Niu Dian Holland Village – New Beef Rice Bowl Series [MEDIA INVITE]

Niu Dian, the 3 consecutive years Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee in Taiwan, has officially opened its second outlet in Holland Village. Spurred by the success of the first Singapore outlet in Balestier, Niu Dian’s Founder, Mr Lin Chun Ying will be introducing a brand-new beef rice bowl series to provide a delightful alternative to their beef noodles. (Full review of Niu Dian Balestier is available here).

Niu Dian Holland Village

We started our meal with the side dishes Cold Century Egg Tofu with Bonito Flakes ($5.90) and Braised Beancurd ($3.90). Served cold, the tofu is soft and silky, topped with century egg, covered with sweet brown gravy and loads of shaved bonito. The overall dish is just creamy, refreshing finished off with umami flavour from the gravy and bonito.

Cold Century Egg Tofu with Bonito Flakes 

Meanwhile, the braised beancurd is served warm and has a chewy texture filled with traditional smoky flavour. When I bit it, the beancurd was bursting with the braising liquid. A familiar taste of beancurd usually found in Taiwan.

Braised Beancurd

Niu Dian outlet at Holland Village has 3 new beef rice bowl dishes on the menu.

1. Combination Speciality Beef Pearl Rice Bowl (Boneless Rib Cut + Tendon + Tripe + Golden Coin) - $19.90

2. Trio Speciality Beef Pearl Rice Bowl (Boneless Rib Cut + Tendon + Golden Coin) - $19.90

3. Shredded Beef Pearl Rice Bowl - $15.90

Shredded Beef Pearl Rice Bowl 

LD chose the shredded beef pearl rice bowl because the meat is different compared to those in the noodle section. The pearl rice is topped with egg, cooked oyakodon style, also known as Tanidon. The egg is creamy, infused with the sweetness of the onion and beef broth. The shredded beef uses mini slices from the golden coin and boneless rib cut. The standard flavour of this dish is spicy, as the signature Niu Dian’s chilli is folded into the rice.

Shredded Beef Pearl Rice Bowl 

Shredded Beef Pearl Rice Bowl 

I choose the Combination Speciality Beef Noodles Set (Boneless Rib Cut + Tendon + Tripe + Golden Coin) - $19.90. The broth has a nice yellowy colour broth, infused with the essence of the beef. A nice-looking beef consommé. The rib cut and golden coin cut are amazingly tender. The tendon is soft with a delicate crunchy texture, while the tripe is springy yet soft. The cuts of the beef tasted clean and packed with delicious beef flavour and without any gamey beef taste. The chopped spring onions are imported from Taiwan, the aromatic aroma just complements this bowl of soup perfectly.

Combination Speciality Beef Noodles Set 

Golden Coin

Tripe

I realise there is a difference in the noodle compared to the initial version. The original noodle was hard and thick with a lovely chewiness on it. However, Mr Lin told us that due to the feedback from Singapore customers, he adjusted the thickness of the noodle and made it silkier. We both prefer the original version as it is just like what we taste in Taiwan.

Boneless Rib Cut

Tendon

Noodles

Accompanying our meal is the palace tea. We ordered the Lime & Sour Plum Green Tea with Aiyu ($5.70) and Osmanthus Oolong Jelly Tea ($5.70). Both type of tea is good to balance the beefiness in the meal.

Lime & Sour Plum Green Tea with Aiyu &
Osmanthus Oolong Jelly Tea

Other than the Media Tasting Menu, we also ordered other side dishes Pickled Radish ($4.90) and Cold King Oyster Mushroom ($4.90). We like the pickled radish as it is crunchy and sourish, which is good to cuts through the “jelakness” of the meat.

Pickled Radish

The King Oyster Mushroom has a delightful chewiness in it, marinated in spicy mala sauce. Meanwhile, the cubed pickled radish is crunchy, covered in sweet and sour marinate. It looks like the pickled radish you get when eating Korean Fried Chicken.

Cold King Oyster Mushroom

The Side Dishes

The décor of the restaurant is inspired by its Taiwanese roots. Combination of solid wooden tables and chairs that are classy and elegant. The twist in the décor is the display of Bearbricks Sculptures, which seems a bit out of place. The service is friendly, though on the minimum side as the ordering is done through the QR code on each table.

