The dan zai noodles from Chih Kan Dan Zai Noodles might just be the garlickiest thing I’ve ever eaten.
They were delicious, mind you, but if you’ve got an aversion to garlic, this is absolutely, positively not the dish for you.
If you like garlic, on the other hand, this is something you’re going to need to try.
The dish consists of noodles in a shrimpy broth topped with garlicky ground pork, bean sprouts, and a whole shrimp.
It is profoundly garlicky. It’s intense. Aside from the huge chunks of cooked garlic in the pork mixture, there’s clearly a whole bunch of raw garlic in the broth, because the flavour pierces right through you.
It’s quite good. It’s porky, a little bit sweet, and (of course) very garlicky. The noodles are thick, chewy, and satisfying.
I was tasting garlic for about 24 hours after eating this, but I guess that’s the price you pay for deliciousness.
The only weird thing: you basically have to eat outside. I initially wanted to eat in the restaurant, but then they told me there’s a 150 NT$ charge (a bit over six bucks Canadian) to use the dining room. The noodles themselves are only 65 NT$. No idea what that’s about.
Location: No. 180號, Section 2, Minzu Road, West Central District, Tainan City, Taiwan 700
How to find it: The outside of the restaurant has wood-paneled theme that makes it stand out, so it’s fairly easy to find.