Li Ji Mi Tai Mu

Review

Li Ji Mi Tai Mu is at No. 312 Ren'ai Road in Zhudong, inside Zhudong Central Market. It is a breakfast and snack stall locals have eaten at since childhood, running for more than fifty years and now in its third generation. Supertaste includes it in its Hsinchu County snack picks, and local food roundups often treat it as a must-eat stop when exploring Zhudong Market.

The menu changes with the seasons: stir-fried mi tai mu (short rice noodles) in winter and mi tai mu shaved ice in summer. The noodles are stir-fried with soy sauce and chives and topped with minced pork, and many regulars add the shop's fresh chilli sauce and a splash of vinegar; braised eggs and fried tofu can be added too. The shaved ice is a cooling old-style sweet, ideal for summer market visits.

Fans praise the authentic old-time flavour and low prices, saying the pure rice noodles have a different texture from ordinary ones and the chilli sauce is especially fragrant, a taste many Zhudong natives must have when they return home. Critics note the noodles are stir-fried in a big batch first and reheated to order, so they are not as good as freshly fried, and some feel the noodles have become more translucent and chewy than they remember.

There is no up-to-date price list online, so check on site. Online listings show it opening around 6:30 a.m. and closing around 1 p.m., though sources differ slightly and it sometimes closes at 12:30 p.m. on weekdays, so go in the morning. Dine-in and takeaway queues are separate, hot savoury dishes and sweet ice are ordered separately, and you pay after eating. Parking around the market is hard, so use a nearby car park and walk.

Good for anyone wanting to experience a Zhudong market morning or seeking old-style Hakka-town snacks. In winter, order a plate of stir-fried noodles with chilli, braised egg and fried tofu; in summer, add a bowl of mi tai mu ice for savoury and sweet in one visit.