My first guest blogger is fellow foodie and über-photographer Kang from LondonEater, who kindly agreed to write about his recent (and first) gastrotrip to Taipei, Taiwan. When I visited Taipei, I fell in love with the food, but I’ve written very little about my visit, as I wasn’t blogging back then. Taipei is also on my list of 25 Food & Travel Destinations. So over to Kang and his Taipei Tales…

****************************

Taipei City is the capital of Taiwan, a country which is famous for its diverse gastronomy, typhoons and the occasional international popstar. The flight from London took about 16 hours in total… which included a little detour to visit my folks in Brunei first, but upon landing, it was amazing how everything suddenly switched over to Mandarin, as if someone had switched languages midway through a movie. My Chinese is… passable… as a Chinese person largely brought up in an English speaking environment, adjusting to the new setting was fascinating to say the least.

“Ni Hao” says the immigration officer.

“Sorry?! Oh right, Hello mate” says the LondonEater.

A smile, a nod and an imaginary wink – Welcome to Taiwan.

Day One…ish.

We landed close to 10pm, but decided to immediately start our foodie tour with a trip to a porridge house, of sorts. We headed to Fu Xing South Road. A so-called ‘supper street’ (at least that strip) as it is home to local Taiwanese supper delights such as dou jiang, which is a soya milk which isn’t just a soya milk. Similarly Taiwanese porridge is a little different from the usual Hong Kong style ‘congee’ that I’m used to. For starters it’s not white and creamy. It is otherwise known as ‘xi fan’ (??) and I would describe it as soaking rice in a broth with sweet potatoes. Anyway, so these porridge houses commonly open to the wee hours of the night, and to accompany the porridge is a huge selection of dishes. Steamed fish, octopus, smelly tofu (we’ll get to this again), pig’s ears… let’s just this isn’t Mr Chow’s £6.50 eat all you can.

As it was suppertime, we ordered but a few dishes to whet our appetite for the eventual journey ahead. I’m not the biggest fan of xi fan if I’m honest, but the steamed cod was warm, silky and gelatinous – really yummy stuff.

Day Two

The next morning I woke up to birds chirping and a warm breeze. Taipei was a bona fide urban jungle which had a seemingly lazy groove. I made a new best friend when I was there, but we’ll speak more about him later on. Any gastro-pilgrimages to Taiwan have to include sampling proper Taiwanese beef noodle soup. We were now on the look out for a local favourite which goes by ‘Liao Jia’ noodle stall (Liao Jia translates to House of Liao’s) and is next to Jiang Kai-Shek memorial hall. We chance upon what looked like an unassuming backstreet filled with car repair shops. Anyway, in between these car repair shops was a small pink door, people kept coming and going and just outside the door, there was a huge queue – epitome of a hidden gem.

Inside, the décor is nothing to shout about – this was just another Chinese café. On the table, there is a ‘common’ bowl of what looks like pickled lettuce (I could be wrong). We started our meal by ordering a few ‘small dishes’ (direct translation I assure you) which are about 50p each. First up – Silky tofu (direct translation again) with century egg. Wow… I was mildly blown away. The sweet gravy was very appetising, served cold, the tofu was silky, just ever so slightly sweet but mostly it had this very pure character to it, which was analogous to a superbly distilled vodka as opposed to something less refined. My better told me that this was pretty common stuff, but man, you’d never find anything like this in London. We also ordered smoked pigs ears.

Ahh yes, there is it – Beef Noodle Soup. Liao Jia is famous for their clear broth, qing dun style (a clear broth made from ox bone with no soy sauce). The broth is light but wonderfully fragrant with a rich smell of the bovine. Warming and full-flavoured, the tender beef chunks were hearty and the noodles were simply perfect. Bouncy, squidgy and it was as if it was releasing oxygen every time you chewed on it – very well made. This entire meal costs about £2.50 by the way.

Dinner was a meet up with the better half’s family and friends at a restaurant called Yun Song off Lane 216, Zhong Xiao East Road. This place specialised in Yunnan cuisine ….and stinky tofu. Let’s cut to the chase then shall we:

I wasn’t privy to the logistics, the (organic) stinky tofu is a“private” house special – only regulars could order this. It is limited to 10 slices a day, and legend has it, that it is a treat for the owner’s daughter if she gets good results for school exams. So, my first experience of proper stinky tofu was interesting to say the least. It was analogous to a mild semi-soft cheese, nutty and grainy, the palette punctuated by an earthy fermented aroma. If you’re a fan of mature cheese, you might like this one.

Other dishes we tried include a mung bead and vermicelli salad – a variation of grass jelly. And we also had a plate of sliced pig’s head skin.

Day Three

So far so good, in addition to the food, I was particularly enjoying the shopping. They sell a lot of attractively packaged limited edition Japanese products which was great, oh and I also blew my budget on a new camera (which I no longer own incidentally) when I went to the ‘camera’ district. For lunch, we decided to give Ding Tai Fung a go – now a successful franchise expanding into neighbouring Asian countries.

This place has a rather interesting history, they serve what can be interpreted as Shanghai cuisine but has its roots firmly in Taipei. Its founder Yang Bingyi was born in China, but moved to Taiwan. While in Taiwan, Yang and his wife consequently started making and selling xiao long buns on the side. The buns were of course well received and this led to them opening the restaurant. The original restaurant is located on Xinyi Road, Taipei. There are three branches in Taipei and we went to the Zhong Xiao branch (at the start of Lane 216). Also, this particular street is a little gastro-street unto itself as you can find pretty good lu-wei (braised assortments with bean curds, offal, Taiwanese blood pudding, chicken wings).

We kicked things off with an order of their signature xiao long buns – a thin pastry nearly translucent, stuffed with prawns, these little gems were bouncy, fresh and viscous with the juices well sealed within the bun. Above are the shao mai with shrimp and pork (corrected after Mr Noodles’ comment)

Next up was pork chop and fried rice. A simple dish, but it was a cracker. The best pork chops I’ve ever tried. Sizzling, smoky and seasoned to the brim – it was clinical and wholly appetising.

