Fool’s Noodles: Cheap Food With a Rich History

January 30, 2021January 30, 2021 Taipei Expat

In an area of Xiaonanmen that we’ve come to associate with dreaded afternoons spent at the Immigration Bureau, one noodle shop has thoroughly taken our fancy: Fool’s Noodles. The interesting name is a nod to their speciality, sha gua noodles, also known as fool’s noodles because they’re so easy to make that even a fool could make them (yes, really). Fool’s Noodles is an institution, with over 70 years of history that started with a single vendor selling noodles from two baskets on a carrying pole. They gradually upgraded to selling from a cart, a small house, and finally from the modest chain of three restaurants across the city. Two of those branches are in Xiaonanmen, the area they originated in, and the last is near Taipei Medical University in Xinyi.

In addition to their impressive history, Fool’s Noodles has something else to boast about: price. Eating here is ridiculously affordable, a fact that has not escaped the crowds of high school students looking to stretch their change as much as they can. If you’re on a budget, you could spend $40 on a single bowl of noodles and walk away satisfied. If not, we strongly recommend splurging the extra few dollars for the set ($260 for two people), which includes two soft drinks, three side dishes, two bowls of noodles, and two soups. For only $130 each for a ton of food, it was a great deal.

To start, we selected three sides dishes: eggplant, marinated tofu, and cucumbers, all of which were surprisingly fresh and delicious. The side dishes are an important part of this set, as they add a bit of crunch and variety to an otherwise simple meal. The side dishes at Fool’s Noodles are particularly good, and we strongly recommend you try at least one, whether or not you plan on ordering the set.

The noodles themselves may not look like much when you first get them: dressed only with a little lard and some scallions, they seem all but plain. And although there is beauty in its simplicity–indeed, you could eat them like this if you truly wished to–the real magic happens when you start customising them to your own taste.

To do this, first taste the plain noodles ($50 for a large bowl, $40 for a small) to appreciate their flavour and get an idea of what they might be missing. Be sure to mix them immediately, as they dry out very quickly. Then, add vinegar, soy sauce, chilli oil, and chilli flakes. It’s best to thoroughly mix each ingredient one-by-one, tasting as you go, rather than dumping everything in at the same time. If you have no idea how much of these things to add, start with half a teaspoon of vinegar and soy sauce, two small spoonfuls of chilli flakes, and a quarter of a teaspoon of chilli oil. You can also add a soft-boiled egg, which gives a nice creamy texture.

Side note: according to our Taiwanese friend, the best way to mix noodles is to stick your chopsticks in the middle of your bowl and continuously pick up the noodles from the centre of the bowl. This way the noodles stay contained and the sauce gets evenly distributed.

These noodles are simple yet so saucy and flavourful that we were sure we would want another serving straight away. One bowl down, and we realized that was never going to happen. They are filling.

The last part of the set to come was the soup, of which we had two options: wonton, or fish ball. We love both of these soups normally so ordered one of each to share. Our clear favourite was the wonton soup, which was light but flavourful, with big juicy wontons that easily rivalled many of the other wontons we’ve had. We added a little kick with some chilli oil and chilli flakes, but it was great with or without. The fish ball soup (pictured below) was also delicious, with a light, clear broth and refreshing aroma. These fish balls are all-natural and made with a little bit of garlic to give it more flavour. We’re not huge connoisseurs of fish balls ourselves and can’t really speak to how special these particular ones are, but they did taste pretty good.

All things considered, we ended up enjoying our simple meal of noodles, veggies and soup way more than we had originally anticipated, and the fact that it was fast and cheap only added to the appeal.