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"ABC by birth, Taiwanese at heart"
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349 Useful, 52 Funny, and 210 Cool
Palo Alto, CA
Yelping SinceSeptember 2006
Find Me InThe OR
My HometownNaperville, IL
When I'm Not Yelping...Either working, sleeping or blogging. And eating. Always eating.
Why You Should Read My ReviewsI love to eat. ^_^
The Last Great Book I ReadThe Tao of Pooh
My First ConcertJars of Clay, back in the day. But my favorite has been Mayday.
My Favorite MovieToss-up between My Sassy Girl and Guns & Talks
My Last Meal On EarthEating my way through a Taiwanese night market
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...I'm a TW drama junkie
Current CrushA certain first-grade teacher
Date
I ordered to go this time, and opted for the dried tofu and pork (xiang gan chao rou si), the garlic sauteed kong xin cai and the kung pao chicken (off the English menu). 3 dishes plus rice set me back about $25, so the price-to-portion ratio was still about the same. Food quality, however, has drifted downhill.
The tofu and pork was pretty good - there was a little spiciness to it and I actually liked the added texture from the bamboo shoots; definitely the highlight of the 3. The kong xin cai was ok, but some of the vegetables were a little old and were a dark green, bordering on brown, instead of a lighter, fresher green. The kung pao chicken was the loser in the bunch - I probably should've known better than ordering off the English menu. I was treated to a very saucy, not very spicy, mix of chicken, celery, peanuts and water chestnuts. I can live with not very spicy, considering that Fat Wok isn't a Sichuan restaurant, but the overdose of sauce turned the whole thing into a gooey glob.
Will I be coming back? Maybe, especially if I end up moving into the area. And I'll make sure to stick to the Chinese menu if I do.
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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11/17/2007
The skinny: 3.5 stars for food, -0.5 stars for service, +1 star for value.
This place is close to my aunt's house and so I've been before... but that was a few years back. I happened to be in the area today, so I called up my cousin to hit this place up.
Four of us (my cousin brought along a couple friends) converged on the restaurant, which was strangely empty for a Saturday night. We got the Chinese menu, which isn't really all that different from the English one, but whatever. We went with the salt & pepper fish, the dried tofu and pork, the braised tofu and a random vegetable (bok choy hearts, since they were out of Chinese watercress).
Honestly, the food was probably a 3.5, not quite a 4. The fish wasn't very salty or peppery, though it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The dried tofu and pork was pretty good, though not spicy at all, despite the "pepper" listed by it. The braised tofu was likewise decent, though rather lacking in the vegetable department - large pieces of tofu with a couple scattered mushrooms, bamboo shoots and a couple pieces of bok choy.
Service was substandard tonight, even for a Chinese restaurant. I don't expect them to check back in and ask how you're doing, but when you ignore the "teapot with askew lid", which is a traditional way of signaling for more tea, that's pretty sad and also knocks you down half a star.
Still, I'll give them an extra star and bump it up to 4 for their prices... Dinner for four with some leftovers for $31 plus tip. It's hard to beat that. Don't know that I would schlep all the way down from PA just to eat here and I can't in good conscience place it on one of my lists, but I'll gladly stop by for a cheap meal the next time I'm in the area.
We were seated promptly by the friendly waitstaff and perused the menu. Both of us were in the mood for pasta, though the steak and shrimp special was quite tempting. We ended up getting the penne con pollo and the buccatini al salmone affumicato (smoked salmon), plus two soups of the day (minestrone).
The bread was pretty good, though a little on the oily side (and this was before any olive oil). The minestrone tasted freshly made and was very tasty, though the portion size was rather small. Both pastas were done well, though I could've done without the artichoke hearts in the penne and have never been a huge fan of smoked salmon. The cream sauce for the buccatini was very nice though.
Overall, it was a good-tasting meal, though the price-to-portion ratio was quite different than what I'm used to, eating primarily at Asian restaurants. 2 pasta entrees, 2 soups plus tax & tip set us back $50. Still, not too shabby considering the quality of the food.