By far my favourite of this meal was the Zha Zhiang Mian (Minced pork noodles). The noodles are of the hand-pulled variety and it was immensely delicious. Airy and bouncy (a la al dente) , the minced pork topping was incredibly rich and the combo produced a taste which struck a good balance of being juicy and dry.

As the sun went down, we were at yet another family dinner, this time at the Teppanyaki restaurant at Regent Hotel.

I won’t dwell too long on this one, since it was a ‘western’ style grill house in the Benihana vein with the chef performing acrobatics in front of you. Instead I’d like to draw your attention to the Taiwanese abalone called ‘Jio Kung’ (nine holes); a lot smaller than the Australian ones I’m used to. Rubbery and flavourful – I love grilled seafood.

Of course, I was interested in the street food stalls, and those places were well, by the street.

We didn’t know the history behind this particular street stall, but the food looked good so we ordered a few dishes. Everything served in paper cups for hygiene, we ordered a bowl of ‘mee fen tiau’ soup (short vermicelli soup), a plate of blanched taco (octopus) accompanied by a thick soya sauce with wasabi. The last dish in the picture is made from a cut of pork that sits closest to the liver.

The Final Day

As the last day rolled along, I was strategically planning how I was going to bring back all the bottles of sake and stacks of pineapple cake which I had just bought. As it was a Sunday, we headed up to Yang Ming mountain for a bit of high altitude fresh air. This part of the trip was quite exhilarating. Near the summit, there are a few restaurants which specialise in cooking ‘mountain vegetables’. As I understand it, the produce is sourced from the mountain.

We had a huge feast here, I didn’t really recognise all the dishes we had, but it included deep fried whitebait, stir-fried clams, stir-fried sliced beef and it was finished with man-tous of assorted colours.

Notice all the steam rising from the dish, wonderfully atmospheric. Clams cooked with Basil.    

Here we go – more rising steam from a plate of stir-fried wild boar and mountain vegetables.

I was now running out of time, but there was still so much I had yet to experience in Taipei. In the end we did manage a trip to one of the Night Markets – the Tung Hua Street Night Market.

Bustling, vibrant, full of life – I had stepped into a Taiwanese movie with ‘Little S’, the atmosphere at the street market was so uplifting, families ran food stalls which catered to families enjoying a night out. The social camaraderie gave me all kinds of warming feelings inside, and I was simply revelling in the mood.

We chanced upon this old guy selling salted chicken in spiked brine from a stainless steel bowl. There was a huge crowd gathering around him, and herd mentality ensured that I stuck my camera to capture abit of the buzz. Oh, we bought some chicken as well, £1 for a portion I think it was.

We also managed to try a ‘Gua Bao’ – loosely Pocket Bao – and is bit like a Taiwanese burrito. Made with finely grounded peanuts, pork slices, pickled greens and soya sauce, the bun itself was sweet, mellow and just warming.

Ahhhh….

I wish I could show you more of the small bites I had while on this trip, but there were far too many of them to blog about. For me, that was the beauty of Taiwanese cuisine, every corner you turned, there seemed to be something to eat, something to drink and something new to learn, and I had only just begun to scratch the surface.

I was reluctant to leave Taipei, I wished my trip was just a couple of days longer… I walked past a lot of grill houses which looked really interesting, but more over I also left behind my new best friend – qio qio. Plans are already in place for a future trip to Taiwan in 2010 with a view to kidnap qio qio and install him in his spiritual home – in my London flat!

LondonEater’s full Flickr gallery can be found here

***************************

I suppose I had better start with the Guild of Food Writers 2009 Awards party, which I attended last Thursday as a shortlistee for the New Media category. I didn’t win, but I did get the opportunity to meet some fantastic people, including my two ‘rivals’ for the New Media award, Tim Hayward from the Guardian Word of Mouth (who beat us!) and Elisabeth Winkler from Real Food Lover. You can read all about the awards here, and I was mentioned on Word of Mouth the following day. It was nice to be reminded of the judges’ comment about World Foodie Guide (which I completely forgot from nerves!) – ‘great fun to read and hard to leave‘. Thank you to all my readers and friends who have been so supportive! Had I won, I would have shared the award with you all (I had a little speech ready just in case!)…

What else? I did a day trip to Manchester to attend the Sweet Mandarin Chinese cookery class, which was great fun and very informative. I reviewed two cookery books in June, Serendip on Sri Lankan cuisine by Peter Kuruvita and A Culinary Voyage on Greek Island cooking by Theodore Kyriakou. Both were ‘traveleating’ books at their best and I particularly enjoyed making the potato and tuna cakes from Serendip. I also attempted to make Sichuan wontons, which were rather spicy and delicious!

Outside the kitchen, I returned to Taste of London, the annual restaurant and food festival, and ate at Japanese Tsuru, a 15 course dinner at Hunan, a superb pizza at Franco Manca, dim sum at Leong’s Legend and revisited Le Café Anglais.

And last but not least, I met Kang from LondonEater for lunch. The meal itself was mediocre, but the company was excellent. As a result of our chat, the next day I bought myself the Leica D-LUX 4, which Kang recommended as ‘the king of compacts‘. He has also been giving me useful food photography tips ever since, and I’m determined to learn to use the Leica properly. Thank you Kang!

Thank you as always for reading!

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

[UPDATE - October 2009: I've returned to Leong's Legend for dim sum and it's turning into a reliable Chinatown dim sum spot for me. Apart from more xiao long bao (such good value and very soupy), I again ordered the Taiwan mini kebab with pork. It's very filling and most delicious. The pork belly rice is also highly recommended after you've had the dim sum dishes. It costs under £5.00 and for that, you get some gigantic hunks of pork belly with a sweetish sauce, and rice on the side. The classic Cantonese dishes - cheung fun, har gau etc are not as good in comparison. ]

*****************************

Background:

After I had dinner at Taiwanese restaurant Leong’s Legend a few months ago, I thought I’d never return. The three dishes I had weren’t bad at all, although they weren’t spectacular by any stretch of the imagination, but the rude manager annoyed me intensely. However, seeing as my Where To Eat Dim Sum In London post needed updating, I decided to give their dim sum a try, so feeling a little skeptical, I dragged along two dim sum veterans to help me out.

