Heng Ji Hotpot

I find myself wondering quite a bit these days if I'm ever going to see the sun again. It's been what, three weeks now? of straight rain? And I can't believe that it's actually cold - we were in denial for a long time, sitting around our house wearing three sweaters, hats, scarves, etc. until finally our friend who was here from the East Coast informed us that is was in fact legitimately cold. Now we have a space heater that I spend my days parked squarely in front of.

But the upside of all this cold, drizzly weather is that it's great for hotpot! Growing up, we never had hotpot very often because my dad said it was like drinking water with some meats and vegetables thrown in, which I believe is actually something called "soup." But in any case, my dad didn't like hotpot, so it was a pretty rare occurrence in our house. But now we're here in Taiwan, and I'm prepared to take full advantage of being here to eat all the hotpot my stomach desires.

Tonight we hit up Heng Ji (亨記), located behind the old Sogo on Zhongxiao. I like this kind of hotpot - the kind that allows you just to choose what kinds of broth you want, and then you decide what you want to put in it and it's all you can eat - as opposed to hotpot places that come with set platters. I thought the selection here was pretty good also - there were the different kinds of sliced meats, seafood such as shrimp, oysters, and crabs, veggies, meatballs, noodles, different tofus, different fishballs. Oh! And they had ice-cream, which was better than I thought it would be. I was expecting it to be that icy, fake tasting ice-cream they often serve at places with free ice-cream, but the ice-cream here was not bad at all.

(our hotpot "liao")

We picked the pork based broth and the "ma la," which translates loosely to something like, "numbingly spicy." Oddly enough, even though I know what "ma la" means in Chinese, I didn't think it was going to be that spicy and so I foolishly took a big sip of it. Then I paid dearly for my mistake and spent the next several minutes gulping down many glasses of plum juice, which supposedly cuts down on the heat, but really didn't help that much. I seriously thought about just stuffing some tissues in my mouth to try to absorb some of the spiciness. So yeah, that "ma la" is indeed very spicy, to say the least.


I just looked at the weather forecast and all I see are little boxes filled with clouds for the rest of this week. Sigh. But in the meantime, go enjoy some hotpot!

EDIT: I just wrote this whole thing and I realized that I forgot to mention how much this costs! It's 389NT plus 10% service charge (cheaper on weekdays during lunch and late night).

Heng Ji (亨記) - Ding Hao branch (頂好店)
www.huang-chi-mala.com.tw
Fuxing South Road, Section 1, Lane 107, No. 40
(02) 8771 - 8960

What I'll Miss

I've been thinking a lot lately about what I'll miss about Taiwan when this adventure comes to an end, and the answer is...not all that much, actually. Sorry, Taiwan. It's nothing against you personally - well, ok, it is, but the amount of bitchin' and moanin' you inspire in me is too much for this post, and probably even this blog. Anyway, I guess I've been feeling rather homesick lately - I just miss my family and friends and Target so much. Then I read on Shu Flies about how she too has been feeling homesick, so she tries to think of things that she'll miss about Taiwan when she leaves. So I decided to try the same thing to try to make myself appreciate it more here, but my list looks like this:

1. the food
2. ?
3. ?
4. Come on, there has to be SOMETHING you'll miss besides the food! God, is that all you think about?
5. ?
6. Yeah, I guess I'll mostly miss the food.

Oh, the food in Taiwan. So tasty and so cheap. I will definitely miss so much eating good food, food that is simply prepared and just so honest, you know what I mean? I was recently watching Anthony Bourdain's show "No Reservations," and he said something along the lines of how you can tell a lot about a country by how the poor eat, and I think that's so true. I mean, we're not poor by any means here, but we're certainly not making the big bucks. And yet it's so easy for us to go out and eat a meal that fills our tummies and tastes good and is healthy, and all at such reasonable prices. Like last night, we went to Tu Hsiao Yueh, and our meal came out to 370NT, even after ordering two bowls of danzhi mian (50NT) with a meatball (10NT) and a hard-boiled egg (15NT) added on, plus a plate of tofu (30NT), some vegetables (40NT), and fried shrimp rolls (100NT).

