【鴻源金好吃牛肉麵 Hong Yuan Jin Hao Chi Beef Noodles】一吃就上癮的牛肉麵 Just one bite of the beef noodle and you’ll be hooked @ 臺灣餐飲老店 Long-established Restaurants in Taiwan

在台南著名的花園夜市附近，有一家「上好吃牛肉麵」佇立在公園路上，從店名就可感受到經營者的自信與氣魄。

「上好吃牛肉麵」的第一代許經瑞原是那卡西樂手，常到國外進行表演，在經過新加坡時，到當地華僑經營的牛肉麵店用餐，覺得味道相當吸引人，引起高度興趣的他，開始投入牛肉麵的研究，這是經營牛肉麵店最初的契機。民國71年，六十歲的許經瑞卸下樂手的身分，理應要享受退休後的悠閒生活的他，卻選擇在民安戲院擺攤，販賣自己在新加坡所學、再經研發改良的牛肉麵，當時附近有九六新村、大道新村等眷村，當地的居民對牛肉麵情有獨鍾，帶起牛肉麵店的開店潮，同業競爭相當激烈。

剛開始創業的許經瑞起初並不順遂，甚至經歷過一天只賣一千多元的困苦日子，但他並不氣餒，不斷進行產品改良，只使用品質穩定的進口牛肉，挑選牛腱最好的部位-腱子心。腱子心數量相當稀少，通常進口的兩百箱牛肉中，腱子心只佔二十箱，跟其他部位比起來整整一斤差了快五十元，但因其肉質入口即化，許經瑞不惜下重本，也要讓顧客吃到最好的牛肉麵，加上自家開發、以當歸、川芎、大茴、甘草等中藥加上大骨熬煮八小時的湯頭，客人往往初嚐就上癮，正符合其店名「上好吃」。

There is a “Shang Hao Chi Beef Noodles” restaurant near the famed Flower Night Market on Gongyuan Rd. in Tainan City. The owner’s confidence and bold demeanor is evident in the name of the restaurant (Shang Hao Chi bears the meaning of ‘best-tasting’ in Chinese).

The first generation owner of “Shang Hao Chi Beef Noodles” Jing-Rui Xu was a traveling musician at the time that often performed overseas. When he was in Singapore, he dined at a local Chinese beef noodle restaurant, he was so impressed with the flavor that he decided to delve into beef noodle research and it subsequently paved the way for opening his own beef noodle restaurant. In 1982, the 60 year-old Jing-Rui Xu retired as a musician and instead of enjoying his retired life, he chose to set up a stall near Minan Theater to sell beef noodles that he had learned in Singapore and refined by himself. At the time, residents from local military dependents villages such as Jiuliu New Village and Dadao Village loved beef noodles so profoundly that beef noodle restaurants sprung up like bamboo shoots after the spring rain, creating an extremely competitive beef noodle industry.

At first, Jing-Rui Xu did not enjoy too much success as an entrepreneur, and he even endured days of selling only a little more than NT$1,000 per day. However, he did not flinch and constantly strived to refine his products by using only high quality imported beef and by selecting only the finest portions of the beef shank. Beef shank is extremely rare, with only 10% of the imported beef consisting of beef shanks. Compared to other parts of the beef, beef shank costs almost NT$50 more per 600g, but its melt-in-the-mouth texture propelled Jing-Rui Xu to spare no expense in offering his patrons with the best-tasting beef noodles. Complemented by the exclusive broth stewed for 8 hours using Chinese herbal medicines such as Chinese angelica roots, chuanxiong rhizome, star anise and liquorice as well as bones, patrons are often hooked with just one bite, hence the fitting name of the restaurant Shang Hao Chi (best-tasting).

