Wang's Taiwan Beef Noodle House - Vancouver, BC

After stupidly doing an 8K run in Stanley Park I had no business in doing, Mrs. Teddy and I drove around looking for a place to sit down and replenish the fat and calories we'd burned off.  We decided to head over to South Cambie as there a billion little places in the space of just a few blocks.  I'd driven by Wang's before but have never gone inside.  Mrs. Teddy said she'd been before with Mr. Teddy and it wasn't bad so I thought I'd give it a try.

The restaurant was empty save for one couple in the corner...  Really?  On a Sunday afternoon?  This is not a good sign.  We speculate that it might be because there are ton of other places just within a few blocks either way but I don't know...  Around 1ish, a few more tables file in but the dining area remains more empty than full.  I'm scared.  The server hands us menus and we peruse through...

Marinated Dried Tofu - $3.50

This dish is generally served cold but this one came steaming and warm.  Weird.  Oh well.  The tofu is firm and marinated really well.  The sauce is super garlicky and sweet which is perfect for the tofu as it would be quite bland otherwise.  Mrs. Teddy and I agree that it's quite tasty but nothing revolutionary.

Spicy Beef Brisket Noodle - $7.50 (Small)

Mrs. Teddy ordered this one before I could call it and I regret my slow reaction time.  The broth is spicy and full of beef flavor.  The beef itself is tender and there isn't a lot of gristle which we both appreciate.  Thick noodles my friends are a god send - they have that nice chewy al dente bite to them and it just matches so well with this soup.  It's not handmade but it's still good.  I'm glad Mrs. Teddy like to share or else I'd have to order a separate bowl of this for myself!  Yum!

Deep Fried Chicken Thigh Noodle - $7.00 (Small)

The shaky server slowly placed my order on the table...  she's so shaky she almost puts her thumb in my noodles.  Aiya.  Portion sizes are pretty good here.  My dish looked and smelled promising when it arrived at the table and I can't wait to take a bite.  I carefully engineer a bite in my noodle spoon that consists of everything the bowl has to offer - green onions, fried shallot, soup, bean sprouts and noodle and I take that anticipated bite.... nothing.  No taste save for a scent of the shallots, not even a taste, just a scent.  I cry inside for the let down.

The thick noodles have great texture and are great with the spicy beef soup but here, it's just wasted.  In this soup base they still have that great texture but it's just not the same without the flavorful kick.

The chicken was quite good - real pieces of chicken thigh lightly deep fried with a crunchy batter on the outside.  The salt and pepper seasoning isn't overwhelming which is nice when you eat it on its own but it falls a bit short when eaten with the water-flavored soup.  Also, normally when I order this at other Taiwanese places, the chicken comes served in the soup and although I like that it's served on the side as it preserves the crunchiness, it may explain why the soup is so flavourless.  I put this theory to the test by making a bite with the two together - I just can't get over the dullness of it's soupy counterpart.  The chicken helps but doesn't save this dish.


It also doesn't help that the place remained relatively empty the entire time we dined and there are bubble tea drinks served but no one ordered at any table.  If you want a lonely/quiet meal, then Wang's is the place for you but if you want a little more life/spice in your dining experience, look elsewhere.  Overall, if I was specifically craving a Taiwan beef noodle soup, then I would come back to Wang's.  Although no dish was awful, they were also mostly unremarkable (other than beef noodle soup of course).  With so many eateries within earshot of this place, this Piglet wouldn't return for any other dish.


Pros:

• No waiting
• Good beef noodle soup
• Cheap to moderate prices
• Close to Skytrain station
• Attentive servers - tea was filled many times

Cons:

• Inexperienced servers - thumb in my soup?  No thanks.
• Food is hit and miss
• Nearby parking is all metered
• Cash only
• Zero ambiance