Sometimes you have to wait for this place (Saturday and Sunday evenings are the busiest time), but if you’re happy to wait then here is what you could be getting:
1. 星洲炒米粉 xīng zhōu chǎo mǐ fěn Spicy Singapore vermicelli
2. 鹹魚雞粒炒飯 xián yú jī lì chǎo fàn Salted fish and chicken fried rice
3. 蝦子蒸燒賣 xiā zi zhēng shāo mài Prawn Shao Mai
4. 煎蝦米腸粉 jiān xiā mǐ cháng fěn Fried shrimp and rice noodle roll
5. 波羅鮮油包 bō luó xiān yóu bāo Hong Kong style pineapple bun
6. 蛋汁叉燒酥 dàn zhī chā shāo sū Sweet pork pastry
7. 黑米仙草奶撈 hēi mǐ xiān cǎo nǎi láo Wild rice, grass jelly and milk pudding
1. 星洲炒米粉 xīng zhōu chǎo mǐ fěn Spicy Singapore vermicelli
Stir fried quickly using curry powder, this fried rice noodle (vermicelli) dish is simple and tasty. Onions, scallions, strips of pork and also big slices of chili are interspersed throughout dish. The slices of onion impart a sweetness to contrast the spice of the chili and curry powder.
The chili is very spicy, so if you can do spice then by all means eat them. However, if you don’t handle spice too well then don’t let it deter you from ordering the dish – just don’t eat the chili! Combined with the onion and beansprouts, the chili does give the dish a nice texture with a crunch. There is enough meat in the dish for it to remain light and still allow you to eat other things, however, I would recommend you to share the plate as it is a healthy portion. The flavours are great, fresh, clean and delicious.
2. 鹹魚雞粒炒飯 xián yú jī lì chǎo fàn Salted fish and chicken fried rice
The rice is stir fried with onions, cabbage, egg, chicken strips and salted fish. The rice is wonderfully cooked for fried rice: not too soft but not too hard. For me, fried rice has to be al dente. In addition, it shouldn’t be clumped together. This fits the bill for a good fried rice. The flavours are fresh, it isn’t greasy in any way and topped with a spicy chili sauce; it’s great.
3. 蝦子蒸燒賣 xiā zi zhēng shāo mài Prawn Shao Mai
ShaoMai is a very popular dish in Dim Sum restaurants. Often with a mixture of pork and shrimp and steamed inside a bamboo steamer. Inside this ShaoMai there is a good portion of a pork and shrimp mixture, it’s well seasoned and it bursts with flavour. It’s well presented and splitting a bamboo steamer (籠) between 2 is enough.
4. 煎蝦米腸粉 jiān xiā mǐ cháng fěn Fried shrimp and rice noodle roll
It’s really difficult to accurately describe what this is, in English. Rice has been used to create a thin sheet, then used to wrap around a deep fried shrimp roll. Coated with a sesame peanut sauce and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. It’s different, but in a good way. It challenges your taste buds and plays with different textures in your mouth. If you have had Dim Sum before, then branch out from the norm and go for this!
5. 波羅鮮油包 bō luó xiān yóu bāo Hong Kong style pineapple bun
This is THE dish to be ordering when going to a Dim Sum restaurant. It’s called a pineapple bun due to the shape of the top of the bun resembling that of the outer skin of the pineapple. It is baked to remain fluffy inside and slightly crunchy on top. Cut in half horizontally, with a slice of butter wedged inside, is the only way to be eating this! We only ordered one, but I wanted more and more!
6. 蛋汁叉燒酥 dàn zhī chā shāo sū Sweet pork pastry
The pastry has a really rich taste of egg yolk, and is yellow in colour. Inside each sweet pastry is a mixture of sweetened sticky pork.
Looking inside you can see the sweetened pork mixture wrapped inside the golden pastry. The pastry is soft inside but with a slight crunch on the outside. They were delightful little bites!
7. 黑米仙草奶撈 hēi mǐ xiān cǎo nǎi láo Wild rice, grass jelly and milk pudding
Mystical. The wild rice has been made into a rice soup, mixed in with chunks of grass jelly and a milk pudding has been put into the middle of the rice soup. The ‘smoke-like’ effect comes from a small amount of dry ice placed in a dish underneath the main bowl. It makes it fun, aesthetically, but doesn’t really add anything to the dish, itself. The real star of this show is the milk pudding – I cannot recommend it enough! Sweet, rich, soft, vanilla flavoured, jelly-like and delicious.
One of the great things about Taiwanese restaurants is that you can take out. So if you’ve seen something you like here, then don’t feel shy to go in and order 1 or 2 of the dishes to take out so you can try them. I would strongly recommend the Pineapple bun and the dessert shown above!
I’ve been to this restaurant several times, even over the last few months. It is a firm favourite of mine for quick, simple, inexpensive, tasty, clean and exciting food. It comes with a high recommendation!
Best dish: 1. 星洲炒米粉 xīng zhōu chǎo mǐ fěn Spicy Singapore vermicelli – I get it every time, without fail. It’s fantastic.
Dish I wouldn’t order again: I’d order all of them again!
台北市大安區延吉街137巷6之2號
No. 6-2, Lane 137, YanJi Street, DaAn district, Taipei City
