A-Ren Mutton Thick Soup

Review

A-Ren Mutton Thick Soup has been on Jiguang Street in Taichung's Central District for about half a century and is now run by the third generation; it's a short walk from Taichung Station and ASEAN Square and a go-to for locals around the station. The blogger who recommends it says they've eaten here since their student days, and several roundups list it among Taichung's long-established eateries.

The lamb is young Australian lamb, stir-fried every morning with old ginger and garlic in sesame oil, then braised with rice wine, filling the street with its aroma. Reports agree that the slices are tender with almost no gamey smell, and every bowl of soup, rice or noodles is topped with plenty of lamb. The thick broth is simmered from bonito flakes, fried garlic and pork bones, with bamboo shoot strips, enoki mushrooms and egg ribbons, tasting clean, sweet and silky. The lamb soup noodles, with springy yellow noodles that soak up the broth, are the most ordered dish.

Price is what earns the most praise: nothing on the menu exceeds NT$70 — lamb soup noodles and lamb soup rice are NT$70 each, lamb rice NT$45, non-lamb eaters can choose pork or squid thick soup at NT$50, and for a change there are spicy dry noodles with house chili sauce at NT$50. Negative feedback online is scarce; the cautions that do exist concern difficult parking and the sesame-oil-and-ginger flavor of the lamb, which not everyone enjoys.

The dining room is spacious, bright and clean. Police often ticket cars nearby, so drivers should use a paid lot and walk over. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., closed Saturdays, but sources are limited, so double-check before going.

It suits anyone near the station wanting a cheap, hot bowl of soup. Order the lamb soup noodles and share a lamb rice between two; if you're wary of lamb, start with the lamb soup rice and add a little of the house chili sauce.