It was practically empty at just after 12.30, which was a relief, and even when we left an hour or so later, it still wasn’t that busy (perhaps not surprising given that it was mid-week). Although I kept an eye out for him, the rude manager was nowhere to be seen. In his place were calm and polite staff who served us efficiently and didn’t pull faces when I ordered tap water for three.

Menu:

The dim sum menu is small compared to other restaurants, but then this isn’t a Cantonese restaurant. There were a few classics like har gau, cheung fun, pan-fried turnip paste and char siu bao, but I was more intrigued about the non-Cantonese dishes. And of course on the menu were xiao long bao or Shanghai soup dumplings, pork as well as crab ones, for which Leong’s Legend have developed a good reputation. Having eaten xiao long bao most recently at Yum Cha (which were excellent), I was keen to see how these compared to those as well as the ones I’ve had in Taipei (the best ever so far). Xiao long bao aren’t technically classic dim sum fare, but more and more restaurants are now serving them as part of their dim sum menu.

What we ordered:

• fried dough stick cheung fun (£2.20) – my mother always orders this when we have dim sum. Both this and the roast pork cheung fun arrived in special cheung fun dishes, with the sweetened soy sauce in the sauce section rather than poured over the cheung fun, as is traditional. Because of this, the fried dough stick stayed nice and crispy. It was also perfectly fried and yet not oily-tasting. This is certainly one of the better versions I’ve had in London

• roast pork cheung fun (£2.80) – the cheung fun rolls, as with the fried dough stick cheung fun, were beautifully thin and translucent. The roast pork filling, cut into very thin slices (sometimes the meat is so chunky, it’s not very nice) was substantial

• pork xiao long bao (£5.00) – eight (very lucky!) xiao long bao arrived in a covered basket, with the dipping sauce of vinegar with ginger slivers. The skins were slightly thicker and not quite as silky as the ones at Yum Cha, and they weren’t quite as juicy. However, they were still very, very good and I look forward to returning just to have these and the crab xiao long bao!

• grilled minced pork buns (£2.50) – these sounded nicer than they actually were, in my opinion (top photo). They arrived piping hot, and the bun was light and fluffy, but the filling lacked flavour and was a little underwhelming, given their appearance

• roast duck & chestnut puff (£2.20) – a disappointing dish. The puff part was perfect, but I can’t for the life of me remember what the filling tasted like

• Taiwan mini kebab with pork (£2.60) – a stunner of a dish, although when it arrived, we had to ask for a knife to cut it into three. It’s the size of a smallish burger, with a gigantic slab of melting pork belly inside. The bread resembles the jiamo at Ba Shan, but is fluffier

• Beijing pork & chive dumpling (£3.20) – these are just boiled jiaozi (very popular in Beijing), served with a vinegar-based dipping sauce, when I was expecting steamed dumplings. These were rather ordinary, particularly when compared to the superb Ba Shan jiaozi

• wontons in spicy sauce (£2.80) – as I’d just made these Sichuan / Chengdu wontons (also known as chao shou in Sichuan) at home, I wanted to see what the spicy sauce tasted like. It was quite fiery (I know it’s all relative so you’ll have to try it for yourself!), and stronger than the Ba Shan version

The verdict:

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of dim sum at Leong’s Legend, to the extent that I’ve added it to my shortlist of dim sum recommendations. So far it’s the only Chinatown-based dim sum restaurant on the list and could very well turn into a regular haunt for me. I’ll have to return to try some of the other dim sum options, but based on what I tried, on my next visit, I would certainly re-order the xiao long bao, mini kebab and cheung fun. After a few more visits, I’ll be able to pin down exactly what to order and what to avoid, then I’ll update this post…

Click here to see the dim sum set of Leong’s Legend photos.

10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average

All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide

Contact details:
Leong’s Legend
4 Macclesfield Street
London W1D 6AX
Tel: 020 7287 0288

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

Background:

For about the last two years, ever since she discovered it, my London-based Taiwanese friend has been trying to persuade me to eat at Hunan. I knew very little about it until I finally decided to go with her and her partner. It’s a Taiwanese family-run restaurant, located near Sloane Square, and has been around since 1982. And although it’s called Hunan (a province well known for its spicy cuisine), the dishes are mostly ‘heavily influenced by the food of Taiwan’, to quote its website.

First impressions:

There are two distinct sections of the restaurant, a small area by the large windows towards the front, which is bright and perfect for photography, and the larger area towards the back, which is darker. There is also a private dining area upstairs for larger groups. The decor is distinctly ‘Chelsea’, tastefully done up in varying tones of beige. The clientele were generally older and a few were clearly regulars, while the service was friendly and polite.

Menu:

Hunan famously has no menu, so it was a strange sensation not to have anything to pore over or worry about ordering the ‘right’ dishes. All you have to do is tell Michael the manager or his father Chef Peng what you can’t eat and how spicy you like your food, then choose the wine (or ask Michael to help as you won’t know what kind of food will be arriving on your table), sit back and relax.

So this is what we ended up with. And we didn’t get the minced meat on a lettuce leaf which every other table seemed to get, while they missed out on our shui jian bao, crab noodle soup and pigs’ ears and tongues! There were 15 mini courses in total, 16 if I include the extra portion of shui jian bao.

• signature broth of minced pork, Chinese mushroom & ginger - served in a bamboo cup, this was a deliciously light and fragrant broth with a topping of minced pork that broke apart into the broth when dug into

• shui jian bao – extremely light and fluffy small buns filled with pork that are special in their preparation, as they have to be steamed then fried in water (something like that!), so that the base is crispy. Chef Peng said they’re hard to make. Served with a light vinegar dipping sauce

• morning glory (tung choi or oong choi) with clams – a classic Taiwanese dish, with the chopped fresh chillies giving it a little kick. Lovely and simple

• salted pork – this came in thinnish slices, with more chopped fresh chillies. I have to say, I can’t eat very hot food, but the dishes left a pleasant tingle in the mouth, rather than overwhelming the taste buds

• braised duck with fresh bamboo shoots – I don’t think I’ve ever had fresh bamboo shoots in London, so this was a treat and even more exciting than the accompanying pieces of duck, which were tender and succulent

• pork – I wonder if this was the famous double-cooked pork? However it was prepared, it was lovely, with a crispy outer coating

