Taiwan, Part XV - Bei Tou You Yu

We got a variety of Taiwanese dishes from Bei Tou You Yu one day to enjoy at the comfort of home.

All the dishes were small, but they certainly added up to quite a feast. The signature combination seafood soup (NT$75) had cuttlefish, squid, pork, and a Taiwanese specialty - that ground fish meat and bone into a paste then deep fried. The soup was very nice, the cuttlefish and squid were very tender, I thought the special deep fried fish paste was just OK.

I requested spicy stinky tofu (NT$55) since I felt it was something I had to try in Taiwan. Well, I couldn't even finish one piece of stinky tofu. The smell was just way too overpowering. I tried to eat the other ingredients in the dish, like pig blood sticky rice cake, etc. and didn't enjoy any. I guess stinky tofu is just not for me. I much more prefer the deep fried tofu (NT$30).

The spicy noodles (small NT$45, large NT$65) were tasty, but way too spicy. We asked for mild, yet it practically burned my mouth that I couldn't really taste anything else for awhile. The bean thread noodles (small NT$40, large NT$60) wasn't very memorable.

Bei Tou has quite a few dishes that are good, just not the best by comparison, like the Spiced Pork Stew over Rice (small NT$25, large NT$40) which was not as flavorful as Jin Xian's, or the wontons in spicy oil (small NT$55, large NT$85). The filling was very flavorful. I would have loved it if I didn't have Din Tai Fung's. Truth be told, I'm not sure if any place could make a better sauce. =) The spicy duck blood (NT$55) was in the same boat. It was good, better than Man Tang Hong's, just the exterior wasn't as tender as Tripod King's.

The braised pork belly wasn't exactly what I expected. In Chinese, the dish is called "Red Cooked Meat". I always thought that meant big pieces of pork belly braised for a long time in a soy sauce based broth. The result should be slightly brown, and very moist. But Bei Tou's version looks and tastes more like Chia Siu. Maybe this is the Taiwanese style?

"You Yu" means squid. You have to order squid from a place that has "squid" in the name. While the squid (NT$80) was very tender, it was a little fishy.

The winter melon tea with grass jelly (NT$20) was refreshing. It would be perfect for a hot summer day.

If you search for Bei Tou You Yu (in Chinese that is), there are a slew of bloggers singing its praises. It's unfortunate that I didn't find any dish outstanding. Maybe it was because we got takeout. I would give them another chance, but I would choose dine in.

Bei Tou You Yu (北投魷魚)
Address: 96 De Xing East Road
台北市德行東路96號 2832-0638
Address: 156 Fu Hua Road
台北市福華路156號 2832-1872
Address: 3 Lane 290, Guang Fu South Road
台北市光復南路290巷3號 2711-1128
Address: Xin Yi A-11 Shopping Mall, B2 Food Court
台北市信義A-11館B2美食街 2723-3639
Address: Nan Jing West Road, South West 1 Shopping Mall, B2 Food Court
台北市南京西路南西1館B2美食街 2567-5481
營業時間：11:00 - 22:00

Taiwan, Part XIV - Taiwanese Snacks

It wouldn't be a trip to Taiwan without sampling some simple snack food. Since the weather wasn't very nice, we ended up getting take out a lot.

Goose is more commonly consumed in Taipei than an once-a-year holiday bird. A very popular goose meat place is in Tienmu. People call it "Tienmu goose meat stand" since it's only a stand without an official name. Look for the sign with red "goose meat" characters. We had the regular and smoked. It was very tender. The texture is similar to dark chicken meat. Even though goose meat contains even more fat than duck meat, the fat was mostly rendered out that it wasn't greasy. I prefer the smoke flavor with their special sauce.

