Ton Tong Tong
When the Taiwanese go to dinner, it's often for a hot pot meal. An export from Korea, this hugely popular type of restaurant offers a fun cook-it-yourself experience, which involves the waiter bringing a massive bowl of soup (usually spicy) and lighting a fire below it. You then swish whatever meat you have chosen around the broth while digging out all the goodies in the soup—cabbage, pinkie-finger sized rolls of rice cakes, ramen-style noodles, wonton skins, and more. Toward the end of a meal, the server brings boiling water to thin out the broth, now seasoned with meat, and diners slurp the dregs from bowls. The specialty is available all over town, but we like this friendly little restaurant in the heart of the hip Da’an district both for the flavorfulness of its soup and the kindliness of its waitstaff. Don’t be intimidated by the all-Chinese menu, because the staff speaks adequate English and doesn't mind walking you through the choices. If one member of your group simply refuses to eat any more Asian food, there’s an excellent Neapolitan pizzeria just up the street.
When the Taiwanese go to dinner, it's often for a hot pot meal. An export from Korea, this hugely popular type of restaurant offers a fun cook-it-yourself experience, which involves the waiter bringing a massive bowl of soup (usually spicy) and lighting a fire below it. You then swish whatever meat you have chosen around the broth while digging out all the goodies in the soup—cabbage, pinkie-finger sized rolls of rice cakes, ramen-style noodles, wonton skins, and more. Toward the end of a meal, the server brings boiling water to thin out the broth, now seasoned with meat, and diners slurp the dregs from bowls. The specialty is available all over town, but we like this friendly little restaurant in the heart of the hip Da’an district both for the flavorfulness of its soup and the kindliness of its waitstaff. Don’t be intimidated by the all-Chinese menu, because the staff speaks adequate English and doesn't mind walking you through the choices. If one member of your group simply refuses to eat any more Asian food, there’s an excellent Neapolitan pizzeria just up the street.
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