February 4, 2010 2

San Hsi T’ang Tea house 三希堂 (Taipei: Shilin)

//// By Joan in 10: Taipei

We waited till a rainy day to go to the National Palace museum which has a very impressive collection of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks. You can spend hours in there. So it’s good that they have a range of eateries there, from simple cafe to chichi gourmet dining. We chose to go to the tea house on the 4th floor called San Hsi T’ang which was a little bit difficult to get to. There’s only one elevator in the back of the museum that takes you to the 4th floor (all the other elevators could only go up to the 3rd floor) and there were no signage for it at all. It took us awhile to find it.

The interior was gorgeous. It’s a tea house so they offer a wide range of Chinese tea and the menu only has light meals. I was actually delighted to see dim sum on the menu because at that point I was getting a little tired of Taiwanese food (like street food and beef noodle, all have bold flavors). For those who aren’t familiar with the differences of Chinese cuisine might not notice, but their palates taste very different to me.

Shumai Pretty good.

BBQ pork bun and custard bun. The bun texture wasn’t so good. The fillings were pretty good though.

Cabbage roll and Sticky rice roll. I was a little bit disappointed at the cabbage roll because it was a “limited item”, so I expected it to be more special tasting.

As expected the dim sum were overall average and weren’t as good as the dim sum in Hong Kong (nor Los Angeles!). But they did the job of satisfying my urge for something that taste Cantonese/non-Taiwanese. Also expected, since it’s a designy place, the food was a little pricey. It’s probably better to just come here for tea time.

San Hsi T’ang Tea house 三希堂
4th floor of the National Palace Museum

Tags: Chinese, Dim Sum, teahouse

February 3, 2010 2

Yong Kang Beef noodle (Taipei: Yong Kang street)

//// By Joan in 10: Taipei

For our second lunch we went to Yong Kang Beef noodle, another famous place that has been around for a long time at the Yong Kong neighbourhood. As you should not miss a bowl of pho in Vietnam or a bowl of ramen in Japan, beef noodle is one of those MUST-eat comfort food in Taiwan. You can find beef noodle everywhere in Taipei, I think almost every neighbourhood has its own local favorite(s).

Despite popularity, this place still operates like a hole-in-the-wall: dirt cheap, menu on the wall, get your own water, non-existing service. Very down home.

Braised Beef Noodle soup.

It’s pretty good. I can’t say it’s extremely impressive like I expected. The broth was flavorful and has a spicy kick to it. The meat was a little tough but the noodle has good springy texture.

Braised Beef Tendon noodle soup
I always preferred tendon over meat since tendons are more likely to be soft. The tendons were good and melt in your mouth.

We were finally fulled after the 2nd lunch. We desperately needed fruit juice after the noodles because there are lots of five spice in the broth (the reason it’s delicious). Good thing there’re plenty fruit juice place at Yong Kang street.

Yong Kang Beef nooodle
No. 17, Lane 31, Jinshan S. Rd., Sec.2
2351-1051

Tags: Chinese, Noodle, Taiwanese

February 3, 2010 Off

Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐 (Taipei: Yong Kang Street)

//// By Joan in 10: Taipei

Ah yes Din Tai Fung, the famous Taiwanese restaurant chain that has branches in many different cities from around the world, including Los Angeles. I was never that big of a fan of the Los Angeles Din Tai fung because it’s always too crowded and I think there are other better places for Xiao lung bao. Though couple of people I know swear by the one in Taipei.

The original Din Tai Fung is on Yong Kang Street, also known as the “gourmet food town” of Taipei because they’re several famous restaurants there. The original branch is inside a 4 floors narrow building (it was probably only just the first floor when it first started). The Din Tai Fung in Taiwan also has elaborate branding with mascots.

We got two cart of what Din Tai Fung is famous for: Xiao lung bao. One regular and one with crab roe. I think it’s not too dissimilar from the ones in Los Angeles, but it’s slightly better. The skin was very thin and the bao was delicately made. The dumplings were fresh and refine tasting, but I think the soup inside wasn’t as juicy as I like.

We weren’t full after this but that’s ok. It was our intention to have two lunches as we want to try more than one restaurant at Yong Kang street.

Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐
194 Xinyi Road Section 2, Taipei

Tags: Chinese, Xiaolungbao

February 2, 2010 5

Jiufen tea house 九份茶坊 (Taipei: Jiufen)

//// By Joan in 10: Taipei, Favorite Food Entries

For proper Chinese tea appreciation, we came to Jiufen Tea House instead. I absolutely love the gorgeous Chinese antique interior. It fits the mood of Jiufen very well. The tea house was converted from a 100 years old house and they did a beautiful job in renovating. The owner is a painter so the place was adorned with his impressionist oil paintings. They also have an impressive patio that has a nice view of the ocean, but it was rainy and cold that day so we got a table inside instead.

The owner’s wife is a ceramic artist and she makes these cute cats that’s all over the place. The cat on the table was used as a “table number/marker”, you take it to the register to pay the bills.

We got a booth that’s converted from an antique Chinese bed. Each table has steaming iron kettle nestled on a coal stove. That’s how they kept the water for the tea. The coal stove gave a homey vibe and kept us warm.

We got a oolong tea that’s very high quality and wonderful. The little Chinese teapot was very nice and well make, when you pour the cap would not fall off. The lady gave a little demonstration on how to brew the tea properly. It was a wonderful experience. We sat there and enjoy the tea for almost 2 hours. We brew the tea for many rounds and still couldn’t use up all the tea leaves. It was nice that they’ll pack the unused tea leaves for you so you can take them home.

There are lots of other tea house at Jiufen but I think this one is the best of all. We had an amazing time at Jiufen and it’s definitely worth a trip to if you’re at Taipei.

Jiufen tea house 九份茶坊
142 Jishan Street,
2496-9056

Tags: Chinese, Tea, teahouse

February 2, 2010 1

Ah Mei Tea house (Taipei: Jiufen)

//// By Joan in 10: Taipei

We went to the most crowded and touristy part in Jiufen where two particular restaurants were featured in the film City of sadness. The restaurant on the left in fact even change their name to “City of Sadness”. However, we picked the one on the right: Ah Mei Teahouse, because it has better interior and they got the creepy masks. It is also rumored that Ah Mei teahouse was one of the inspirations for the bathhouse in Miyazaki’s animation classic Spirited away. I definitely see the resemblances!