Mama Ho's Shanghainese Restaurant
Address: 155 Chinshan S. Rd., Sec. 1, Taipei (北市金山南路一段155號).
Telephone: (02) 2392-2123, or 2392-1797.
Open: 11:30am - 2pm; 5pm - 9pm.
Average meal: NT$300.
Details: Credit cards accepted. No English menu.
Mama Ho's Shanghainese Restaurant's homely atmosphere and simple decor distinguish it from fancy banquet-style-restaurants. This is in keeping with the food served here, which owner Jessie Lee (
Yuyang Hsiao Ji
Address: 41 Hsinchung St., Taipei (
Telephone: (02) 2747-1655.
Open: 11:30am to 2pm; 5:30pm to 9pm.
Average meal: NT$400 and up.
Details: No English menu but the owner speaks English. Credit cards not accepted.
If you enjoy well prepared meat, it really doesn't get any better than Yuyang Hsiao Ji, a little establishment off Mingsheng East Road, Sec. 5 that specializes in fish and lamb dishes. The most audacious move of owner Wang Kuang-huai (王光淮) is combining the two in many of his dishes. The restaurant is associated with one of the largest sheep farms in Taiwan (with operations in Australia), which allows Wang to ensure that he gets the very best meat for his kitchen. Innovative dishes prepared with quality ingredients in a informal environment.
Kunming
Address: 26, Ln., 81 Fuhsing N. Rd., Taipei (
Telephone: 02) 2751-6776.
Open: 11:30am to 2pm, 5:30pm to 9:30pm on weekdays; 5:30pm to 9:30pm on Saturdays, Sunday and public holidays.
Average meal: NT$150 (business lunch), NT$300 to NT$350 (dinner).
Details: Menu in English, Chinese and Arabic. Reservations accepted. Credit cards not accepted. No alcohol served, though patrons are permitted to bring their own.
For a delicious, moderately-priced Indian restaurant where you can fill the table with a bumper crop of masalas, chick peas, curries and nan, Kunming is one of the best in Taipei. The restaurant is run by the genial Yacoob Mah (馬雲昌), a Chinese Muslim from a family that's run restaurants from Burma to Yunnan. The restaurant's menu combines dishes from India, the Middle East and parts of Southeast Asia, and more than matches Taipei's other Indian restaurants in flavor while also beating them in price. A must-try dish is the musakka, a Turkish recipe consisting of finely-ground beef that is seasoned and cooked with eggplant. The platter is then topped with green peppers, tomatoes and a trace of yogurt sauce. The only thing lacking at Kunming is the decor, but none of the restaurant's many regulars seem to mind.
O Rou Hsiung
Address: 423 Kuangfu S. Rd. (
Telephone: (02) 2722-6722.
Open: 11am to 2pm and 5pm to 1am.
Average meal: NT$150 (business lunch), NT$300 to NT$350 (dinner).
Details: NT$150 to NT$200. No English menu.
Ask anyone in south Taipei where to go for smoked goose, they'll probably point you to O Rou Hsiung, a down-home Taiwanese restaurant with round tables, fake wooden floors and a refrigerator full of big brown bottles of Taiwan beer. The menu is built around goose, which almost everyone orders, and filled out with an extensive selection of noodles, vegetables, tofu dishes and various delectable hsiao chih (小吃), or small dishes. Prices are as reasonable as the food is good, with the average meal costing only around NT$200.
Ticino
Address: 2, Ln. 82, Tienmou E. Rd., Taipei (
Telephone: (02) 2876-1101.
Open: 11am to 2pm, 5pm to 9:30pm.
Average meal: NT$600.
Details: English menu. Credit cards accepted.
Ticino has adhered steadfastly to its motto of providing genuine Swiss cuisine, unaltered for the sake of local taste buds, which often find cheese overpowering. The restaurant excels in the quintessentially Swiss dish of fondue, offering cheese, Bourguignonne and chocolate. Authenticity is a big part of Ticino's menu, with the selection from French, German and Italian regions of Switzerland, and ranging from the simple raclette to roast beef filet with Bearnaise sauce. Experienced service and simple yet elegant presentation enhance the dining experience at Ticino, as does the wine list, which offers rarely seen Swiss wines, as well as a selection from most wine-producing countries.
Chao Chow Restaurant, Asia-Pacific Hotel
Address: 172 Chunghsiao E. Rd, Sec. 4, Taipei
(
Telephone: (02) 2521-6727.
Open: 11am to 3pm, 5pm to 9:30pm.
Average meal: NT$600.
Details: Credit cards accepted. English menu.
It was chosen by President Chen Shui-bian (
Yun-sung
Address: 11, Ln. 6, Chienkuo N. Rd., Sec 2 (北市建國北路二段6巷11號).
Telephone: (02) 2506-2812.
Open: 12 noon to 2pm; 6pm to 9pm.
Average meal: NT$250.
Details: No English menu. Credit cards accepted.
Yunnan Province (雲南) in China is famous for its spicy cuisine, which is influenced by the food of Myanmar and Thailand. Many restaurants in Taipei serve a mixture of Yunnan, Thai and Myanmar food, but Yun-sung concentrates only on Yunnan cuisine. According to owner Tony Yang (楊達榮), Yunnan cuisine is enough in itself so there is no need for the inclusion of food from other regions. Reading the menu might take a few minutes. This isn't because of any difficult Chinese names, but because the picture menu offers too many tasty options, making it difficult to decide. The menu is categorized by the different regions of Yunnan. Customers are recommended to consider these regional features when ordering.
La Marquise a 5 heures
Address: 11, Alley 2, Ln. 345, Renai Rd., Sect. 4, Taipei (
Telephone: (02) 2773-8529.
Open: 11:30am to 2pm, 5:30pm to 10pm.
Average meal: NT$500.
Details: English menu. Credit cards accepted.
Opened six years ago by French national Alain Leroux and his wife Claire, La Marquise a 5 heures has built up a strong following among both local and expat diners in the Taipei area. Leroux's restaurant adds some interesting twists to the cuisine of his European homeland. The most prominent of these changes is the lack of fish or meat. Not that meat lovers need be put off, as the fare cooked up is a far cry from the bland vegetarian cuisine found elsewhere in the city. The menu is packed with an array of mouth-watering and extremely healthy dishes. It's not just the food that makes La Marquise an enjoyable place to dine, the restaurant's interior design is elegant and unpretentious. Diners should be aware, however, that La Marquise doesn't serve alcoholic beverages.
Ta Hsiang Yuan Chuan Tsai Kuan
Address: 21 Yunho St., Taipei (
Telephone: (02) 2362-9333 or 2362-2077.
Open: 11am to 2pm; 5pm to 9pm.
Average meal: NT$250.
Details: English menu. Major credit cards accepted.
For the past 20 years Chang Fu-song (
Shao Shao Ke
Address: 15, Lane 41, Jenai Rd., Sec. 2(
Telephone: (02) 2351-7148.
Open: 11:30am to 2:30pm, 5:30pm to 10:30pm (closed Mondays).
Average meal: NT$500.
Details: No English menu. Credit cards accepted.
A Taiwanese girl visits China to study Chinese medicine and comes back a chef. This is the story behind one of Taipei's best-known Sha'anxi restaurants. Carly Lee (
More information about these restaurants can be found on Taipei Times' Web site at http://www.taipeitimes.com
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