• stuffed prawns – fresh crunchy prawns rolled around what appeared to be either tofu or fish mixed with a vegetable. The filling was so finely minced, it was hard to identify

• pigs’ ears and tongues – I surprised myself by loving this dish. Until a few months ago, I was a reluctant consumer of offal and animal parts. But I’ve recently eaten marrow, cheeks and tripe and enjoyed them all. So when these little sliced gems came along, served cold and thinly sliced with a light sesame-based sauce, I tucked in. One of the highlights of the evening (first photo of the post)

• spinach rolls – these came in a sweet tomato- based chilli sauce and were crispy on the outside

• chicken and glutinous rice rolls – another of my favourites of the evening, because I love glutinous rice

• cod fish rolls – I asked several times what these were, and I think it was cod fish, but I’m not convinced. I suppose once in a while I just have to enjoy what I’m eating without needing to know so much…

• crispy frogs legs – another signature dish of the restaurant, and another of my favourites. Frog tastes very similar to chicken, but the meat is more delicate

• bitter melon stuffed with chicken – I love bitter melon and the flavours contrasted really nicely in this dish. Each piece was served with half a prawn on top

• fried baby squid – if you like squid, you’ll love baby squid! That’s all I can say about this…

• shui jian bao – the extra portion arrived, with six smaller ones this time

• crab noodle soup – the star dish, which arrived in a gigantic pot and could have served six people. A whole king crab, chopped into pieces, was served in a broth (with coriander and lemongrass) with noodles. The crab had been fried beforehand, so was full of flavour. By this point, we were struggling and had to turn down pudding. I took the rest of the crab noodles home to have for breakfast the next morning!

The verdict:

Customers do seem to be treated differently in terms of the types of dishes served, and I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to try some of the things that we were offered, had I not been with my Taiwanese friend. Chef Peng came up to ask if we wanted more shui jian bao, then offered us the incredible crab noodle soup. One small criticism is that the dishes were presented with the minimum of descriptions. With no menu, I wanted to know exactly what I was eating and how the dish was prepared, so informing me that a dish was ‘pork’ or ‘chicken’ didn’t satisfy me, although most customers were more than happy to just eat what they were given. However, a couple of the servers didn’t speak much English, so I suppose it is understandable. And trying to work out what we were eating was an enjoyable part of the experience of eating at Hunan!

I like to think that with no menu, the ingredients used on any one day at Hunan are fresher and of a better quality than in a restaurant which has to be ready to prepare any dish on their menu (and throw away unused food). Based upon one visit, I would say that Hunan is a wonderful place to try some unusual dishes you wouldn’t find in other Chinese restaurants in London. The concept of not having a menu appealed to me as well. It was thrilling not knowing what was going to arrive next, or how many courses there would be. For 15 courses, wine and service, £55 per person was pretty reasonable, particularly given the quality (and quantity) of food consumed. I’ll certainly return soon to be surprised again…

NB As there were no vegetarians amongst us, I can’t say what the kitchen could offer vegetarians, but I’d be keen to turn up with the vegetarian husband on the next occasion and set Chef Peng a challenge!

Click here to see the entire set of photos taken at Hunan.

10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average

All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide

Contact details:
Hunan
51 Pimlico Road
London SW1 8NE
Tel: 020 7730 5712
www.hunanlondon.com

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

On our traveleating trip to Hong Kong, Macau and Beijing last October, I was reminded of how much I enjoy the unique taste of thousand year old egg (if you don’t know what thousand year old egg is, it’s all explained in this earlier post). I had it first at Yung Kee in Hong Kong, sliced in half and served with gari (sushi ginger). Then I had it in Noodle Bar in Beijing, chopped into small cubes and served with chilled tofu and sesame oil (see photo below). It was a very simply prepared side dish that I’ve wanted to recreate ever since. As with most dishes, there are various ways of making this.

I’ve never bought thousand year olds eggs before to prepare at home, so I went to investigate at See Woo Chinese supermarket on Lisle Street in Chinatown (London). They are sold in cartons of 6, just like you would buy normal eggs, and cost just under £4.00. They last for months if stored in a cool, dark place, so don’t worry about having to use them all in one or two dishes.

Ingredients: (serves 2 as a side dish or snack)

• 1 block of Japanese silken tofu (you can also buy tofu fresh from a Chinese supermarket, but the Japanese pre-packed tofu is so convenient as you can store it in a cupboard for months until you need it. Pop into fridge to chill before cutting it up)

• 1 thousand year old egg

• 1 spring onion

• sesame oil

• light soy sauce

What to do next:

Drain the block of tofu and cut into small cubes. You don’t have to do this, but it’s easier to serve and eat if it’s chopped up this way. Or you could try and recreate the above pineapple effect! Add to a small bowl.

Peel a thousand year old egg and chop into small pieces. The yolk is lovely and gooey, so it can get a bit messy. Arrange on top of the tofu.

Finely chop a spring onion to use as garnish.

Drizzle some sesame oil and light soy sauce over the egg and tofu, then add the spring onion. Taste before adding more, as it shouldn’t taste too strong.

Thousand year old egg isn’t to everyone’s taste, but I wouldn’t dismiss it before trying it once in your lifetime! You might also like it in congee, which I made recently.

See more Chinese recipes on World Foodie Guide.

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

[UPDATE: June 2009 - I went for dim sum at Leong's Legend and had a much better experience. You can read about it here.]

******************************

Background:

Leong’s Legend in London’s Chinatown (a second branch has just opened around the corner) has bounced on and off my restaurant wishlist ever since I first started reading mixed reviews about it. It was the allegedly atrocious service that made me hesitate about eating here. However, the Taiwanese food was too strong a pull to resist. I took my little brother along with me, thinking that he would be laid back enough not to mind if the service really did turn out to be poor…

First impressions:

The interior is done up so that it resembles an old Chinese inn of some sort (well, that’s how it appeared to me, but perhaps I’ve been watching too many Chinese period dramas). It’s a small restaurant, and at 6pm mid-week, already quite busy. The waitress tried to seat us at the worst table in the restaurant, and after trying it, we moved immediately. Everyone who walked in after us also got shown to this table.

