Menqian Yin Wei (門前隱味Mén qián yǐn wèi) started as a five-seat beef noodle counter in Banqiao, run by an owner who goes by Archer and brands the shop Wumamii. It was booked out for about two years before the building was demolished in 2022. The shop reopened in 2023 in a former air force village in Sanchong, and has since added shops in Ximending and Taichung.

The Sanchong shop keeps the original format: six seats, the chef cooking in front of you, and reservations that can book up a month ahead. The Ximending shops are set up like Ichiran, with single booths and a bamboo curtain in front of the kitchen. The broth is carried over from day to day and uses chicken and pork as well as beef. Choose the original (NT$279) or mala (NT$309), and add sides like spicy glass noodles. There's a 10% service charge.

Ordering is by QR code. The Ximending shops take walk-ins, and the owner suggests arriving around 1, 3, 5 or 7 PM, when the queue is shortest. We walked in just before 3 PM on a weekday.