I visit the Taiwanese place Dai Ho....no beef noodles!

[JeetKuneBao]

Aww yes Dai Ho!

This is probably one of the more famous Taiwanese restaurants in the state. You got TW peeps from the Bay to Irvine that come here. Only open from 1130am-300pm. If you are looking for QPR this is not the place. Small bowl of noodles will run you $8 and the xiao tsai/lu wei is almost double or more for what you pay for at others. Is it double the taste though???

I have to say first that my Grandma is from Taiwan via Shandong. So things like dumplings, beef noodles, lu wei beef, etc I grew up on. Beef Noodle soup can be personal and I know what I like (savory, beefy, spicy, a little sweet, homemade pickled veg, wide thick noodles that hold small drops of the soup, no chilli oil slick on top). I know Dai Ho is known by some for the beef noodles but Taiwanese in the know, know better.

Cold Noodles. Great QQ on the noodles. The sauce is okay, maybe a little more nutty would be welcomed.

Lu Wei platter. Beef Tripe, Pig Ears, and Pork Shank. I was going to get the Beef, but was quoted almost $40 for a small roll. Say what??? Next time since I wanted to try other things and I only brought 3 Andrew Jackson’s from the ATM. This was delicious.Well marinated, not dry. Brought back memories when I used to make sandwiches out of Lu Wei meats…lettuce, tomato, and a little mayo lol. I don’t know why but it worked! Next time I’ll get the beef.

Zha Jiang Noodles. The sauce is great! Too bad about the noodles being mushy and not QQ. This would have been a good bowl!!

Meh. Not worth the markup. Nothing really stands out in this. No flavor punch from the veg. Best to order this at a Shanghainese joint. This is my fault for ordering this.

Papaya/Mu Gua. Get this!!! Nice crunch texture. A little sweet, a little vinegary, and a little spicy. One of the better Xiao Tsai’s I had in a awhile.

I’ll be back to try some other items here. Such as Lu Wei Beef, Dan Dan Noodles, more of the Xiao Tsai, and maybe the chicken soup. It was nice hearing the owner and customers speaking Taiwanese to each other. I find it comforting in a way??

Dessert:

Big Softee at the GREEN roof plaza on Atlantic x Garvey.

Got the Hojicha Softee and cold HK Milk Tea. They didn’t have HK Milk Tea Softee! I assume this was a signature flavor? How you not have this? I enjoyed both btw. But I also love me those Vanilla Cones at McD’s so what does that say??

[Chowseeker1999]

Thanks for the report @JeetKuneBao.

Have you tried the beef noodles at Dai Ho before? If not, I don’t know if it’s worth driving back there to try (unless you’re in the area). From multiple visits and the Beef Noodle journey we had, Corner Beef Noodle House and Cindy’s were much better, but just a thought.

For Big Softee, how was the Hojicha? We had the Salted Duck Egg Yolk last time(!) and it was surprisingly decent.

[JeetKuneBao]

I’ve had the Beef Noodles at Dai Ho before, but it was a very very long time ago. Takeout none the less. I agree with Corner Beef Noodle House and Cindy’s.
With Dai Ho I think certain foodie writers and foodie website started to give the Beef Noodles the attention, while it may be a solid bowl the house special here is the lu wei, and other noodles/xiao tsai.

Give the papaya a try here if you are in the area and maybe a bowl of the other noodle offerings.

The Hojicha was pretty good, not overly sweet, with some nice roasted notes.

[DoughnutsFC]

What is that dish you described as “Meh. Not worth the markup.”? Are those wide flat noodles?

[JeetKuneBao]

Pickled mustard greens, soybeans, tofu sheet

[JeetKuneBao]

Made a recent visit…

I like the papaya here. Bright, crunchy, vinegary. This would provide a nice counter to your beef noodle soup.

Dan Dan Noodles. The sauce is well balanced. I asked for medium heat. This is Taiwanese style Dan Dan Noodles, which is much more align to my tastebuds than the Dan Dan Noodles at Best Noodle House.

Chicken Soup. This is pretty much as close as you can get to homestyle Taiwanese chicken soup. This was pretty damn good. Next time I’ll ask for the leg. Also in the pool is daikon and mushroom.

[fallingleaves]

@Chowseeker1999

Beef Noodle journey we had, Corner Beef Noodle House and Cindy’s were much better

By Cindy’s do you mean Cindy’s Noodle Land in Arcadia or some other Cindy’s?

[Chowseeker1999]

Hi @fallingleaves,

No, Cindy’s Kitchen. Thread and pics here.

[mchen]

Nice report. I would highly recommend trying the gan ban mein next time. I forget what it’s called on the menu, but it’s dry noodles mixed with minced pork.

[JeetKuneBao]

Gan Ban Mian.

Mixed it up really good and enjoy. Out of all the noodle dishes here I think I like the Ban Mian and Dan Dan Mian the best. The beef noodle is good but for me it is not as complex with really no noticeable sweet and spicy notes that I prefer. That’s okay. As there are so many variations in Taiwan. No one is beating my Taiwanese-Shandong Grandma on Beef Noodles.

Follow up at Yoshantea in Arcadia

I got the Dong Ding Oolong Milk Tea

@beefnoguy

I found a place for you Dai Lo!