Tip: the worst table in the restaurant is located on the right hand side of the restaurant as you enter, by the window, under the ladder. One diner will have to sit under the ladder, while the other one gets a seat (a piece of wood) measuring about 8 inches in depth. Avoid at all costs.

Menu:

Although I’ve been to Taipei before, I’m no expert on Taiwanese food (although I am partial to Din Tai Fung’s xiao long bao). I did, however, discover the delights of the famous sanbei (literally three cup, one of rice wine, one of soy sauce and one of sesame oil) chicken and sanbei duck when I was in China recently, at both a Taiwanese and a Hakka restaurant in Beijing. So when I heard from fellow foodie Oonth (who frequents the UK/Ireland board on Chowhound) that there was sanbei ji to be had at Leong’s Legend, I was pleased.

What we ordered:

• sanbei ji, which on the menu is described as stir-fried chicken with rice wine, soy sauce and sesame oil (£6.80)
• glass noodles with minced pork (£5.20)
• pan-fried tofu filled with mashed prawns (£5.50)

I was scribbling away in my notebook, copying dishes from the menu, so when the manager tried to take the menus away, I asked if I could keep it for a while longer. I couldn’t believe my ears when he more or less snapped at me, saying that he would give it to me if I needed it, and that all the diners made them dirty by placing plates and dishes on top of them. He eventually relented when I said I was just writing a few things down. Everything I’d heard about the service really was true.

This did leave a sour taste in my mouth and put me in a bad mood when the food finally arrived. The sanbei ji wasn’t nearly as tasty and flavoursome as the ones I had in China, and was very disappointing. The pieces of chicken were scrawny as well. The glass noodles were quite spicy, but passable. My favourite was the pan-fried tofu with mashed prawns, as each piece was substantial and chunky.

The verdict:

The food is different to bog-standard Cantonese that is ubiquitous in Chinatown.  But it wasn’t great, and I don’t think I’ll be returning to Leong’s Legend. Even if the food were spectacular, which it by no means was, I couldn’t go back to endure such surly service or uncomfortable seating. Some people eat out purely for the food. I need a few other basics as well, service being one of them. I don’t like to be negative about Chinese restaurants, but if owners and managers can’t see the point of good service, then I can’t see the point of supporting their business. Dinner for two cost £25.00 without service charge, which is of course more than reasonable for London.

10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average

All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide

Contact details:
Leong’s Legend
4 Macclesfield Street
London W1D 6AX
Tel: 020 7287 0288

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

After returning from our 16 day traveleating trip to Hong Kong, Macau and Beijing, I wrote a series of thirteen ‘Postcards’, filed under Restaurant Reviews – China. The Postcards are long, but contain detailed information about food, sightseeing and travel tips. If you want to just browse through food photos, click here for the entire set taken on the trip, in chronological order. For those readers who need a snappy summary about what and where to eat, read on!

I spent weeks researching this before the trip, creating three wish-lists, Where to Eat in Hong Kong, Where to Eat in Macau, and Where to Eat in Beijing. I didn’t and couldn’t go to every restaurant and eaterie on the lists, but some of the ones I visited deserve a special mention. So here are my recommendations (click on the links below to read more).

As the vegetarian husband contributed to this list, vegetarians will be pleased to read that, apart from Mak’s, all these places offer great vegetarian dishes and far more options than either of us could have hoped for. And if you’re worried about deciphering menus, they’ were all bilingual with great quality photos, except for Hakka Restaurant (which has a Chinese menu with photos).

HONG KONG:

• Lock Cha Tea Shop – this serene tea house in the middle of Hong Kong Park serves only vegetarian dim sum, which was so incredible even a die-hard Cantonese carnivore like me had to eat here twice

• Mak’s Noodles – the famous wonton noodle portions are small and pricey, but worth the visit!

• Chung’s Cuisine – our first meal in HK remains one of the nicest when compared with the subsequent meals. No MSG, fresh ingredients, good presentation, friendly staff and lovely environment

• Xi Yan – not on my original list, but discovered when shopping at GOD. Unusual dishes (not all of them worked!), including bean curd sheet with beansprouts, greenhouse tomatoes in sesame sauce and cashew nut ice cream

• Kung Tak Lam – Shanghainese vegetarian restaurant, popular with both meat-eaters and vegetarians, serving interesting ‘mock’ dishes like fish, goose and chicken

MACAU: as we were only there for a day trip, I can only recommend the three places we visited!

• Restaurante Litoral – serves Portuguese / Macanese cuisine, including the famous African chicken

• Margaret’s Café e Nata - ex-wife of owner from Lord Stow’s runs this place, which serves very tasty Portuguese egg tarts. Hard to locate, but worth it

• Ko Kei Bakery – well-known bakery chain permanently mobbed by tourists for the free samples and delectable goodies – slightly ‘eggy’ Portuguese egg tart though

BEIJING: I don’t think there’s a single restaurant I visited that I can leave off my list of recommendations, despite this being a ’short guide’. Beijing is truly a foodie destination, and dare I say it, with far better quality and more innovative cuisine than I found in Hong Kong. I would happily make all these my regulars if I lived in Beijing!

• Noodle Loft - enjoy hand-made Shanxi noodles while being entertained by the chefs making them in front of you – hand-pulled, knife-cut, single chopstick etc. Many excellent (and cheap) dishes to be found here

• Bellagio – this hip Taiwanese joint serves excellent food. This is where we made the culinary discovery of the trip – dragon beans stir-fried in garlic

• South Silk Road - serves Yunnan cuisine – try the exotic Yunnan mushrooms and fried cheese. I liked also the bitter melon with pineapple, which strangely complemented each other

• Pure Lotus – Beijing’s supposedly best vegetarian restaurant, with beautifully presented food and equally impressive interior. Must try the Beijing duck, Xinjiang skewers, lettuce wrapped green beans and vegetable rolls

• Hakka Restaurant - the only restaurant not on my original wish-list, but a favourite of our friends. Sample foil-cooked fish, san bei (three cup) duck, dragon beans and deep-fried bean curd in a rustic setting
  

• Noodle Bar – more hand-pulled noodle entertainment as you sit around a tiny counter (12 seats) to tuck into a large bowl of noodles (5 choices only, with one vegetarian made with mushroom broth). Great side dishes too
  

• Din Tai Fung – after trying the xiao long bao in Taipei (DFT is a Taiwanese chain), I had to visit DFT in Beijing. Not quite as good as the Taipei version, but still very good!

