Yuren Eight-Treasure Glass Noodles (Store 1)

Review

Yuren Eight-Treasure Glass Noodles is the glass noodle shop most often named in Jiaoxi, with Store 1 on Section 1 of Zhongshan Road and Store 2 on Section 2. China Times reports that it began by selling thin vermicelli and blanched noodles, only becoming famous for eight-treasure glass noodles after more than twenty years; it was ranked 21st among Taiwan's top 100 snack shops and won first place for noodle and rice snacks in Yilan County. Travel site Yam says its recipe came from an old shop on Aisi Road in Keelung, so sources do not fully agree on its origins.

The signature eight-treasure glass noodles are served in pork-bone broth with pork paste, squid paste, phoenix-tail shrimp, shiitake, lily buds, wood ear and seasonal greens; the glass noodles soak up the broth and turn silky and springy. Besides glass noodles there are noodles, dry-tossed noodles and pork-paste noodle soup. The counter is lined with side dishes such as braised duck blood, cucumber, pig's ear, eggplant and hot-spring eggs, which you pick yourself and pay for together.

Diners most often praise Store 1 for being clean, spacious and fast, with a wide range of well-seasoned side dishes that some like even more than the mains; there is also an English menu, which helps foreign visitors. Criticism includes a pork-paste noodle broth some find bland, ordinary wontons, and a bill that ends up higher than expected once you pile on side dishes.

Sources differ on opening hours: the online map listing shows 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily, Yam says it stays open until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and China Times gives a 7 a.m. opening, so check before you go. Dinner fills up quickly, so arrive early. Diners say payment is mostly in cash, so bring some. Store 2, next to a temple, keeps longer hours, while Store 1 has more space.

It suits anyone wanting an affordable snack meal before or after a hot-spring soak, and families with children. First-timers should order a bowl of eight-treasure glass noodles, taste the broth plain, then pick two or three sides at the counter such as braised duck blood and a hot-spring egg. Bigger appetites can add dry-tossed noodles, and the condiments on the table let you adjust the flavour.