See, these are the times when I feel warm and fuzzy towards Taiwan, instead of the weeping and gnashing of teeth of usually occurs when I think too hard about what I'm doing here. I miss my meal at Tu Hsaio Yueh already.

Tu Hsiao Yueh
www.iddi.com.tw
Zhongxiao East Road, Section 4, Lane 245, Alley 32, No. 36
(02) 2773 - 1244

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Stinky Tofu

I remember the first time my mom bought home stinky tofu when I was around nine years old, my brother and I flipped out. "What is that smell?!" we shrieked, and proceeded to make non-stop commentary about the tofu, which mainly included the words "gross" and "poop." 15-something years later, when I went to Taiwan for the first time since I was a baby and tried stinky tofu again, my description of it still included the words "gross," "poop," and perhaps some other more colorful language.

Then recently Luke and I were contacted about writing an article about Taiwanese street food, and what's an article about street food in Taipei without a mention of stinky tofu? A friend recommended that we try Kou Xuan Pin in the Tong Hua Street night market, and off we went, with me bracing myself all the while.

What a pleasant surprise! The tofu we had wasn't what I expected at all. The first bite was flavorful and spicy, but not too pungent. The "stinky" flavor was still there, but more in the background, not overwhelming the way I sometimes find it to be. It was really good. As the owner explained to us, they simmer the tofu in a broth with 37 different kinds of herbal medicine (don't worry, the tofu doesn't have a medicinal taste at all, and in fact herbal medicine is very common in Chinese cooking). And for 65NT for two generous pieces of tofu in said broth, it's really a bargain.

So thanks, Kou Xuan Pin, for making me like stinky tofu now!

Kou Xuan Pin (look for a brightly lit yellow storefront)
Tonghua St. Night Market
Lijiang St., No. 19-1
(02) 2707-1739

Shin Yeh Table

About a month ago, Luke and I got to meet the awesome joanh of a hungry girl's guide to taipei, and we decided to have dinner at Shin Yeh Table, since none of us had ever been there before. Shin Yeh Table is sort of like Shin Yeh's hipper, younger sister. It offers a lot of the same things as Shin Yeh (like our all time favorite, the gua bao), as well as a drink menu (which I believe Shin Yeh doesn't have) and a more extensive dessert menu. The prices are cheaper also - between the three of us, we ordered about seven dishes and the bill only came out to be around 1000NT. Also, Shin Yeh is open until 2am, so if you ever get the late night munchies, it's the perfect place to go to satisfy your hunger. I'm not sure if it's like this every time, but the one time we went after 10, all drinks were buy one get one free, and all dishes were 40% off.

Some of the dishes that I enjoyed:

(deep fried soft shell crab)

(fried rice with salted radish)

(fried mushrooms with mussels)

(egg omelet with salted radish)

(I didn't try this, but I was wondering if anyone could clear this up for me - do people really drink vinegar as a beverage? Is it good? I don't know, but "prune tea vinegar" doesn't really sound all that appetizing.)

Shin Yeh Table
www.shinyehtable.com
Zhongxiao East Road, Section 4, No. 201, 2nd Fl.
(02) 2778 - 8712

Mushroom Hotpot

What is this new and unfamiliar feeling I've been experiencing for the past few days here in Taipei? Is it -- could I actually be...cold? I can't figure out if I'm legitimately cold -- I mean, it has been in the 50s (my East Coast friends in the States, don't hate me) -- or if I've just grown so used to being hot here that anything below 60F feels cold to me. (I drove my parents nuts when I went home over the summer to visit: "What? Why do you have the AC on? It's only 85 degrees out! I'm freezing!)

In any case, yesterday we had the perfect meal to fight off the chilliness and our resulting sniffles: mushroom hotpot! Seriously, I could not think of a more perfect meal on a cold day.