The post China Trip Planning outlines the practicalities of organising the trip and there are a few tips on Chinese food etiquette which might come in handy on your travels. Do let me know what you think of these restaurants and if you have any favourites to recommend to other travellers. Happy traveleating!

All China restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

This is the eighth in a series of Postcards from the recent Hong Kong, Macau and Beijing traveleating trip. Rather than writing up each food experience in separate posts, which would have taken me up to Christmas, I thought it would be more fun to outline the trip in diary form, to include travel and sightseeing tips as well as food recommendations.

Day 9 highlights:

• Trek to Great Wall at Jiankou
• lunch at Noodle Loft
• Silk Street Market (Xiushuijie)
• Spin ceramics shop
• dinner at Bellagio

Trek to Great Wall at Jiankou:

Our friends have a weekend house in Huairou, close to the Jiankou section of the Great Wall, about 45km east of Badaling. The plan was for the husband and I to leave their Beijing home at 8am, drive to Jiankou and hike for 90 minutes. This meant we would still be back in central Beijing for lunch (I couldn’t miss another eating slot, considering the inauspicious start yesterday!).

I’ve been to various sections of the Wall in the past, including Badaling (horrendously touristy, with a phone booth from where you can call people to tell them you’re on the Wall), Simatai (so remote that my friend and I only encountered a few people the entire time we were there) and Jinshanling (where I watched a night performance of Hamlet in one of the towers, until the actor slipped and broke his leg and had to be carried down on a stretcher in the dark!).

Our friends’ driver picked us up at 8am. From beyond the Fifth Ring Road near the airport, it took about just over an hour to reach the village of Jiankou. This section of the Great Wall is so remote that only last year did they start charging an entrance fee (RMB20 per person), and I don’t think it’s strictly legal either. After paying this fee, you have to drive further to park in the village.

Then there is an overgrown trail to follow (above is the driver taking us to the start of the trail, so what you see is just the village. And the first tower on the left, that’s where the husband eventually made it to, after I collapsed on a rock!), which is a serious hike up a mountain through woods in order to reach the wall itself.

I never considered that we would have to walk uphill for nearly an hour before reaching the wall (not having had to do this at Simatai or Jinshanling), and there were times when I thought we would never get there as the wall always appeared impossibly far in the distance. Towards the latter part of the journey, it was also very steep and I had to use my hands as well to scramble up. I barely had time or the energy to appreciate the beautiful autumn scenery all around us, or the fact that we were completely alone…

When I had almost reached the point of giving up because the path was so steep and covered with loose stones, we suddenly heard Chinese voices in the distance, and soon came across two heavily equipped climbers, complete with hiking gear and cameras, on their way down. One assured me that we were ‘nearly there’, so we soldiered on, for almost another twenty minutes. They were the only two people we encountered on the entire trek, and it was a truly magical experience being alone on the wall. Even at Simatai, there were a few people around as I ate my home-made sandwich perched on a rock.

The views from the Great Wall at Jiankou are breathtaking and we were very fortunate to visit on a ‘blue sky day’ because apparently it’s usually very smoggy from the pollution. The wall itself was completely overgrown and it was difficult to walk along it for much of the way. The husband made it along to the next tower, while I sat and watched. But it was well worth the hike up and down again. Going down was just as tough, if not tougher, and we kept slipping on the loose rocks, so by the time we reached the car, we were exhausted, dirty and very hot.

Jiankou is highly recommended if you really want to be alone in the wilderness, and go during the week when you’re less likely to bump into someone else. If you do decide to visit, don’t take small children with you because you’ll need both hands free and you won’t be able to carry them and walk/climb at the same time, unless they are properly strapped to your back and not just holding on with their hands.

Also remember to wear hiking shoes or boots and take plenty of water with you, both of which we didn’t do! Allow more time than we did to reach the wall and rest up there before the descent. Tell your driver how many hours you will be, so that if anything happens, he will know to get help (hopefully). And finally, don’t give up. You’ll never forget the experience.

Thinking back to the trek, we were so unprepared, thinking that we would be driven very close to the wall. While the driver waited for us, he was chatting to a taxi driver who had been paid to wait 5 hours for his passengers, and apparently some people sleep for a few nights on the wall as they do an extended hike (the hudband found sleeping gear in the tower he visited). Perhaps next time! (click here to see the rest of the Great Wall photos in my Flickr photostream)

If you don’t have a driver, The Guardian tip is to ‘take fast bus 916 (60-90 mins) from Dongzhimen long-distance bus station to Huairou, then hire a minivan (one hour, RMB200 return) to the rear Jiankou section’ (‘After the gold rush: 20 ideas for your Beijing visit‘ – Aug 9 2008 article). You would have to haggle with the minivan or taxi driver, depending on how long you want him to wait, and it would definitely be a full day trip.

Lunch at Noodle Loft:

I first read about Noodle Loft on Diana Kuan’s blog Appetite for China, and having researched it a bit more, decided to eat there, as I love places where I can take photos of chefs in action (it was considered good enough for Anthony Bourdain’s ‘No Reservations’, not that I’m a big fan), and there would be options for the vegetarian husband too.

A search for the restaurant nearly turned out to be as unsuccessful as the search for last night’s non-existent dinner venue, but luckily we were in the car and didn’t have to trek about on foot on a very high pollution day (in central Beijing, but not out on the Great Wall). I’m glad that we persevered because lunch turned out to be superb. The husband is still talking about his noodles!

There is a bilingual menu with large, good quality photos of the food from Shanxi province and the prices are very reasonable (eg RMB12 for a large bowl of handmade noodles). There’s an open noodle-making area so that you can watch the chefs make the noodles by hand using various methods – single chopstick, knife-cut, noodles made by scissors, cat’s ear shaped noodles and hand-pulled noodles (so ordinary by comparison!). It was great fun to watch, though the few Chinese diners were more interested in talking very loudly than pay attention to their food being prepared.

