Wanderlust Beef Noodles

Wanderlust is located on Raohe Street and is open both day and night. While it's busiest during the night market, it's also accessible before the crowds gather. If possible, arrive early for a calmer visit.

You can see this restaurant’s history. Its sun-faded sign reveals years of service and countless beef noodle bowls. Inside, the walls display old photos, many faded and reminiscent of the 80s and 90s.

I got there around 3pm, and there were a few others in the restaurant, but plenty of seats were available. It gets very busy when the night market starts. I ordered the half-beef, half-tendon soup and the smashed cucumbers.

The cucumbers were served cold and intensely garlicky. Take a look at all those pieces of garlic! For me, the more garlic the better. I do like smashed cucumber with chili oil. However, this one tasted nice, and the strong garlic flavor works for me.

The soup came out, and it seemed to have more tendon than beef, not quite the half and half. But they do the tendon correctly here. It’s been braised long enough that it becomes a firm but jelly-like consistency. It’s basically like a savory gelatin, a Jello for adults. I've never had braised tendon like this in North America. But it’s an amazing experience.

The beef was tender and flavorful. The broth was rich and deeply layered. The hand-cut noodles were thick, springy, and chewy; everything that makes a noodle wonderful. Bok choy was standard, but spring onions added a nice touch I’ve rarely seen with beef noodles. Pickled mustard greens served in a spoon made it feel special.

Overall, this is a rather famous beef noodle place, probably helped a lot by its location in the Raohe Night Market. But if it was not on Raohe Street. I think this spot could still have plenty of fans. At 220 NTD for the most expensive bowl, it’s not the cheapest but also certainly not on the expensive side. I really enjoyed this one and would not mind returning for another bowl and those garlicky cucumbers.