Doesn't that look good? Don't you all want some mushroom hotpot now? The broth is fragrant and because it's chock full of mushrooms, it's also super healthy! Our server explained that the various mushrooms prevented cancer and wrinkles and aided in digestion.

There are different types of set meals that you can pick from, depending on how big your party is, how much you want to eat, and how fancy you want your hotpot to be. Our set meal for two people was 520NT, and for that amount we were served an appetizer (cold mushrooms with soy sauce and wasabi dipping sauce), man tou (steamed buns with condensed milk), three different kinds of mushrooms that went into the broth, a plate of sliced beef, vegetables, and gong wan (which are sorta like meatballs) made with mushrooms and meat. Plus dessert (some kind of sweet soup). AND, the best part is, you can take the leftovers home, AND, they'll even add in extra soup! Some of you are probably rolling your eyes at my broadcasting this like it's groundbreaking news, because apparently this is standard practice at hotpot places, but I didn't know that and was super psyched. Plus you know you're all glumly eating your bein dongs for lunch, all jealous of me happily drinking my delicious mushroom soup.


Oh, and Happy New Year, everyone! May this year be filled with many more good eats.

Mushroom Park Restaurant
www.baigu.com.tw
various locations, but the one we went to was at:
Renai Road, Section 4, Lane 71, No. 17
(02) 8773-3160

Fu Hang Dou Jiang

A friend recommended that we check out Fu Hang Dou Jiang, and boy, am I glad we went! Watch out, Yong He Dou Jiang, there's a new rival in my heart for Number One Cheap and Tasty Breakfast Place.

You'll notice when you walk in that there are two lines. For those of you who can't read Chinese, the right line is for takeout, and the left is to stay. Also, these two lines can stretch for very long - sometimes all the way down the stairs (the restaurant is located on the 2nd floor) and out the door, from what I've heard. Part of the reason for that is because they're only open from 5:30am - 10:30am. The other part of the reason is because the food is delicious. We went on a Thursday morning, around 8:30, and the lines weren't too bad. Plus, they move pretty fast. But if you don't like waiting on long lines, then avoid going on the weekends.

Also, be forewarned that there is not a word of English to be found anywhere on the menu, and no one who works there can speak it. Pointing doesn't really help either, as there's not that much to point to. If you can't speak/read Chinese, I'd recommend bringing someone who can.

So what makes Fu Hang Dou Jiang so special, you ask? How is it better than Yong He Dou Jiang? Well, according to its owner, a nice 80 year old man who kept referring to my husband and I as "you Japanese tourists," the reason it's so good is because they use all traditional methods, bought over from Nanjing, which is where the owner is originally from. For example, instead of using yeast powder in their buns, they leaven it by using a piece of old dough. And, everything is made fresh, day of - the workers start preparing at 3am!

Another thing that stood out to me was that all the buns had this slightly sweet taste to it - really subtle, but definitely there. That's because they brush maltose sweet syrup on all their buns, so that they don't burn. What's that, you say? You don't know what maltose sweet syrup is? Well, I didn't either, and my google-fu failed me, as I wasn't able to find a very good definition. In any case, it's a syrup that gives all the buns a lovely golden color and a subtle sweet flavor .


Here's a look at what else we ordered:

(clockwise from top: salty dou jiang, shao bing you tiao, cold sweet dou jiang, dan bing.

By the way, the portion sizes are pretty large!)

So if you're an early riser, don't mind long lines, and/or want a cheap, fulfilling breakfast, I'd definitely recommend this place!

Fu Hang Dou Jiang Dian
Near Shandao Temple MRT (Exit 5)
Zhongxiao E. Rd. Sec. 1, No. 108, 2F
(02) 2392-2175

饌王: Beef Noodle Soup

I can't believe I've been in Taiwan for so long, and it was only a couple of nights ago that I had tomato based beef noodle soup. It was a revelation. Just wondrous. The tomato flavor is subtle enough that it doesn't overwhelm the beef flavor, but still strong enough to give the soup that something extra. I really, really recommend it. And where can you get this divine tomato beef noodle soup, you ask? Why, at 饌王 (Chuan Wang), last year's first place winner of the yearly beef noodle soup competition*.


