The Tofu-Pudding Shop Disguised as a Noodle Restaurant—Mian Da Chu (City Hall)

Introduction

At long last, this blog is getting its very first food post. (Cue confetti.

Back when I was still working at IQVIA, getting off work on time was already a miracle. Weekends and breaks were packed too, so finding time to visit restaurants and eat good food was out of the question.

Now that I have left and regained my freedom, I can finally begin my food-review (and get-chubby) project: working my way through the restaurants and foods I had been wanting to try.

Friends did occasionally take me out for something tasty, but eating with friends feels different from going alone to focus on the food and the space itself.

When I eat with friends, the time together matters most. When I eat alone, I can pay more attention to the food and the dining environment.

So even if I have already visited somewhere with friends, I may still return on my own to enjoy that feeling.

I am happy to write posts like this because they double as a reward, but I also need a few annoying restrictions to stop myself from eating nonstop and gaining too much weight.

So why not turn all these restaurants and foods into reviews? If every good meal comes with the hassle of writing a post, maybe I will stop going overboard. (Maybe?)

And that is how the food-review series began.

Is it really okay to keep launching one article series after another?

Of course it is! It is my website, after all. Hehe.

A Tofu-Pudding Shop Disguised as a Noodle Restaurant

This place had been on my list for ages, but every time I passed by during mealtime it was packed, so I kept giving up.

This time I arrived just as Mian Da Chu opened and unexpectedly became the first customer of the day.

The reason I was near Taipei City Hall that day was simply that several friends had told me the limited-edition Jigglypuff plushies at Pokémon Center Taipei were back in stock, so I should hurry over and buy one.

The City Hall branch is quite easy to reach. Leave Taipei City Hall MRT Station through Exit 1, turn right onto that street, and keep walking until you see the storefront.

I first heard about the restaurant from a friend, who described it as a noodle shop where ‘the tofu pudding outperforms the noodles—and it is all-you-can-eat.’

I already knew the main attraction was unlimited tofu pudding, but I had done almost no homework on what kind of noodles they actually sold before showing up.

Then I looked up at the sign: ‘Beef Noodles / Japanese Ramen.’ Huh? Those use completely different broths and cooking styles. Are they really things you sell together?

Never mind. I was already there, so it was time to go in and eat with commitment.

For a restaurant that serves both beef noodles and Japanese ramen, the interior looks neither like a traditional noodle shop nor like a Japanese ramen place. It feels distinctly modern.

The main palette is white, black, and yellow. More than a noodle restaurant, it almost looks like… a travel agency?

Still, the lighting is bright, the place clearly looks well cleaned, and the environment is comfortable. The entire floor practically sparkles.

As the first customer inside, I had the dining area almost entirely to myself and could happily take photos everywhere.

The waiting area looks empty here, but by the time I finished eating that day, every waiting seat was occupied.

At the entrance, Mian Da Chu posts the complete process for both dine-in and takeaway orders.

The dine-in flow is basically: take a seat → scan the QR code on the table and order → pay at the machine → wait for the food → help return your tray after eating.

For takeaway, scan the posted QR code and order → pay at the machine → wait for your number and collect the food.

As that description suggests, ordering is done by phone and payment by machine. If you are not very comfortable with digital devices, ask a staff member for help with the operation and details.

There were not many customers when I visited, so I could choose almost any seat. I picked one with a good view of the whole space.

Looking around, I noticed quite a few power outlets along the wall. Um… I am not sure the restaurant wanted me to notice and announce that fact.

Each seat has a sign like the one below, with a corresponding QR code that you scan on your phone to order.

Mian Da Chu uses a fairly standard ordering system. Tabs at the top let you browse different categories, and you can add side dishes too.

It is quite straightforward and should be easy to learn.

The menu covers the familiar kinds of beef noodles as well as Japanese ramen.

I personally prefer Japanese ramen, so that was all I focused on. I did not compare the beef-noodle prices or ingredients in much detail.

For the ramen, one difference from a traditional Japanese ramen shop is that Mian Da Chu does not really let you choose broth strength or noodle firmness. The options are mostly simple requests to leave certain ingredients out.

I eventually ordered the milk ramen, priced at NT$210.