It's a huge space, which is good for getting a seat, but can make it challenging to get food, especially when you're seated either far from the kitchen or away from the main aisles that the carts travel. We were seated next to one of the pillars, which meant that even though we were fairly close to the kitchen, the carts circled outside of us and we had to physically get up and walk to the carts in order to get them to come over.
Selection was fair, though missing some staples like (eg chive and shrimp boxes, daikon cake). Taste was decent too, easily beating what you can find in Chicago, but not the best in the Bay Area.
A sampling of our meal:
Chicken feet
Har gow
Chive dumplings
Steamed chang fen
"Golden" he fen (stir-fried with soy sauce)
Gai lan
The total came out to about $50 for 3 of us - not cheap, but fairly average for a dim sum outing.
While we were seated immediately, we were then ignored until we flagged down a server to ask for tea. Isn't your choice of tea supposed to be the first thing they ask as you're seated?
So, in the end, it's decent dim sum for the area, but you have to watch where you're seated and be assertive in procuring food and drink.
I have to admit, the pork chop rice was pretty good. It was a hearty portion, with the pork chop cut into four large pieces, rice with a little minced pork, stir-fried cabbage, pickled vegetables, broccoli and a tea egg. The pork chop itself was breaded and fried with a crispy skin, in the "Taiwanese-take-on-tonkatsu" style (vs. the not-as crispy "railroad" style) and the sides were all pretty tasty, including the tea egg - which is simple-appearing yet hard to perfect taste-wise.
The special chili wontons didn't seem all that special to me... The sauce used a sesame paste base, with some chili oil to give it kick. I didn't really taste any Sichuan peppercorns (despite the Chinese name of "ma la bian shi"), so while it did have quite a kick and raised my internal temperature, I didn't really get the numbing that I was expecting. The sesame paste also made the sauce a little overly sweet. It seemed very much a Taiwanese-styled attempt at the Sichuan chili wontons (hong you chao shou) that appeals to some palates, but not mine.
Would I get the wontons again? Probably not, as I tend to favor HK-style shrimp and pork wontons over these Taiwanese wontons (which still seem really bland to me).
But I can see myself going back for their pork chop rice (and maybe the chicken steak and fish fillet), especially since Tai Kee is only about 5 minutes from work.
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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7/8/2008
Sadness...
Whenever I see a Taiwanese restaurant, I start salivating because I really miss the flavors of the motherland. Because of that, I decided to give Tai Kee a chance, despite the rather dismal reviews. I rolled in on a Saturday, a little after noon, to a restaurant that was about 1/3 full. The interior was clean, but not particularly memorable, save for the ugly orange of the walls. There was a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall, which was reminiscent of small restaurants in Taiwan, but was playing CNN instead of Taiwanese news.
After perusing the menu, I opted for the house special noodle and wonton soup. If they advertise themselves as a won ton place and also claim to have "house special noodles", they both should be pretty good, right? Unfortunately, the house special noodle (rou zao mian for those in the know) was just mediocre. The noodles were a little too starchy - not even Q, just too tough - and the meat they gave was very fatty and not all that flavorful. The bean sprouts were a nice touch, though. The wonton soup was ok... overall kind of bland but I expect that out of Taiwanese wontons.
Overall, the food did taste pretty traditional, but not in a "Ding Tai Fung makes me drool like a rabid dog" way. It was more of a "I could find this at any random street vendor" way. To top it off, prices are on the high side for the quality that you get - I'd expect to pay $4-5 US for this meal, not $10 (including tip).
They do take plastic, though.
I can give them 2.5 stars, but there's no way this place deserves 3. Unlikely to be back, unless Halu (right next door) and Soong Soong (a short 2 minute drive away) are both closed.
1) This is a review for the dinner buffet.
2) I am by no means a connoisseur of Indian cuisine.
With that in mind, the gf was in the mood for Indian food and one of her best friends suggested we check out Turmeric for the weekend dinner buffet. The restaurant is in a two-story building located in downtown Sunnyvale. The downstairs has tables plus a bar, while the upstairs is dedicated to tables and is also the location of the buffet.