For 180NT, you can get a nice big (ok, medium sized, but it just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it? And it's still a substantial amount) bowl of steaming beef noodle soup (it comes in tomato, regular, or spicy broths), with pieces of tender beef and pickled vegetables heaped on top. A small bowl - but why would you deny yourself? - is around 150NT; large is about 200.


The most expensive item on the menu is "gan ban mian," which is a dry noodle (NT330). Luke ordered this last time, and he said it was pretty good. It's sort of like zha jiang mian, but with a lot more different types of meat:


It also came with a soup and some pig knuckle. And some plastic gloves so you don't soil your hands as you're mixing everything around. So thoughtful.


Has anyone been to the beef noodle soup competition yet? Any other recommendations? Let me know!

*Updated to add: I heard that they cheated in last year's competition - you could vote online, and they flooded the polls and voted for themselves! I don't know if it was psychological or what, but then the next time I went, my meal didn't seem to taste as good.

饌王
www.chuan-wang.com
Zhongxiao East Road, Section 4, No. 94, 2nd Floor
(02) 2711-0388

Yong He Dou Jiang

Here's a quick review of a place that most people who live in Taipei probably already know about, but I still wanted to give a plug anyway: Yong He Dou Jiang.


For those of you who don't know, Yong He Do Jiang offers traditional Taiwanese breakfast foods such as sao bing yo tiao, do jiang (you can get this in any combination of hot/cold and sweet/salty - oh wait, you can't get cold and salty dou jiang) dan bing, etc. It's also a chain, and my personal favorite branch is the original one located on Fuxing South Road (get off at the Daan stop on the Muzha line), as they seem to have the biggest selection, and everything just seems to taste better. It's also dirt cheap, and you can't ever beat cheap and delicious.

The last time we went, it was right as the weather was finally starting to cool down, and a soft wind was blowing. We sat outside, and you know, sometimes I can't stand it here, but then sometimes there's no where else I'd rather be, drinking cold, sweet dou jiang and biting into a deliciously flaky sao bing.

Yong He Dou Jiang
Fuxing South Road, Section 2*

*I don't know the exact number, but if you get off at the Daan stop and then at the intersection make a left onto Fuxing, it's right past a fire station, which will be on your right.

Peking Duck at Taoranting

You know that Nathan's hot-dog eating contest, the one where that tiny Japanese man can shove like 50 something hot dogs into his mouth in 12 minutes, without throwing up or exploding? I always wondered how he was able to do that, and apparently it turns out that they have to do intense training for it to stretch their stomachs out. After eating at Taoranting (陶然停), I have decided that I too will have to start a stomach stretching regimen in order to fully enjoy my experience there the next time I go.

Taoranting is known for their Peking duck, which is indeed heavenly. The skin is rendered very nicely, glistening with juices and perfectly crispy. The meat is tender, though I thought it could have been a tad bit juicier, but Luke pointed out that it was the breast meat, which doesn't hold that much fat to begin with - so I don't really have any complaints. For "liang3chr1 (兩吃)," which is 800NT, you get the duck prepared two ways: the wraps, and a soup. For 1100NT (san1chr1, 三吃), then a noodle dish (made with the duck) is included.


We opted for the 800NT deal, which was a pretty darn good deal. The soup that came with it was enough to serve at least four or five people, and try as we might - this is why I need to do those stomach stretching exercises - we still had more than half of it left over. Then, when we asked to get it wrapped, we discovered that they added more soup for us to take home! Three days later, I'm still drinking this soup.

We also ordered some sides of fried eggplant and scallion pancakes. The eggplant was good - each slice of eggplant was battered and fried, and there's a salt and pepper mixture on the side to dip each one into. As for the scallion pancakes, check it out:


This dish was only 30NT! Each pancake was nice and thick, with a wonderful chewy texture on the inside, but still crispy on the outside. And did I mention it's only 30NT? That's less than $1US! (Ok, it's like 98 cents, but you get the drift.)