I love Taiwanese Spiced Pork Stew over rice. While there were lots of food that I set out to try, Spiced Pork Stew is one thing I knew I'd have. In fact, I'm surprised at myself that I didn't eat it everyday. =) After our relaxing massage, we got some from a place that's known for their spiced pork stew over rice. It was almost all fat, the sauce was a bit too sweet, and on the thin side; however, it was delicious nonetheless. I'm used to having light Western style breakfast. One day, my friend reheated some pork stew after my breakfast, the smell was so enticing that I couldn't resist but getting a bowl as well. It was THAT good!

We missed lunch time one day and ended up getting pepper pancakes (NT$40 each) from this stand that was featured in a Japanese travel site. Even at 2:30 in the afternoon, they were sold out. I had to wander around for half an hour to wait for the next batch. =) Do you like black or white peppers? If so, you'd LOVE these. They were cooked in a clay-lined barrel-like vessel over fire wood. Eaten piping hot, the pork and green onion filling was so juicy and peppery. The dough, rolled in sesame seeds on one side, was nice and flaky. One of these in the winter would definitely warm you up inside.

Another pancake I had was on the day I went to the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial. After the tsukemen, gyoza, and shaved ice, I really couldn't take another bite. However, the Tianjin Green Onion Pancake stand was highly recommended, and it was only steps away from Yong Kang 15 under the sign for the Thanh-Ky Vietnamese Noodle Restaurant, I couldn't help but getting one too. I got an original one (NT$25) which is very thin and flaky. Unfortunately, it was no longer flaky hours later when I was able to eat again. If you want something more filling, you can also get it with egg (NT$30), or with ham and egg (NT$40), or with everything (NT$50). What a deal! Next time, I will definitely save some room for these pancakes. =)

Tienmu Goose Meat Stand (天母鵝肉攤 - 店招牌是寫紅色的鵝肉兩個大字)
Address: 23 Lane 8, Tienmu East Road
地址：台北市天母東路8巷23號 (廣田洋菓子旁巷子)
Hours: 3pm - sold out (most likely before 7pm), closed on Mondays
營業時間：下午3點出攤 7點前就可能賣完 週一公休

Jin Xian Spiced Pork Stew over Rice (金仙魯肉飯)
Address: 127 Fu Gang street, Shi-lin District
地址: 台北市士林區福港街127號
Telephone: 02-2881-8625
電話：02-2881-8625

Pepper Pancakes (胡椒餅)
Address: Lane 269, Nanjing East Road
地址：台北市南京東路三段269巷口

Tianjin Green Onion Pancake (永康街天津蔥抓餅)
Address: 1 Lane 6, Yong Kang Road
地址：台北市永康街6巷1號
Telephone: 0918-401-855
電話：0918-401-855
Hours: 11am - 10:30pm
營業時間：11:00～22:30 無公休
Phone Order: (02)2321-1336 before noon, (02)2321-3768 after noon
電購專線：上午12時前(02)2321-1336 下午12時後(02)2321-3768

Dumpling Fever

When Din Tai Fung opened on Sunday, it was reported that the wait was over 2 hours! Isn't that insane? Anxious to compare the wontons in spicy oil, I thought I'd just go get some take out on a weekday. It shouldn't be a problem then, right? Nah, so wrong! I stopped by this morning and found a line that's at least 20 yards. I didn't ask, but I'm guessing the wait was probably at least 45 minutes. Can you believe that? It's 11:15am on a Tuesday. They currently don't offer takeout either. *sigh* I suppose I will just have to show up early one day when I have plenty of time to stand at one spot. So if you are planning on going, bring a book. =)

Taiwan, Part XIII - Din Tai Fung

After the disappointing dinner at Shin Yeh, my friend was determined to take me to a place that would impress. Din Tai Fung is the most famous steamed bun restaurant in Taiwan. It has become an international enterprise, with locations all over the world. Besides the normal offerings, they also have the special mini buns with soup on the weekends. So it was decided that we'd head over on Sunday morning. Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect. I had been to the Din Tai Fung in LA years ago. I don't remember it being particularly special.

