Chen Ji Mee Sua

Mee Sua is one of the most popular dish all locals and tourists loves in Taiwan and it is definitely one of the top 10 dish to eat when you are travelling in Taipei. There is one famous one at Xi Men Ding shopping district which is so popular that you see long queues at the shop every day and hordes of people standing around the stall holding their paper bowl of mee sua taking selfies and slurping them down in quick movements since there was no proper dining area. Before this, I only ate the mee sua at this store until I discovered Chen Ji and I have to say there’s no turning back. It is indeed the best mee sua in Taipei.

A pretty small stall located in a very traditional neighbourhood where you will not see the typical tourists but many locals and old people going about their daily duties. Occupying one of the smaller stalls at the row of shop houses which also house many other small eateries, Chen Ji stands out from the rest with a visible crowd at any time of the day. The stall is managed by a few aunties with their son but unlike the other famous stall, Chen Ji has a few tables set up just on the corridor outside the stall for patrons to eat their mee sua on the spot.

They have a few varieties of mee sua here; the mixed which includes braised pork intestines and oysters, plain oysters, plain pork intestines or plain mee sua only. The big bowl cost TWD 75 and small costs TWD 55 while the plain mee sua without ingredients cost only TWD 35.

The big bowl of mee sua comes with very generous servings of toppings and you can choose to add parsley or without parsley and also garlic when ordering from the owner. At the tables inside the store as well as outside the stall, the owner has place chilli and vinegar containers for customers to add onto the mee sua. Personally, I love adding lotsa of chilli and vinegar which adds on to the spicy kick from the garlic. The mee sua here is full of flavours and still full of texture where you can still taste the visible strand of noodles. There was a great balance between the starchy soup and noodles. The oysters were huge and fleshy while the braised intestines were so well done, its in a world of its own. We had wanted to order a side order of the intestines but the owner did not sell it to us. The intestines were soft and crunchy and well braised with a strong clean soy taste. Most people are afraid if tasting the pungent smell from intestines but these were well cleaned and cooked. This was so good that we came back for it the next day and even packed a takeaway to eat in our hotel even after having a bowl on site. This is by far the best mee sua in Taipei and this is not an exaggerated comment.

Address: No. 166, Section 3 Heping West Road at Wanhua District in Taipei City

Operating hours: 6.30 am to 7.30 pm

Nearest station: Long Shan Temple Exit 2, take a left turn and walk straight down, cross a traffic light and you have reached the row of the shop houses where Chen Ji is located.

BONUS:

For Taiwanese pork sausage lovers, this is the time to rejoice. While you can find this everywhere in Taiwan, this again is one of the best I have eaten. Just next to Chen Ji mee sua stall, is this indiscreet stall that sells Taiwanese pork sausage.

There is only 1 auntie managing the stall and there is a short queue sometimes but most of the customers buying the sausages are also customers having the mee sua so most customers will order and sit down while waiting for the sausages to be ready.

The auntie stands in front of the hot grill constantly grilling the sausages till perfect. I have noticed that many locals actually eat it together with raw garlic which is provided by the stall owner in a basket. You can freely take the garlic if you ordered sausages from her. Each sausage costs TWD 35 and is grilled on the spot only after your order so you have to wait a few mins.

The sausages here are made of black pork and is made by hand by the owner and not by factory like the other stalls at night markets. Because it is made freshly by the owner, she also sells the raw sausages to customers who wants to cook them at home and also vacuum packed semi cooked ones for any customers who wants to bring them home on a flight. The sausages here are grilled to such perfection that once you bite into them, it bursts into meat juices. The skin of the sausage is very thin so when it is grilled perfectly, it is vert taut and crispy. The meat is also juicy and tender full of sweetness. For those interested in the vacuum packed ones, you can buy 6 at TWD 210 and 10 at TWD 350 and lightly grill them on any pan to enjoy them at home.