Here's a picture of our fabulous spread, minus the soup, which hadn't come out yet:


The place was pretty packed when we went - around 7:30 on a Saturday night - so you probably want to make reservations. We didn't, so we just left our name, and they called us about a half an hour later. Oh, and if you want a duck - and you DO want a duck - you have to tell them in advance, either when you make the reservation or when you leave your name.

Well, enough writing about the Peking duck. Off to start stretching my stomach!

Taoranting (陶然停)
Fuxing North Road, No. 86, 2nd Floor*
(02) 2718-1975

*The entrance is a little tricky to find. It looks like you're going into a regular apartment building, but look for stairs that say "Ballentine's" on each of the steps, and the restaurant is on the second floor.

Canton Palace

I was really looking forward to eating at Canton Palace because Luke had said it was buffet style, and the thought of stuffing myself with all manner of Cantonese goodness just made my stomach happy. Sadly, though, we arrived to find that the buffet was only for the lunch hour; BUT, there was still an all-you-can eat menu where you picked one main dish and however many number of smaller dishes/dim sum you wanted, for 560NT a person.

Our waitress was very nice, offering several recommendations and urging us to order more food, saying that the portions were too small for two people. Though when the food came out, the portions seemed fine to us - except for perhaps the dessert, which were specifically for one person only, so we ordered two of each.

Though there was a ton of food, I would have to say that most of it was just ok. A lot of it reminded me of the sorta-good-if-you're-eating-this-in-Rhode Island variety of Chinese food you might find in the States, but now we're in Taiwan, and it's a whole different ball game. The dim sum foods were acceptable, nothing special. The chow mien was downright bad. Not so bad it was inedible, but the noodles weren't crispy at all, and the sauce had a strangely sweet taste to it.


The one redeeming aspect of the food was the crab. All the crab dishes were very well done - flavorful on the outside shell part, tender on the inside.


I'd say that Canton Palace was a one time deal place for us. I'm glad we had the crab, but I'm not sure I would return even for that, because it's not like it was really spectacular or anything. Oh, and the 560NT all-you-can-eat deal is a promotion that only lasts until the end of the month. It might be worth it to go just for that, but after the promotion ends, I don't think we'd go back.

Canton Palace
located in the Sunworld Dynasty Hotel (next to the IKEA)
Dunhua North Road, No. 100

Dumplings

We were stuck inside all day on Saturday because of the typhoon, except for one venture outside to check to see if the dumpling place next door was open. Luckily, it was, and we got some tasty dumplings and shao bing (sesame buns) take-out to enjoy on that very windy day.


We like to eat at 周胖子餃子館 (or roughly translated as, Fatty Chou Dumpling House) when we want something quick and cheap, but still good. Though I do have to say that the dumplings are the only thing really worth going there for. The shao bing, which you can get with beef or pork, are also not bad. And I also like their vegetable tofu soup. But other offerings range from mediocre (their beef noodle noodle soup) to bad (hot and sour noodle soup). (By the way, the menu is only in Chinese, with no pictures.)

Shao bing with beef


But considering that we usually spend around 200 - 300NT, it's really a pretty good deal. The dumplings are 7NT each, which might be a little more than other dumpling places, but I do think the dumplings here are better than some of those places. Their meat is nicely flavored - they offer beef and pork, but we usually get pork because we think that tastes better.


One time when I was taking Chinese classes, my Chinese teacher asked me how many dumplings I usually eat. I replied that it was usually around 6 or 7 and that I also get other food to go with it, but she still let out a very shocked, "HHHAAaaaAAAhhh??!!" I don't know, according to my Chinese teacher, I guess people usually eat 15 or 20 at a time. That seems to be a bit too much for me, but if it's not too much for you, or even if you only want to eat a couple, try out 周胖子餃子館.

