One sign says Gu Xiang, the other says Gu-Shine, but they are the same place.

故鄉 (gù xiāng, literally ‘hometown’) is a small hideout nestled amongst the many other eateries and stores on 39th Street near the Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel. It’s easy to miss if you’re not looking for it, but apparently this is a pretty popular place as the main dining area was packed at dinnertime. I think the ‘hometown’ description is meant for the food, but the atmosphere is also homey and non-descript, which I found very comfortable:

The smaller dining area at Gu Xiang to the left of the entrance, where we ate.

Since it was just me and the missus that night, we ordered a bowl of beef noodles, stinky tofu, and Taiwanese sticky rice to share.

The beef chunks here are decent but smaller than at Happy Beef, with more pieces that have tendon, which some people prefer over the meaty kind. The broth is darker and a bit more savory.

The noodles were quite tasty, with a slightly different texture compared to Happy Beef.

The stinky tofu here is quite strong (that means it's good!) - but don't take it home like I tried to. It's a mistake and people on the 7 train will hate you.

Taiwanese sticky rice (油飯 - yóu fàn) consists of garlicky dark glutinous rice with shiitake mushrooms, small dried shrimp, and ground pork. It's a must-try if you visit.

Overall I enjoyed the experience here, but I’m going to have to visit again because we lacked the manpower to order up more dishes. Let me know if you want to join me for round 2!

Gu Xiang Restaurant
135-38/40 39th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354

A place where happy happens. Sorry about the picture - who uses pay phones anymore?!

Many of you have a go-to place in Flushing – that old familiar friend that you inevitably drop by and visit when you are in the neighborhood. For me, this is the Happy Beef Noodle House (開心牛肉麵 – kāi xīn níu ròu miàn) on Prince Street. and probably one of the first places I would introduce to anyone new to the Flushing food scene.

Happy Beef is actually much more attractive now than it was back in 2007; I believe it had suffered fire damage and had to be renovated. Back then, we used to go for the food but try and ignore the somewhat shabby interior (especially the basement, where all larger parties are sent). It now has a very tasteful, clean and cheery decor and the staff are always attentive and nice, especially the boss lady that is always there.

Since this place is about beef noodles, here are a few shots of the goods:

This is an order of the house special Beef Noodles (紅燒牛肉麵 - hóng saō níu ròu miàn) with Chinese pickled cabbage (酸菜 - suān cài) which you'll find at the table with the rest of the condiments. I'd highly recommend trying the pickled cabbage if you like sauerkraut, it goes very well with the soup broth and beef.

I'm getting hungry just looking at the beautiful thick noodles rising from the rich broth. As you can see, they don't skimp on the portions!

Good beef noodles should have thick, tender chunks of beef like this. They also do not skimp on the beef at this place. Sometimes it's hard to finish all of it (although eventually, I always find a way to!)

Besides the noodles, there are several other dishes worth mentioning:

This is 臭豆腐 (chòu dòu fǔ) literally, "stinky tofu", a fermented tofu that can be served in several ways - here it is fried and paired with another form of pickled cabbage called 泡菜 (pào cài), aka Chinese kimchi. Highly recommended for the adventurous... think of it as funky fried cheese!

Salt-fried chicken (鹽酥雞 - yán sū jī) are chunks of deep-fried chicken sprinkled with pepper, chili and fried basil. Delicious!

Happy Beef Noodle House
3810 Prince St.
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 661-3969

My goal is to find, eat, and document the most authentic Taiwanese cuisine I can find in this crowded, busy and delicious neighborhood. While I have my favorite haunts, I want to learn something new each time I explore. I would love to hear your suggestions on what and where to eat… perhaps you could join me on this journey sometime. I would like that.

A big thank-you to my lovely wife Talida for her moral support, my good friend Andrew for his relentless harassment to “do it”, and the encouragement of many friends. I’ll see you at the corner of Roosevelt and Main…

why, hello there.