Like many popular places in Taipei, it's best to go to Din Tai Fung with a reservation. Since we didn't have one, we showed up before they opened and watched a group of employees standing around the table making the special mini buns. It was really fascinating how efficient the process was and how fast they could churn these out.

To go to Din Tai Fung and not getting any XiaoLongBao (steamed buns) would be like visiting Paris and not going to the Eiffel Tower. So of course, we had to order some. We got the Pork XiaoLongBao (NT$190/10), and the weekend special Mini Pork XiaoLongBao with Soup (NT$320/20). The wrappers are super thin and soft, yet they didn't break easily. The juice was flavorful. The soup was refreshing. They were VERY good, but I think the fillings could be a little more tender and flavorful. I'm sure I'm biased, but I think my grandma makes THE best dumplings in the world. And her fillings taste better than these. Oh, how I miss my grandma's dumplings. =)

I grew up eating dumplings and wontons, but Wontons in Spicy Oil is a Taiwanese specialty that I had never felt the urge to try before. My friend ordered the Spicy Vegetable and Ground Pork Wonton (NT$140). I was completely taken by surprise at how ambrosial the sauce was! Seriously, I was ready to drink that. =) So we ended up getting an order of Spicy Shrimp and Pork Wonton (NT$160) as well. The sauce was spicy, salty, a little sweet and sour all at the same time. It was simply wonderful! You must try this!

To balance off our meat heavy meal, we also got the Stewed Bean Curd (NT$65), and Stir Fried Water Spinach (NT$170). The Stewed Bean Curd is a Shanghainese specialty called Kao Fu. I'm not sure why they translated it to "Stewed Bean Curd" since it's really a gluten product. Regardless of the translation, this little appetizer was very authentic. The water spinach was fresh, and perfect for my conscience. (I have long lost count of my daily calories intake during this trip. =)

Din Tai Fung's noodles are equally well prepared. We had the Noodle with Spicy Sesame and Peanut Sauce (NT$100), also known as Dan Dan Noodle, and the Noodle Mixed with Special Sauce that's not on the menu. I forgot to take a picture of the one with the special sauce. You would be surprised at how plain it looks - they were just light brown noodles. However, it tasted phenomenal. The sauce was delicious, and the noodles were coated thoroughly and evenly. Even though they didn't advertise it, I'm convinced the noodles were made from scratch. This is one of my friend's favorites.

Can you believe the three of us ate all that? It was really a lot of food, but we had to have some dessert too. We asked the waiter and got half order each (5 pieces) of Steamed Red Bean Dumplings (NT$160/10) and Steamed Taro Dumplings (NT$170/10). The wrappers are just as good as the steamed buns. The red bean paste was good, but not exceptional. The taro paste was wonderful. I always knew Taiwanese loved taro, and often wondered why - the taro desserts I've tasted in the States were just mediocre. But this taro paste answered my question. It was smooth, creamy, slightly sweet, earthy yet refreshing.

Without me saying anything, my friend knew she had succeeded in finding a place that wow'd me. Now, I can't wait for the Din Tai Fung to open in Bellevue. I'm utterly in love with the spicy oil from the wontons. I can foresee myself hogging two plates of them. =)

(Hmm, it turns out that Din Tai Fung opened TODAY! Gotta check it out soon. =)

Din Tai Fung (Tienmu branch) 鼎泰豐(天母店)
Address: 77 Zhongshan North Road Section 6, Shi-lin District (SOGO shopping center B1)
地址：台北市士林區中山北路六段77號(太平洋SOGO百貨B1)
Telephone: 02-2833-8900
電話：02-2833-8900
Hours: M-Th 10:30am - 9:30pm, F 10:30am - 10pm, Weekends & Holidays 10am - 10pm
營業時間： 週一~四：10:30-21:30 週五：10:30-22:00 週六及例假日前夕：10:00-22:00