Part of Dining Area

Overall, Niu Dian not only has expanded its presence to Holland Village, but they also expand its menu to provide alternative to beef noodles. The beef rice bowl series has its own characteristics and comparable to their noodle series as well. Cheers!!

Thank you very much Protegie and Niu Dian Beef Noodles for the invitation.

Food & Drink: 8.5/10

Value: 8/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 7.5/10

Budget per Person: $26 - $50

Niu Dian @Holland Village

15A Lor Liput

Singapore 277730

F: www.facebook.com/niudiansg/

IG: @niudiansg

OH:

Sun – Thu: 11.00– 21.30

Fri & Sat: 11.00 – 22.00 (LO 21.30)

Menu available here

Niu Dian Beef Noodles – Superb Taiwanese Beef Noodles [MEDIA INVITE]

Niu Dian Beef Noodles, a Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee in Taiwan for 3 consecutive years has landed in Singapore. This beloved Taiwanese beef noodles were started in 2005 by Chef Lin Chun Ying, who had vast experience as Head Chef of Western Cooking in 5-star hotels in Taiwan. Drawing from his expertise, Chef Lin incorporates Western cooking methods into Chinese cuisine to create the flavours of beef noodles from his childhood.

Niu Dian Singapore

Niu Dian distinguishes itself by using only premium beef parts specifically flow-in from Australia. Combining their handmade noodles that are chewy in texture and 24 hours brewing of the beef parts, mirepoix and curated blend of herbs, Niu Dian has become a firm favourite in the Taiwan Beef Noodle scene. To ensure consistency across Niu Dian’s outlets, all proprietary sauces, marinades and selected ingredients are imported mainly from Taiwan.

Menu 1

Menu 2

We started the tasting session with Braised Beancurd ($3.90). Our initial impression, the beancurd might look a bit dry. Once I bit into it, the braising sauce just burst into my mouth, followed by the chewy beancurd texture and classic smoky aroma. It reminds me of the traditional beancurd shops in Taiwan.

Braised Beancurd

Cold Century Egg Tofu with Bonito Flakes ($5.90). LD says the century egg is fresh, rich & creamy and it is coated with the tangy sauce. The bonito flakes on top added a delicate umami flavour to this side dish.

Cold Century Egg Tofu with Bonito Flakes 

Combination Speciality Beef Noodle ($19.90). We choose the hard noodle texture with strong original broth. The combo cuts include Boneless Rib Cut + Tendon + Tripe + Golden Coin. The original broth has a nice yellowy colour broth, infused with the essence of the beef. A nice-looking beef consommé. When we first sipped into it, we can taste that the broth is packed with solid beef flavour. MOO MOO.

Combination Speciality Beef Noodle, Strong Original Broth

Tripe

The hard thick noodle has a lovely chewiness on it, while the rib cut and golden coin cut are amazingly tender. The tendon is soft with a delicate crunchy texture, while the tripe is springy yet soft. The cuts of the beef tasted clean and packs with delicious beef flavour, in absence of any gamey beef taste. The chopped spring onions are imported from Taiwan, the aromatic aroma just complements this bowl of soup perfectly.

Hard Noodle

Rib Cut

Next up is the Trio Speciality Beef Noodles ($18.90). We choose the hard noodle texture with strong braised soup base. This trio speciality includes Boneless Rib Cut + Tendon + Golden Coin. The braised version mixed the beef braising sauce with the original broth. The result is a robust broth with a bit of a spicy kick to it. The noodles are thick with a nice QQ to them, while the rib cut and golden coin are tender it is also full of braising sauce. If you like spicy, this will be the one for you.

Trio Speciality Beef Noodles, Braised Broth

Golden Coin

Tendon

To accompany the noodles, there are three condiments you can add to the dish. Bone marrow chilli, salted vegetables and chilli dipping sauce. The bone marrow chilli paste is Niu Dian rendition of XO sauce. It is made with a special blend of chilli, fried with bone marrow from beef bones. The essence of the beef is so strong, it will totally upgrade your beef noodle experience or other food that you apply it to. In Taiwan outlet, they sell their bone marrow chilli by the bottle. Chef Lin mention that they put it in fried kway teow in Taiwan to enhance the flavour of the dish.