Incidentally, staff deliver the food, but you handle the ordering and final cleanup yourself, so there is no service charge.

After ordering, your phone displays another QR code. Bring it to the machine near the entrance to pay.

I paid cash that day and am not sure whether other payment methods were available. To be safe, anyone planning to visit should bring enough cash.

Once I had ordered, a staff member gave me a small bowl for the tofu pudding.

I suppose this was the true purpose of the trip. (Just kidding.

One important detail: the minimum purchase for the all-you-can-eat tofu pudding was one bowl of noodles. If you share a noodle dish, not everyone receives a tofu-pudding bowl, and there were no spare bowls near the topping station.

That is why some customers order one of the cheaper noodle dishes and then go all in on tofu pudding.

I specifically wanted to try ramen with a milk broth, so I still chose one of the more expensive Japanese-style bowls.

Now let us talk about Mian Da Chu’s tofu pudding.

Basically, if you order noodles, the staff gives you the matching bowl, and you can keep helping yourself to tofu pudding for as long as you can eat it.

The toppings that day were the familiar red beans, mung beans, and peanuts, plus grass jelly and konjac—or maybe nata de coco; I have forgotten which.

The sad part is that I am an absolute boba fanatic, and there were no pearls among the toppings that day. Noooo.

I remember seeing other online reviews that said they had boba. Maybe they simply did not have any that day.

The tofu pudding sits in a large tub for you to scoop yourself. Add whatever toppings you want, then choose sugar syrup or soy milk as the sweet soup.

And just like that, your own delicious bowl of tofu pudding is ready.

The toppings and sweet soup were not overwhelmingly sweet. To me, the sweetness felt about right rather than syrupy.

The soy milk is lightly sweetened, so you can also pour some into a cup and drink it on its own if you want.

The tofu pudding itself has a pleasant aroma and tastes pretty good.

If you do not want soy milk, there are sweet drinks beside the tofu pudding too.

Was it truly unforgettable? I would say not quite. It is decent tofu pudding with decent toppings, and the self-serve refills and freedom to add your favorites are appealing, but the tofu pudding alone would not make me return again and again.

For the price, I might personally lean toward a small street-side dessert shop that specializes in sweet soups.

The food arrived quite quickly. By the time I had filled and finished one bowl of tofu pudding, the ramen was already at the table, so the wait was not long at all.

Compared with the tofu pudding, the ramen broth was the real surprise for me. It was unbelievably good!

By the end, I had almost finished the entire bowl of soup. It was intensely rich.

The chashu worked unexpectedly well with the milk broth and tasted very smooth. I think even people who do not usually like milk could give this milk ramen a try.

The noodles seemed to have been cooked for quite a while and were very soft. If you normally prefer firm ramen noodles, you might find them overcooked.

If you do not want them that soft, perhaps mention it to the staff when ordering.

What puzzled me was that although the broth was delicious and the noodles were soft, the noodles did not seem to absorb much of the broth. It tasted a little as though the soup and noodles were separate rather than deeply integrated.

After finishing the main dish, I went back for a second bowl of tofu pudding, this time with sugar syrup—the classic traditional version.

After that second bowl, I was so full that I could not eat anything else. For someone who genuinely wants to enjoy the main dish, the all-you-can-eat tofu pudding may therefore matter less than expected.

But if your mindset is ‘the main dish is the free extra; unlimited tofu pudding is the point,’ then this restaurant may suit you perfectly.

Overall, both the ramen and tofu pudding fall into the category of ‘pretty good, but not especially memorable.’ The milk broth, however, earns very high marks from me.

If you are looking for truly excellent ramen, I think you could try another ramen shop at a similar price rather than choosing Mian Da Chu specifically.

But if you want the novelty of piling on tofu-pudding toppings and eating your fill, Mian Da Chu remains a good option.

Restaurant Information

Restaurant: Mian Da Chu — City Hall Branch

Address: No. 3, Alley 5, Lane 147, Section 1, Keelung Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City

Phone: (02) 2749-5989

Hours: 11:30–14:30 and 17:00–21:00 [same on weekdays and weekends]

Average spend per person: Under NT$300

Payment: Cash

Ordering: Mobile QR-code ordering + machine checkout

Service charge: None