Sanyuan Hau
In Taipei, hole-in-the-wall, Mom-and-pop places are likely to be as famous as the restaurant that charge big bucks for a meal, and that’s the case with this "small bites" specialist. All of the dishes cost just 20 to 50 Taiwan dollars, yet they’re gourmet in quality, with a complexity of flavors that’s quite stunning. Take the fish fin and pork soup. The pork is dredged in tapioca flour to give it a nice nubby texture, the slightly vinegary and slightly sweet broth has a pleasing thickness to it, and the fish and fish chunks are just the right size for the spoon. The vegetable side dishes and pork over rice have the same high quality level.
The only problem with this place, at least for foreigners, is that there’s no English language menus and the staff don’t speak a lick of English. But they’ll kindly let you lead them to neighboring tables so that you can point to the items you want to try (and that your fellow diners are eating). In fact, everyone will smile at your dumbshow and make you feel quite welcome.
In Taipei, hole-in-the-wall, Mom-and-pop places are likely to be as famous as the restaurant that charge big bucks for a meal, and that’s the case with this "small bites" specialist. All of the dishes cost just 20 to 50 Taiwan dollars, yet they’re gourmet in quality, with a complexity of flavors that’s quite stunning. Take the fish fin and pork soup. The pork is dredged in tapioca flour to give it a nice nubby texture, the slightly vinegary and slightly sweet broth has a pleasing thickness to it, and the fish and fish chunks are just the right size for the spoon. The vegetable side dishes and pork over rice have the same high quality level.
The only problem with this place, at least for foreigners, is that there’s no English language menus and the staff don’t speak a lick of English. But they’ll kindly let you lead them to neighboring tables so that you can point to the items you want to try (and that your fellow diners are eating). In fact, everyone will smile at your dumbshow and make you feel quite welcome.
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