周胖子餃子館 (Fatty Chou Dumpling House)
Zhongxiao East Road, Section 5, No. 37

Shanghai Shanghai

The day my husband and I left for our little trip back to the States we decided that we would treat ourselves with one last authentic Chinese meal, as the Chinese food where we live back home is mediocre at best. The meal we decided to eat was at Shanghai Shanghai, located in A9 of the Mitsukoshi by Taipei City Hall. (This restaurant is a chain, so there are several other locations as well.)

We don't often eat at Shanghai Shanghai, not because it's not good, but because it can be a little pricey if it's just two people. When we go it's usually with family or friends, and then it doesn't feel like such a splurge. But then we heard that they offered our favorite thing in the world - the set menu, hooray!

For 450NT per person, you can pick three dishes, plus soup and dessert (you don't have a choice for dessert). Oh, and this is for lunch - I'm not sure if they offer a set menu for dinner.

One of their specialties, tiny shrimp with sweet peas. Yum.


I can't remember what this vegetable was called, but it had a wonderful crunchy texture, and it came with slices of pork and fermented soy beans.


Here is one of Luke's favorite foods ever: fatty pork. And my, was it ever fatty.


I didn't like the soup. Luke thought it was ok, but I thought there was way too much noodle, and the soup itself wasn't flavorful enough. Next time we go, I would order the other choice of soup.


Here's our dessert. I liked those square things on the bottom left hand corner the best. They had the consistency of marshmallows, but not as sticky or sweet. And you can't go wrong with watermelon. But I wasn't a fan of the sweet soup on the bottom right hand corner (but that's just me, I'm just don't really like those kinds of soups in general), and the dates with - I can't even remember what it was anymore; I've blocked it from my memory - were so gross I spit it out.


So the soup and dessert were the most disappointing part of the meal, but I think all the entrees were good enough that I was able to overlook everything else. And for 450 a person, it's really not a bad deal at all.

Shanghai Shanghai
www.shanghaishanghai.com.tw
A9 Mitsukoshi, Song Shou Road
(02) 8771-5511

Shin Yeh

We discovered Shin Yeh back when we first moved to Taipei, and my father-in-law was here on some business and very thoughtfully lugged along all our Gourmet magazines that we had been missing so. Flipping open the October 2006 issue, we discovered that an entire article had been devoted to the food and restaurants in Taiwan. What luck! Shin Yeh was one of the restaurants not only mentioned, but also glowingly praised, so we were intrigued and checked it out. Now it’s one of our favorite places to eat.

Most of the time when we go, we try to order a mix of old favorites and new dishes. The portions are a little bit on the smaller size, so we usually order about four dishes and a bowl of di gua zhou (sweet potato congee), and we find that that’s a good amount for two people.

Last night we tried for the first time the clams (NT160). The description in the menu said that these were supposed to be served with leeks, but when the dish came out there was not a leek in sight. No matter. Instead, we were treated to a dish of cold, tiny clams with raw garlic. Each clam was bursting with juices, and the garlic provided a nice kick as you slurped it down.


We also tried the beef tenderloin with Taiwanese barbeque sauce (NT285). While the dish was cooked perfectly fine, it wasn’t that exciting, and my husband says that there’s another beef dish on the menu – the beef with garlic – that he likes better. I can’t remember the dish, so I’ll just have to take his word for it. His palette is better than mine, anyway.


Whenever we come to Shin Yeh, we almost always order the egg omelet with salted radish (yum) and the gua bao, which is a steamed Taiwanese bun with sliced stewed pork. When I was a kid – ok, up until maybe last year or so – the thought of eating pure fat would make me throw up in my mouth a little. And be forewarned, this bao is really just fat in a bun. Sure, there’s some vegetables and meat, but the main component of this bao is the FAT. And I thought I’d never say this, but what delicious fat it is indeed. Mmmm, fat.



For dessert we like to order the dan ta (egg custard tart). They always come up piping hot from the oven, with the egg custard sweet (but not too much so) and silky, and the crust nice and flaky. You also get served complimentary mochi rolled in sugar and peanut flour.