I can't vouch for the authenticity of the food, but it was definitely tasty. There were about 15 different dishes, including about 7-8 curries plus 3 different types of chicken, rice and naan. my personal favorites included the potato patties, the chicken biryani and a smattering of the curries - garbanzo beans, lamb, potatoes, spinach (my apologies for not remembering the names of the dishes). The naan was pretty good, especially when I happened to catch a fresh and crispy batch. The tandoori chicken was decent (more moist than other versions I've had) but I've never been a huge fan of it.
I know lots of people rave about the mango pudding... It was pretty good, but I don't think I would come back just for that. The fruit cocktail gave it a little more texture, but I guess I just don't quite get it.
At $13 a head, it's definitely a good deal - a good variety of tasty Indian food that you can fill up on to your gastronomic desire.
San Jose, CA 95125
(408) 265-3020
Café San Jose
Categories: Diners, American (Traditional)
The final verdict: relatively inexpensive, hearty portions, good food - but not quite at the fantastic mark. If you like your omelettes super-fluffy, you should definitely check it out.
The rainforest biosphere was the big highlight for me, showcasing animals from various rainforests - toads, snakes, geckos, fish, butterflies and the like. The aquarium section was pretty good, though it doesn't quite measure up to Monterey Bay. The roof was interesting enough, but it would've been nicer if we could've walked through a larger part of it... I half-expected giant Teletubbies to appear and start dancing around. We didn't get a chance to go to the planetarium, since the next showing was 2.5 hours away and it was awfully close to lunch time.
Overall, it's an interesting museum and I was impressed by all the living animals inside. Was it worth the price? Not sure about that... I suppose we'll see after I get a chance to check out the planetarium.
The interior is cozy and quaint, just the way I like my small restaurants. We ordered the miso nikomi udon, the #3 special (fried chicken, fried shrimp and sashimi) and the yellowtail & green onion roll. Hot green tea was served promptly and the hamachi/green onion roll came out quickly too and started the meal off on the right foot. The roll was much tighter and the fresh tenderness of the hamachi contrasted nicely with the slight crispy crunch of the green onion.
The udon was served piping hot and the broth was quite flavorful (though a little too salty for my salt-averse better half). She was pleased to find real pieces of chicken (breast, I think) in the soup enhancing the flavor. She ended up scooping some of the soup into the accompanying rice and enjoyed that combination too.
The #3 special was a large handful (or two) of food - 2 long deep fried, breaded shrimp, 5 pieces of fried chicken (karaage), 9 pieces of sashimi (3 tuna, 2 yellowtail, 2 red snapper and 2 squid) plus miso soup. The fried was good - though I prefered the chicken over the shrimp because the chicken still retained some juice/moisture beneath the skin while the shrimp was a little overwhelmed by the breading. The sashimi was excellent, with fresh-looking (and more importantly -tasting) fish that was tender yet firm, with very thin fascia that nicely separated the individual pieces into smaller pieces upon biting into them.
To top it all off, our dinner tonight cost us the same that our dinner at SS cost, yet had 3 times the amount of food (14 sad pieces of sashimi and a rather sad roll).
Can you tell I like this place? So yeah, I'll be back, though I might not get the special #3 again, as I'm feeling vaguely waterproof right now from all the fried stuff.
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 668-6368
Taste of Formosa
Category: Taiwanese
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond
Service was even more lackluster than usual today, with multiple promptings for water and tea refills, yet only one request for the check required. Hence the minus 1 star, though I still really love the food.
The scallion pancake (in reality a cong zhua bing, not cong you bing) was excellent as always, tasting very much like what you can get from street vendors in Taipei. The fried tofu snack (su zha dou fu) was fantastic - a crispy shell encasing tender tofu - and came with a great dipping sauce (garlic, black vinegar, sugar plus some chili sauce). Other winners included the pork chop rice (the pork chop was true Taiwanese style, like what you can get on the Alishan railroad at Fengcihu) and the cold noodles (liang mian), which was done more in a Sichuan style (sesame paste as the base for the sauce instead of peanut butter/paste) but without the spice.