第二代經營人許源芳原是做室內裝潢，回家接手經營後，為達到父親的期望，要比上一代做得更好，看準台南賣清燉牛肉麵的人不多，將之加入菜單，與紅燒牛肉麵成為鎮店雙招牌；在小菜上也增加了皮蛋豆腐、豬耳朵、台式泡菜等，也因應客人需求，增加牛肉燴飯等飯類，讓客人有更多樣化的選擇。
民國83年搬到現址，從路邊攤轉為店面，為了回饋顧客，提供更舒適的用餐空間，許源芳發揮原本的專業，花百萬重新裝潢店面，擴大用餐空間，增設化妝室，除了空間上的改造，他在餐飲衛生上也下足了功夫，製作湯頭的水都需過濾、餐具採高溫殺菌，獨特的味道加上對衛生的重視，增加不少回頭客。許源芳也回憶道，十幾年前，附近的愛買與法國有技術上的合作，當時的法國技士著迷於自家的牛肉麵，一個禮拜就來用餐好幾次。

現年二十九歲的許凱閎為年輕的第三代，從小父親就栽培他作為後繼者，研究所畢業後，將先前在必勝客打工學習到的技術應用到自家店中，導入成本控管與電腦點餐系統。他也提到，當初在學習湯頭的製作方法時，站在父親身邊看他熟練地東舀一點、西放一點，看得一頭霧水，決定將湯頭標準化作業，以確保品質達到一致，有效增加產能。

「上好吃」在今年十月將改名為「鴻源金好吃牛肉麵」，許源芳對兒子寄予厚望，希望能以這個新名字將品牌打到中國大陸市場，他有信心自家牛肉麵的味道絕對不會輸人。

The second generation successor Yuan-Fang Xu was originally in the interior decoration business. After he took over the family business, in order to live up to his father’s expectations and make improvements, he added stewed beef noodles to his menu, which was only sold in a handful of restaurants in Tainan. As a result, stewed beef noodles and braised beef noodles became the two signature dishes of the restaurant. For the side dishes, he also added tofu with one-thousand year egg, hog ears and Taiwanese pickles etc. to the menu. In addition, he also introduced rice meals such as beef risotto as per his customers’ requests to provide more diverse alternatives.

“Shang Hao Chi” will be renamed as “Hong Yuan Jin Hao Chi Beef Noodles” in October this year, and Yuan-Fang Xu has high hopes for his son, hoping that the new name will be able to launch the brand to the market in China. He is confident that the flavor of his beef noodles will not let him down.

紅燒牛肉麵：使用澳洲及紐西蘭半筋半肉的牛腱心，以當歸、川芎、大茴、甘草等中藥加上大骨熬煮八小時而成，湯頭濃郁可口適合喜愛重口味者。

Braised beef noodles: Beef shank consisting of half tendon and half beef is imported from Australia and New Zealand and braised for 8 hours using Chinese herbal medicine ingredients such as Chinese angelica roots, chuanxiong rhizome, star anise and liquorice as well as bones to produce the rich, aromatic and delectable flavor suited for patrons who a prefer rich flavor.

清燉牛肉麵：湯頭使用洋蔥、菜頭、鳳梨，皆以蔬果當做基底，加上大骨熬製八、九個小時，湯頭相當清爽。

Stewed beef noodles: The broth is stewed using vegetables and fruits such including onions, Chinese radish, pineapples and bones for 8~9 hours to create the refreshing flavor.

牛肉燴飯：此道配料相當豐富，包括滷蛋、蔬菜、胡蘿蔔、四季豆、滷蛋、腱子心，分量足、價格又親民。

Braised beef risotto：The dish features an abundant selection of complements such as egg, vegetables, carrots, string beans, soy sauce stewed egg and beef shank. The generous portion and fair price makes it a popular dish.

滷味：包括豆干、海帶與鴨蛋。海帶為日本海帶，不加任何添加化學添加物與膨脹劑；白豆干無染色，是客人常點的小菜。

Soy sauce stewed food：Ingredients include dried bean curd, kelp and duck egg. Only Japanese kelp free from any additives or swelling agents is used. The dried bean curd is free from colorants and it is a popular side dish among patrons.