We ordered:

• soft-fried wheat cake with oil and chives (RMB12/£1) – it was a little bit oily but very tasty nevertheless

• baked potato cake (RMB22) – again slightly oily but just what we needed after a trek to the Great Wall

• bean with fennel (RMB12) – soya beans with finely chopped fennel tops – refreshing and light. We never get to eat fennel tops in the UK, so this was great

• noodles made by one stick chopstick with vegetables (RMB20) – these were fried and turned out to be one of the best noodle dishes that the husband has ever had. The shape caught the sauce perfectly too

• sliced noodle by knife (RMB12) and I chose from a selection of sauces/soup bases the pickled Chinese cabbage with soya beans – although the noodles looked interesting, the sauce/soup I chose was probably not the right one. The noodles ended up being quite clumpy and hard to separate and pick up. Not my favourite, but I did enjoy watching the chef make the noodles.

• Chinese yam in sea-buckthorn sauce (RMB16) – an unusual but highly recommended dessert, beautifully presented. The yam is served hot, while the sauce is sweet. It was a huge portion and more than enough for three or four people to share after a large meal

The lunch feast came to RMB104 (about £9) for two people, and we did order a lot of food! (click here to see the rest of the Great Wall photos in my Flickr photostream)

Silk Street Market (Xiushuijie):

Silk Street Market has changed completely since I lived in Beijing and it was a series of clothes stalls on the street (two streets I seem to recall). Now all the stalls are housed in a five storey building, with far more products for sale (jewellery including pearls, watches, computer games, and what I call Chinese bric-a-brac) and the vendors wear a uniform. The only thing that hasn’t changed is their bizarre habit of shouting (and grabbing) at each potential buyer as they walk past each stall, to the point where the noise just makes you want to carry on walking. And if you want to buy anything, you have to bargain hard. The husband helped me buy two silk scarves for RMB60 in total, after an initial price of RMB65 per scarf. If the vendor thinks he or she can do better with another buyer, your offer will be turned down. It was not a pleasant experience overall and a true assault on the senses.

Spin ceramics shop:

Spin near the Lido Hotel on the other hand was an oasis of serenity (apart from the overly loud classical music blaring in the background). This was a shop I’d read about online, and which is also one of our friends’ favourite shops in Beijing. The ceramics are all created by a small group of designers and then made in Jingdezhen, one of China’s historically most famous areas for making ceramics. If you go to any antique ceramics museum collection around the world, you’ll find things made in Jingdezhen.

Each piece is modern and yet classical at the same time. There are no patterns on any of the pieces except the coffee cups. You’ll find decorative pieces such as unusual vases and gigantic platters (probably nearly a metre in diameter), as well as functional items such as bowls, cups and plates. We ended up buying a cube-shaped tea caddy made from Jingdezhen purple clay (RMB300), a water bottle with a lid that also serves as a cup (RMB160) and a set of five tea cups in a bamboo container (RMB280), but it would have been very easy to buy up half the shop. Spin opened a branch in Melbourne last year, where I’m sure the items are much more expensive!

Dinner at Bellagio:

Dinner with my cousin and her husband at Taiwanese eaterie Bellagio was a hit. It’s loud, hip and popular with younger people especially late at night after a clubbing session. We went around 8ish, to avoid the post-clubbing crowd. I’d read that the service wasn’t the best, but our waitresses were perfectly polite and helpful, so perhaps it depends on whom you get on the night, and which branch you eat at. The menu is bilingual with good quality photos, and the prices pretty reasonable too. Between the four of us, we had:

• dragon beans stir-fried with garlic (RMB28) – the discovery of the trip must be these dragon beans, which were called fried asparagus peas in another restaurant. In Chinese, they are called ‘four corner beans’ because of their angular shape. Stir-fried in garlic, they were tender and crunchy.

• eggplant with spicy sour sauce in clay pot (vegetarian) – (RMB38)

• Taiwanese fried bean curd (vegetarian) – (RMB37)

• three cup chicken (san bei ji) - (RMB46) – a house special, the sauce is particularly tasty and this was one of my favourites. The chicken pieces are small but come with bones, so they’re slightly fiddly for those who don’t like bones

• steamed sliced perch (RMB62) – very delicate pieces of white fish on a small platter, which was kept hot with a plate warmer. Recommended by my cousin

• smoked cumin spare ribs (RMB52) – these are quite strong-tasting, but if you like spare ribs, you’ll like this. There are about 6 or 8 ribs per portion

• barbecue beef stir-fried noodles (RMB33)

I also had tapioca pearl bubble milk tea (RMB24), which you can get in many places these days, but it’s still nice to have it in a Taiwanese restaurant. I love sucking up the tapioca with the fat straw! But we were too full to try any of the desserts which I’d read about online…

Incidentally, the only unpleasant incident on the entire trip occurred when we were leaving Bellagio and crossing the road. Crossing roads in Beijing is already far easier than it used to be (I remember lane hopping across five or six lanes of traffic in order to get to the other side), but it still involves dodging cars and bicycles that are turning left or right when you’re crossing at traffic lights. A car wouldn’t stop when my cousin’s husband tried to cross the road and the driver actually tried to run him over. He banged the back of the car with his hand in anger, and the car pulled to a halt in the middle of the busy road. The altercation that followed was surreal.

My cousin’s husband is French and the man who got out of the car also spoke French, so they were yelling at each other in French in the middle of Beijing. The man was incredibly large and aggressive and could have knocked my cousin’s husband down with little more than a light punch. It was very tense. Then we noticed he was driving a diplomatic car (179 004, from the Moroccan embassy) and threatened to make a formal complaint. In the end, both sides walked away, but I’m sure that the man thought he could get away with any hit-and-run incident in China because of his diplomatic status, and only stopped because my cousin’s husband banged on the back of his car. A dramatic way to end a long day!

N.B You’ll find all the China Postcards under Restaurant Reviews – China, and the entire set of food photos on Flickr.