The Hakka pork belly was pretty good, with a garlic/white vinegar based dipping sauce, though very fatty (if you like that kind of thing). The "Taiwanese-style" potstickers were ok... but compared to the other dishes fell a little flat; same sauce as the tofu. Maybe if they had been true Shanghainese/Zhonghua Rd open-ended potstickers they would've been better.
I almost forgot... the cold sweet soymilk was a definite plus, especially with yesterdays temps and sun. Not quite the burnt taste that I favor, but still mighty refreshing.
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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1/21/2007
This place has become my "go to" place when out of towners of Taiwanese persuasion come to visit. It's that good.
2007.03.23 update:
Brought a friend from out of town and his parents for dinner last night. This time our meal consisted of:
1. Oyster pancake
2. Fried tofu (zha dou fu)
3. Green onion pancake
4. Taiwanese fried rice noodle (chao mi fen)
5. 3 cup chicken (chicken sauteed in wine sauce on the menu)
I'm by no means an osyter pancake connoisseur, but my friend's parents said it was the real deal. The fried tofu was excellent - the tofu itself small cubes of somewhat bland crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside tofu, but the sauce was what made the dish work - it's almost identical to the sauce you get to dip stinky tofu in. Good stuff. The green onion pancake was delectable, as before. The fried rice noodles were good and authentic, though portion size was maybe a touch small. The 3 cup chicken was likewise good (though a different variation than I'm used to) with a slightly small portion size for the price. Gustatory heaven - I'm upping my rating to a five.
Old review:
Enjoyed dinner here the other night. While the dinner conversation took a rather horrid turn, the food and the restaurant itself were great.
We ordered:
Sweet corn soup w/ minced chicken
Scallion (green onion) pancake
Braised beef w/ noodle soup (beef noodle soup)
The corn soup was excellent, reminding me of my mom's cooking, including a healthy dollop of corn starch to tighten up the soup into "geng".
The green onion pancake was good, though surprising. I was expecting the traditional, flat "bing" but when it came out, the thing looked almost like a "zhua bing" - a variant that's flakier and is meant to be eaten in pieces. The actual product was a mix between the two - not as airy and flaky as a "zhua bing" but with more substance than a traditional green onion pancake (cong you bing). Made me wish for a true green onion zhua bing that you get from the street vendors on the streets of Taiwan.
The beef noodle soup was the highlight of the meal. A good mix of chunks of beef, vegetables (A-cai, maybe?) and decent noodles, the flavor of the broth was right on and made me really homesick. I don't know if I would drive all the way up from the South Bay just for it, but if I'm in the city and hungering for a good bowl of beef noodle soup, I know where to come.
Parking was pretty horrendous (though admittedly it was Saturday night) and I loved the upstairs seating. This place is definitely going on my "come back to" list so I can explore the menu further. I'd like to test out their porkchop rice, salt & pepper chicken, 3-cup chicken, hakka sautee, homestyle eggplant (basil garlic sauce), oyster pancake, chives pocket and so much more.
I am a little sad that they don't have stinky tofu on the menu, though.
17 Lists
I can vouch for the smallness of the place - 7 or 8 tables in 2 rows in a narrow store. While both the English and Chinese names refer to Hong Kong, the lone server didn't have an obvious Cantonese accent and the menu was in mainland simplified Chinese. My friend caught a few snippets of Cantonese from the kitchen, so we had some hope...
Until the wonton noodle soup arrived. The noodles were standard and ok, but the wontons looked and tasted like pork shumai, plus they were the frozen variety to boot. Much sadness ensued...
We had also ordered some other dishes - a fish and tofu in sweet sauce (aka Japanese-style fish and tofu), a beef and daikon claypot plus some kong xin cai. The fish and tofu was surprisingly good and the bonito flake were a nice touch, though the sauce tasted like it had a little too much cornstarch in it. The kong xin cai was good and fresh, unlike the same dish I had recently had at Fat Wok. The beef and daikon claypot was a little disapopinting, as the sauce lacked flavor, which likely meant it hadn't been stewed long enough. Sad.
Overall, excepting the wonton noodle soup, it was an ok meal, though far short of spectacular. Come with expectations of generic Chinese restaurant food (not spot-on HK-style cuisine) and you'll probably be ok.