肠蚝面线 (NT$60) — Taipei oyster mee sua!
NYE late-night Taipei street food — oyster + intestine mee sua (肠蚝面线) at NT$60. Thick brown bonito broth, soft mee sua threads, fat oysters.
First eat of 2019 — Taipei street stall 肠蚝面线 (oyster + pork intestine mee sua) for NT$60 with BB. New Year’s Day late-morning bowl after the rainy NYE countdown.
We ordered:
- 蚝仔肠面线 (oyster + intestine mee sua) — NT$60
The Taipei mee sua format is the thicker, browner version compared to the clearer Singapore one. Bonito-and-flour-thickened brown broth, almost gravy-like, with the noodles practically drinking it as they sit in the bowl. The hand-pulled thin mee sua threads are soft enough to slurp without chewing — fragile, almost dissolving on the spoon.
Plump oysters tucked through the bowl, each one barely cooked so they kept their slipperiness. The pork intestines were the surprise upgrade — properly cleaned (no off-notes), braised soft, with a slight chew that contrasted against the softness of everything else.
Black vinegar and chilli oil on the side as the proper Taipei condiments. You add a spoonful of each, mix into the broth, and the whole bowl shifts toward the brighter sharper side that defines the dish. Cilantro and chopped scallion on top for the fresh herbaceous lift.
NT$60 (~SGD $2.70 at 2019 exchange) for the bowl is honest Taipei street pricing. Same dish in Singapore would run $5-6 at hawker pricing.
The stall was the cramped corner-shop format that defines Taipei street food — three tables, plastic stools, the auntie running the wok-and-broth station in the front while orders queue at the counter. Steam rising off every bowl handed out.
Start of the Taiwan trip and the first taste of 2019 — the bowl was the right call.
Overall: 4.5 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Excellent Taipei oyster mee sua — would queue again any trip.
