I remember way back when I was a journalism school rookie in the sporting heydays of Ang Peng Siong and Fandi Ahmad, I was shown a picture and was challenged to crack my head for a witty caption. The picture had a cow caught in flooding waters, standing atop a house with the murky wetness rushing just below. Then, I came up with “beef over troubled waters”, as I hummed the Simon and Garfunkel tune inside. I also offered a “beef up” as backup. Hints of the foodie in me was just beginning to gestate.

Today, slightly enlightened and a lot fatter, the caption would’ve been “fresh beef in hot soup, add kway teow for complete meal”, as I remembered the tip of some trees were popping above the waters which I now see as vegetables. I see the brown water as a Teochew style beef broth and I imagine the muddy river banks as the gooey Hainanese version beef noodles with some chopped salted vegetables peeping out. The cow, well, is just fresh farmed beef. Her udders and stomach, showing up clearly in the picture as a silhouetted profile, brought on memories of my first childhood taste of the old fashioned Cantonese style ngow lam meen or beef brisket noodles. I wondered about what the Hokkiens did with beef and noodles and came up with… ziltch! There’s no definitive Hokkien beef noodles, so I mind mapped their homeland in Fujian, China and unwittingly wondered off to neighbouring Taiwan (closely similar in culture and language), where I could smell my thoughts on Taipeh’s national dish…hong shao niu rou mian (braised beef noodles). The fuzzy logic in my head then pointed me to an entry in my PDA that read “Lai Lai beef noodle…Liang Seah Street” (don’t ask how my mind works, I’m as clueless, but sometimes it just does).

Ms Johni Teo with her nicely presented Taiwan beef noodle soup

So to aid this train of thought on my beef noodle imagination, I trundled into this cute little bright and shiny eatery off Beach Road. Liang Seah Street, to me, is a fancy eatery row where the young set goes in search of food, as a reason to hang out. I always thought that it was a place to hang out, for food. I could be wrong. Inside the restaurant, I was greeted by a very cheerful and sweet owner Ms Johni Teo, the type that can make my sugar level rise just talking to her. I ventured into the usual questions about her background and her calling to the F&B business. She went on, “…was in the electronic manufacturing business for a decade based in Taiwan” and on, “love the food, the place the people” and on “ nearly decided to migrate there” and on,” particularly love the very famous beef noodle in the Lai Lai Sheraton Hotel”, occasionally punctuating with details on the betel nut ladies, traffic, pollution and the unique taste of Taipei’s beef noodles which has a pleasant piquant accent that lightened the weight of the heavy broth and how the beef was braised differently than how the Teochews here did it. I was beginning to feel lethargic and light as I intently listened. I thought it could be initial signs of diabetes setting in till she mentioned, and I remembered it in vivid slow motion, her wide eyed smile converting to speech mode, “SO I POACHED THEIR CHEF IN LAI LAI SHERATON.”

Lai Lai Beef Noodles

I was riveted. Then she went on “...so Mr Lee Chiao Sing had a one year full time stint with us here and now remains as a consultant chef, coming up with more xiao chi (little dishes) that is true to the Taiwan palate.” and on “ I can say it is as good as how they did it in Lai Lai Sheraton which was why a lot of my Taiwanese customers or those who have been there, now tell me they don’t have to travel to Taiwan…”, I was politely interrupted by current head chef Loi Boon Yew who served us our nicely presented Taiwan beef noodle soup (the first time I had it was in a plastic container when I had a takeaway tapau version a week earlier). It tasted as I remembered.

The broth has that nice sour hint that came from a dash of rice wine, did not mar the beefy light brown broth. The noodles, ramen style, had that, in hip Liang Seah Street makan lingo “QQ” texture which remained even when the soup cooled a little. The beef brisket topping was so easy to like and the shin slices was exceptionally chunky and soft with pockets of smooth tendons peeking at you, accompanied by a side plate of preserved salted vegetables. I could not stop devouring until Boon Yew brought out the dry version, which he said was something they created and not available in Taiwan. It was the same stock thickened with tapioca starch and came with similar toppings and a piece of palate saviour in the form a lightly pickled radish. What a joy.

Then she went on about her other unique Taiwan style side dishes as I wondered about how to fit her into the caption when I next see that picture of the cow over troubled waters.

Lai Lai Beef Noodle

Address 20A/B Liang Seah Street

Opening Hours 11.30am-3am Closed on Mondays

Telephone & Email 68371556