlicky it was. And when we say seriously, we mean seriously. This dish was not for the faint of heart: it divided our party into lovers and haters immediately. If you’re the type of person who has a limit on how much garlic you can take, you might want to skip this. If you’re the type of person who thinks there is no limit on the amount of garlic that should be used in a dish, these are the noodles for you.

For our last dish, we decided to try their spicy Thai style fried chicken with sweet and sour chilli sauce ($158). It’s also very yummy — as long as you aren’t expecting it to actually be Thai: just remember, it’s a fusion restaurant. This was a nice, mildly spicy fried chicken dish that played around with both Thai and Taiwanese flavours. The skin was crispy, the meat was juicy, and the sauce was tangy and sweet. We enjoyed it a lot.

We washed everything down with a cold Corona ($90) and overall, really liked our experience here. The food was good and reasonably priced, and the staff were really sweet and helpful. We actually preferred the fact that this place felt like a neighbourhood joint, as it helped keep the experience unpretentious and fun. You probably shouldn’t come here expecting the highest quality food, but if you’re in the mood for something that’s relatively Taiwanese but playful and slightly more creative, this might be the place for you.

Check out their full menu here:

What’s the vibe?

Neighbourhood noodle joint that does some affordable fusion interpretations on Asian classics. The clientele were all local and seemed like they had popped in for a quick bite on the way home.

Worth it?

We enjoyed everything we ordered, but we have by no means tried everything on the menu. Prices are slightly higher than your average local restaurant but still affordable. We think it’s at least worth a try!

Would you go back?

We would! It’s a nice, laid-back place for an unfussed dinner, and it would be fun to check out their other location too.

Last updated: September 2019

Noodlemix (Zhongxiao Xinsheng Store)

Chinese Name: 禮面作台北新生店

Hours: 11am – 2:30pm, 5pm – 9:30pm

Phone: 02 2322 3291

English Address: No. 3, Lane 48, Section 2, Jinan Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City

Chinese Address: 台北市中正區濟南路二段48巷3號

Noodlemix (Zhishan Store)

Chinese Name: 禮面作台北芝山店

Hours:
Mon-Fri 11am – 2pm, 5pm – 9pm
Sat & Sun 11am – 2:30pm, 5pm – 9pm