We like to bring friends who are visiting us to Shin Yeh to give them a taste of traditional Taiwanese cuisine, albeit Taiwanese foods kicked up a notch. It’s a great way to showcase all the delights Taiwan has to offer, food-wise. Or it’s just a delicious meal on a Tuesday night. Either way, it’s always a treat to eat at Shin Yeh.

Shin Yeh
Zhongxiao East Road, Section 4, No. 112, 2nd Floor
(02) 2752-9299

Hong Kong

My dad is Cantonese, so I’ve always had an especial fondness for Cantonese cuisine. In fact, one of my favorite foods in the world is “xi fan*,” otherwise known as congee. Yes, I know it’s considered a “low” food, but in my opinion there’s nothing better than a bowl of xi fan on a cold winter day. Though there aren't really any cold winter days here, so I guess maybe I meant to say there’s nothing better than xi fan on a sweltering summer day at high noon.

But I digress. Anyway, Hong Kong (in Chinese it’s called 茶水攤) is my favorite Cantonese restaurant in Taipei, though sadly, they don’t seem to serve xi fan. Bummer. But, there’s still a ton of other fantastic dishes on the menu, like this rice and meat combo that my husband always orders. It’s this mishmash of fried ham and fried pork chop topped with an over easy egg (hmm, I guess if you have heart problems you should avoid this dish) served with some rice and vegetables.


I myself like to order the he fen, which are wide rice noodles served with beef (you can also get it with pork.) The beef is tender and well seasoned, and the noodles are nice and firm. Add a dash of hot sauce, and it’s perfect.


HK also serves up a variety of “小吃,” where you’ll find all the typical dim sum favorites. Definitely try their buo lo mian bao, which I actually haven’t seen at any other Cantonese places. This “pineapple bread” is their specialty, and it is scrumptious indeed. So simple, but so good! All it is is a piece of buo lo mian bao, lightly toasted – and this is the key part – with a slice of cold butter inside. The cold butter is genius, because it melts as you eat it, so that your bread doesn’t get all soggy before it comes to your table. Even though we’ve only eaten this during dinner, I actually think that this would be a perfect breakfast food.


Here is a curry squid ball/other unidentifiable foods dish that was NOT good. Do not order this. My husband decided that because there was a picture of it on the menu, it must be good, but alas, it was not. It was the equivalent of eating a sponge soaked in curry.


However, everything else we’ve ordered we’ve usually been satisfied with. The desserts are also really good. I’m not sure why, but I seem to have forgotten to take pictures of the desserts. Probably because I was too busy shoveling them into my mouth. The prices here are really reasonable as well – we usually spend no more than NT800**, and that’s because we order a lot of food. This is definitely one of those places where you can eat really well for just a few hundred NT. But before you all rush out to try this place, though, be forewarned that there is almost always at least a 15 minute wait, and they don’t take reservations. Also, the menu is entirely in Chinese. My husband and I aren’t fluent readers by any means, but between the two of us we can cobble together a decent understanding. There are some pictures that you can point to, but for the most part, if you don’t speak or read Chinese at all, it might help to bring someone who does.

(By the way, this place is in the same alley as the jin bing/beef noodle place I reviewed in a previous post, so if the wait is too much for you, you can just pop over there instead.)

Here’s a picture of the outside of the restaurant. You can see all the people waiting. That’s me in the gray tank with the bad posture, trying to use my laser eyes to burn into the minds of the people inside to hurry up and finish eating.


EDIT: *My husband read this, and he says that what I mean is actually "zhou." He says that "xi fan" is just the plain white rice congee, and that zhou is the Cantonese style one with the duck egg, pork, etc. added. But in our house it was always the other way around. Anyone care to clear this up?

**Apparently I just wrote everything in this blog wrong. Again, my husband read this and then very adamantly burst out with, "We have NEVER spent NT800 there! Never never NEVER! The MOST we've spent is 500!" Ok there. I guess I take back what I said, and the most we've spent at HK is NT500.

Hong Kong 茶水攤
Yangji Street, Alley 136, No. 6-2
(02) 2772-5252