Clockwise from Top: Bone Marrow Chilli, Salted Vegetables & Chilli Dipping Sauce

The Condiments Counter

The salted vegetables are imported from Taiwan, like most of the fresh ingredients in Niu Dian. This will help to balance the richness of the beef. Meanwhile, the dipping chilli is similar to those served in beef noodle stores in Singapore. It is watery and has the tanginess of lime in it.

Chef Lin with Bone Marrow Chilli

For the full Taiwanese dining experience, Niu Dian collaborate with Palace Tea and introduced a selection of in-house creations and signature drinks for bubble tea lovers. The Lime & Sour Plum Green Tea with Aiyu Jelly and Lychee Mint Black Tea made a great pairing with the beef noodles.

Palace Tea Counter

Lime & Sour Plum Green Tea

Lychee Mint Black Tea

We were impressed with the flavours during the Media Tasting, we decided to make a return visit the following week. This time around, we ordered Premium Braised Combination Beef Noodles ($28.90). The beef cuts will include Boneless Rib Cut + Tendon + Tripe + Golden Coin. The serving itself is different compared to other noodles. Here, the noodles are served in the original broth. The beef cuts are served in a separate pot with the braising sauce. There is also an empty bowl plus a small plate of sliced salted vegetables. You will also get an instruction paper on “3 Ways to enjoy our Premium Braised Beef Noodles”.

Premium Braised Combination Beef Noodles

3 Ways to enjoy our Premium Braised
 Beef Noodles Instructions

The noodles with the original broth allow us to taste the original beef noodle soup. Next, we get to try the noodle soup with braising sauce, by adding the braising sauce slowly. The strength of the braising sauce in the soup can be adjusted to our preference. For the finale, we get to try just the noodles with just the braising sauce, almost like the dry noodle version. All the cuts of the meat have the same taste and texture as during the Media Tasting, thus quality consistency checked! Yummy!!

Original Beef Noodle Soup

Premium Braised Beef

Original Beef Noodles Soup with Braised Beef

Noodle (dry) with Braised Beef and Salted Vegetables

Combination Beef Soup ($17.90 + $1 for additional egg drop). The beef cuts will include Boneless Rib Cut + Tendon + Tripe + Golden Coin. A good choice for someone on carbo restrictions. If you have tried the original soup, choose the additional egg drop to this broth. It gives the broth a nice smooth and silky texture that made us wish that there was a bowl of rice to go with it (oops, there goes the no carbo diet).

Combination Beef Soup with Egg Drop

Tendon

For those who don’t fancy beef, Niu Dian also serves Black Sesame Sauce Noodle ($11.90). It uses the same noodle; however, the Black Sesame Sauce is vegetarian-friendly. It is aromatic and bold. I find the flavour is on the mild side, especially after I try the beef noodle. I suggest you mix it with the salted vegetables to pump up the flavour. However, it suits LD’s tastebuds and she even polished off the sesame sauce.

Black Sesame Sauce Noodle

Black Sesame Sauce Noodle

For the side dish, we tried the Braised Beef Tendon ($6.90). It is surprisingly good. The gelatinous-looking tendon is soft and crunchy yet mild in flavour. LD, who don’t really like to eat tendon, was walloping them with the bone marrow chilli.

Braised Beef Tendon

Braised Beef Tendon

During this visit, we also tried Chrysanthemum Milk Tea. We don’t like it as it was too sweet for our palate. The milky flavour did not bode well with the richness of the beef.

Part of Dining Area

The décor of the restaurant is inspired by its Taiwanese roots. Combination of solid wooden tables and chairs that are classy and elegant. The service is friendly, though on the minimum side as the ordering is done through the QR code on each table.

Part of Dining Area

Overall, LD and I liked Niu Dian Taiwanese Beef Noodle. They brought the flavours of Taiwan to Singapore and the best part; it is so delicious and the quality is consistent. A must-visit for beef / beef noodle lovers and also for those missed Taiwanese Beef Noodles. Moo Moo. Cheers!!

Thank you very much Protegie and Niu Dian Beef Noodles for the invitation.

Food & Drink: 9/10

Value: 8/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 7.5/10

Budget per Person: $26 - $50

Niu Dian Beef Noodles (牛店)

520 Balestier Road

#01-01/02 VIIO @ Balestier

Singapore 329853

F: www.facebook.com/niudiansg/

IG: @niudiansg

OH:

Sun – Thu: 11.00 – 15.45; 17.30 – 21.30

Fri & Sat: 11.00 – 15.45; 17.30 – 22.00