After spending half the summer in Taiwan, we've been craving bowls of beef noodle soup and the requisite side dishes that we grew fond of wandering the streets of Taipei. We recently discovered Yolota (Dingxi Lu location), and so far it's one of the better options we've found in Shanghai.
Half hidden down a housing community lane, Yolota is a neighborhood secret, but with already three locations in town, we'd like to see them expanding and prospering.
The prices are cheap; the decor is simple but charming, and the service cheerful. If you walk in hungry, just head straight to the counter and select a few small side dishes -- served at room temperature -- like green string beans, crispy tofu skins wrapped around bean sprouts, smoked tofu slices, seaweed, or various meat and sausage cuts, including tripe, pig's ear, chicken intestines, and "drunken trotter". These are only 7rmb each, or 12rmb for the meat items.
While you nibble, have a look at the menu. On your first visit, you'll probably want to go for the standard beef noodle soup (22rmb) -- with fresh, chewy wide noodles, tender cubes of beef and gelatinous beef tendon, and a broth that's addictive with sweet and spicy complexity. Then there's a large selection of options -- different broths, meats, and noodles to pick and choose from, 38rmb being the most expensive combination. Try the wine broth for something a little different.
The rest of the menu has a variety of Taiwanese comfort food. A bowl of wontons (15rmb) are smaller than mainland versions, and served in chili oil instead of soup. The "delightfully fried drumstick" (15rmb) is a simple chicken drumstick with salt and pepper, the way we like it.
The downside is that most of the food at Yolota is on the oily side, so don't come expecting to put together a well-balanced feast. Either stick with a bowl of soup, or share some of the side dishes as snacks with friends over beers. Big bottle Tsingtao is only 8rmb, and they keep it nice and cold. There seems to be some ecological messages on the menu, so we're not sure why they're serving the beer in paper cups. If you're not having beer, check out the milk tea (12rmb), done with coconut milk, for a natural sweet aftertaste.
Open for lunch and dinner, but they shut down at 9pm, so go in for an early one.
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