Taiwan Noodle - Albany

I love Asian cuisines so I was super excited to discover this spot when visiting Albany. My husband and I shared: Sticky Rice Shu Mai Pork Belly Buns Egg Custard Bun Steamed Pork Soup Dumpling Spicy Wonton Stewed Beef Chuck I really lovedeverything. It was great to try a variety of smaller dishes. The thing that stood out the most above the others for me was theSticky Rice Shu Mai. I love sticky rice and I've had Shu Mai before, but I've never had a Sticky Rice Shu Mai before and it wasgreat! We got takeout and everything held up very well.

On our way to our destination we stopped at Taiwan Noodle for dinner. We started with the scallion pancakes, shrimp shumai, and fried tofu and mushroom. The scallion pancakes were crisp and not oily; our daughter loved eating it. The shrimp shumai came inhot and steamed; the largest shumai we have seen, a dim sum treat. The chef’s favorite fried tofu and mushrooms were perfectin the sauce; shittake and cloud ear mushrooms were meaty delight. My husband had the stewed beef noodle soup with ricenoodles. The broth was good with the tender beef and Chinese broccoli. I had the wonton soup when chicken broth and wheatnoodles. The wontons were filling and hearty; went well with the thick noodles. Small place with a couple 2-tops and a few4-tops. Reasonable price and fresh ingredients.

First let’s get on the same page about what Taiwan Noodle is not. It is not a fancy, trendy spot. There is no bar, no alcohol. It’s not fancy and it’s not trying to be fancy. But Taiwan Noodle most definitely does not need to try to be anything thatit’s not. Because it is PURE DELICIOUSNESS. OMG. Seriously. Taiwan Noodle is not huge, but plenty of seating and canaccommodate larger parties or a single diner, like me. Nice, simple, bright space. Also! Off street parking lot. Which, if youknow Central Ave in Albany is a pretty cool thing. I had looked at the menu and food pics online and when I saw ROWS OFDUMPLINGS I knew I was going. I am always going to give Dim Sum a try. I don’t eat beef, pork or poultry, which usuallyisn’t a problem at Chinese restaurants because there are plenty of vegetable and seafood options. Taiwan Noodle doesn’treally have much in the way of seafood. But! There were some very authentic meat type ingredients and when I see that on a menuI want to try the food. Full Disclosure: I did not make it past the appetizer menu. I mean I ordered a decent sampling ofappetizers. But once I bit into the steamed vegetable dumplings I knew I needed a whole, second order of those… Here’s thething, whenever I try a new spot and I see vegetable dumplings I order them. And, you know, they’re bland. They’re alwaysbland. But I gotta try. The steamed vegetable dumplings at Taiwan Noodle are NOT bland. So. Much. Flavor!! So Delicious.Amazing. I was thrown by the fact that there’s just not that much “detail” on the menu. Every section contains a “mixedvegetable” version. But there is no indication of what those vegetables are. So I made the HIGHLY INCORRECT assumption thatthey were not putting much effort into their vegetable items. I bit into that first vegetable dumpling and it was The MostDelicious Chinese Food I have ever eaten. And I have eaten a lot a lot of Chinese Food. The dumplings have carrots and wood earmushrooms and glass noodles

Love this place, food is fantastic. Don't skip on dim sum. Hot lemon honey tea always gets me in the mood. Fried pork chop with curry is a favorite. Get it all.

We had noodles, rice, siu long bao, pot stickers. They were all delicious. My wife saw they have the crispy pork (the one in red), she commented that it was the best she had for a long time! Good authentic Chinese food, clean and good service, all myboxes checked. This is a simple place with simple fares. Price is similar. Don't expect fine dining experience here.