西門町的萬年大樓，雖然外觀老舊，很多老台北人一定知道，也一定去過，進入大樓後，會發現充滿著著濃厚的日本風情，許多店家販售日本進口商品，深受動漫迷和模型愛好者的喜愛，除此之外，還有很多潮流服飾、平價男裝、朝鞋店等，所以，也有不少年輕人常在那裏出沒，那裏曾經有開過冰宮、網咖、及電影院，總之，只要是年輕人喜歡的店都曾經開在那邊過，我有些朋友也曾在萬年大樓的某一層樓揪過桌遊團。
地下一樓就是美食區，匯聚多家老餐廳，像是金園排骨、老山東牛肉麵等老店，我年輕時，和同學在上面樓層逛累時，常常就直接到地下一樓找東西吃，身為窮學生的我們，往往吃不起太昂貴的食物，剛好這邊的店家，因為主要族群多為學生，所以也主打便宜實惠的各式小吃，而我和同學最常吃的就是甜不辣，那甜不辣嚼勁十足的口感與微甜的醬汁，是我們共同的回憶。
其實我已經很久沒在這棟大樓裡用餐了，雖然我來過這裡很多遍了，也沒有真的坐下來，品嘗懷念的老味道，這次是朋友強烈要求，他想要吃甜不辣，我們才決定要吃，啊！我想起來了，為何我一直沒打算重溫老味道，因為我太討厭排隊，每次來，店門前總是排著長長的人龍，而我一看到，就掉頭就走，這就是我一直沒機會吃這家老店的原因。
和朋友排隊排了幾十分鐘後，終於有空位，可以入座了，我們點了甜不辣和天婦羅，店家為了怕客人搞混甜不辣和天婦羅的不同，特別說明如下，甜不辣是煮的，天婦羅是炸的，品嘗下來，甜不辣就是我記憶中的老味道，炸的酥脆的天婦羅也很好吃，不過，外面排隊的人龍一直沒斷過，我們也不好意思在店內坐太久，妨礙店家賺錢的機會，吃完後也只好匆匆離開，說實話，甜不辣還是一樣的好滋味，但是好像沒有以前的那種感覺了，是我老了嗎？還是時代變了？可能都有吧。
The Wan Nian Building in Ximending might look old on the outside, but a lot of older Taipei folks definitely know it and have been there before. Once you step inside, you'll feel a strong Japanese vibe—many stores sell imported goods from Japan, making it a favorite spot for anime and model enthusiasts. Besides that, you’ll find trendy clothing, affordable men's fashion, and sneaker shops, so it's also a popular hangout for young people. Back in the day, there used to be an ice rink, internet cafés, and even a movie theater there. Basically, if young people liked it, it was probably in Wan Nian at some point. Some of my friends even used to organize board game meetups on one of the floors.
The basement level is a food court packed with old-school restaurants, like Jin Yuan Pork Chop and Lao Shandong Beef Noodles. Back when I was a student, my friends and I would wander the upper floors until we got tired, then head straight down to grab something to eat. As broke students, we couldn’t afford expensive meals, but luckily, most of the eateries here cater to students with affordable and tasty food. Our go-to dish was tempura (甜不辣) — the chewy texture and slightly sweet sauce became a shared memory for us.
Honestly, I haven’t actually sat down for a meal in this building for a long time. Even though I’ve been here countless times, I never really stopped to relive those old flavors. This time, my friend insisted that he wanted tempura, so we finally decided to eat here. Ah! Now I remember why I never bothered coming back—it’s because I hate waiting in line. Every time I pass by, there's always a long queue in front of the store, and the moment I see it, I just turn around and leave. That’s why I never got a chance to eat here again.
After waiting in line for what felt like forever, we finally got a seat. We ordered both tempura (甜不辣) and tenpura (天婦羅). The shop owner even explained the difference: tempura is boiled, while tenpura is fried. The tempura tasted just like I remembered, and the crispy tenpura was really good too. But with the endless line of people waiting outside, we didn’t want to overstay and take up space, so we left quickly after eating. To be honest, the tempura was still as delicious as ever, but it didn’t quite feel the same. Am I getting old? Or has the world changed? Maybe both.
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