CONTACT DETAILS:

Noodle Loft (there is another branch at 3 Heping Xijie)
20 Xidawang Lu
Chaoyang District
Beijing 100022
Tel: +86 (0)10 6774 9950
Opening: 11am-10pm daily

Spin (there are also branches in Shanghai and Melbourne)
6 Fangyuan Xilu (near Lido Holiday Inn)
Chaoyang District
Beijing
Tel: +86 (0)10 6437 8649
Open 11:00-21:00 daily

Bellagio (there are several other branches, including at Shin Kong Place and Gongti Lu)
35 Xiao Yun Lu
Chaoyang District
Beijing
Tel: +86 (0)10 8448 0520

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

I could write an entire book on Chinese dumplings, but I’m going to restrict myself to just one post, for now. The two recipes for dumplings, How to Make Chinese Dumplings or Jiaozi + How to Make Chinese Steamed and Pan-fried Dumplings, are among the most popular posts on World Foodie Guide, along with the recipe for hot pot, so I thought readers might like a summary of the varieties of Chinese dumplings. For jiaozi aficionados, please excuse some of the generalisations below, as this is meant to be a brief and simple guide.

Firstly, a quick language lesson. Jiaozi is the generic term in Mandarin for all Chinese dumplings. In Cantonese, they are called gau gee or gow gee (the two most common spellings). The Japanese language uses many Chinese characters (kanji), so the pronunciation of the Chinese characters for jiaozi is gyoza. So – jiaozi, gau gee / gow gee and gyoza all refer to the same thing – Chinese dumplings.

What are jiaozi?
Jiaozi typically consist of minced meat and vegetable fillings wrapped in thin round flour dough skins or wrappers, which are then sealed and pleated by hand. The types of filling are numerous, including pork, beef, mutton, seafood, fish, chicken, cabbage and Chinese chives, with more combinations of these ingredients. Vegetarian fillings are becoming increasingly more common too.

Jiaozi are eaten all year round and can be eaten at any time of the day – breakfast, lunch or dinner. They can constitute one course, starter or side dish, or the main meal. Every family has its own preferred method of making them, with favourite fillings, and of course, jiaozi types and preparation vary widely according to region.

Jiaozi Types:

• Shuijiao (Mandarin) or tsui gau (Cantonese), literally ‘water dumplings’, are boiled. They are eaten with a vinegar-based dipping sauce, or served in soup, with or without noodles. This type of jiaozi – boiled and served with a dipping sauce – is traditionally prepared and eaten on the eve of Chinese New Year, the most important festival in the Chinese calendar. The crescent shape of jiaozi is similar to the gold and silver ingots used in old China, and therefore symbolise wealth for the year ahead. Entire families will get together to help to prepare them in vast quantities (hundreds) for the celebration. But they are also eaten all year round

• Jianjiao (Mandarin) literally means ‘pan-fried dumplings’, prepared by frying boiled or steamed dumplings. They are common in Shandong province. If fried uncooked, eg without boiling or steaming them first, they are called guotie (Mandarin) or wor tip (Cantonese). Served with various kinds of dipping sauces, they are truly delicious. They usually come in a crescent shape, which is created by flattening the dumpling on one side. I love fried dumplings, whether they are jianjiao or guotie. To be honest, I can’t tell the difference between the two once they are placed in front of me…

• Zhengjiao (Mandarin) or jing gau (Cantonese), literally ’steam dumpling’, are steamed in bamboo baskets. They are not as commonly prepared at home as the boiled and pan-fried versions, because they take longer to prepare. Dim sum originates from Guangdong province, and includes many types of steamed dumplings, including the classic prawn dumpling har gau (Cantonese) or xia jiao (Mandarin). Steamed dumplings tend to be wrapped in thinner translucent rice flour or wheat starch skins

• Wontons (Cantonese) or huntuns (Mandarin) are typically filled with minced pork and shrimp and wrapped in thinner, silkier square skins made from wheat flour. They are boiled and served in clear broth, with or without noodles, or fried and served with a dipping sauce. There are several common shapes, including triangular and globular. Different regions have their own versions. For example, Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, is famous for Chengdu huntuns, boiled then tossed in a hot and spicy sauce with mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns

• Shanghai soup dumplings, also known as xiao long bao (Mandarin) or siu long bao (Cantonese) – I’ve included them here, as in my opinion they are dumplings. They look and taste like dumplings, even though they are referred to as bao or bun in Chinese. There’s much heated debate in the culinary world about whether they are actually dumpling or bao! I’ve written two posts extolling their virtues, What are Xiao Long Bao and How To Eat Xiao Long Bao
  

• Tangyuan (Mandarin) or tong yuen (Cantonese), also known as yuanxiao (Mandarin), are boiled round dumplings made with glutinous rice flour and filled with sweet sesame paste, red bean paste or chopped peanuts and sugar. They can also be unfilled. Either way, they dissolve in the mouth and are delightful. Tangyuan are particularly popular during the Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. It marks the end of Chinese New Year and is the first night to see a full moon

What are your favourite jiaozi? Or are you just confused now?!

Check out the Useful Info page for more informational posts on Chinese food.

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

Specialising in cuisine from Tainan, the ancient capital of Taiwan on the southwestern side of the island, Slack Season Tan Tsi Noodles is a fabulous little restaurant that my friend and I visited two days in a row. Given that we were only in Taipei for four days, two meals in the same place indicates just how highly we thought of it.  Recommended by my friend’s Japanese guidebook, it was definitely worth two visits, despite the gastronomic choices available in Taipei. The food was extremely cheap but outstanding, the service speedy, and the interior very stylish, with plenty of dark wood.

At the entrance is the open kitchen where the chef prepares the restaurant’s signature dish, thin rice noodles served with special sauce minced pork (which you can also buy in tins to take home with you). The noodles come sprinkled with fresh coriander and garlic on top. I had four bowls of this over two days, plus many other superb dishes. They also serve rice with the same minced pork sauce. I seem to remember the menu only being in Chinese, but pointing at tasty-looking dishes that other diners were tucking into did the trick. Writing about this really brings back the memories!

And if you need more food, just round the corner is Din Tai Fung, famous the world over for its xiao long bao…

10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average

Contact Details:
Slack Season Tan Tsi Noodles
26, Nong 5, Lane 170, Zhong Xiao East Road, Section 4
Ta An District
Taipei TW, 106
Tel: +886 (0)2 2773 1244

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide