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Restaurant of the week: Kiki Restaurant

By Gavin Phipps
STAFF REPORTER
Friday, Jun 07, 2002, Page 10

Kiki's is one of Taipei's classier Sichuan restaurants. PHOTO: GAVIN PHIPPS, TAIPEI TIMES

While restaurants specializing in hot and spicy Sichuan cuisine are prevalent throughout Taiwan's bustling metropolises, the Kiki Restaurant chain has, over the past decade, built up a reputation not only as one of the classiest of Taipei's numerous Sichuan joints, but also one of the most contemporary.

Kiki offers diners a feast of Sichuan food in an environment far-removed from that of many of the traditional red tableclothed spit-and-sawdust Sichuan joints. With its dim lighting and dark wood furniture, Kiki has all the trappings of a modern European-style eatery rather than that of an Oriental joint. Oriental it is, however, only Oriental with a spicy twist.

"Our aim is to offer diners traditional Sichuan cuisine with a modern twist in even more contemporary surroundings," said employee, You En-lun (游恩倫). "All the dishes on the menu are traditional Sichuan dishes, but we've added a certain local flavor to them."

The menu is packed with dishes that will set the mouth of even the hardiest chili eater ablaze. And while dishes such steamed and fried egg with pork (老皮嫩肉, NT$180), beef slices (水煮牛肉, NT$290) and meat fried with red peppers and bean curd (紅椒干豆肉絲, NT$240) are hot, there are plenty of other dishes that fire an even greater chili-loaded salvo.

Some of the joints more popular hotter dishes include Taiwanese eel fried with hot chili and pork (干扁鱔魚, NT$260), various beef spicy parts (紅椒牛雜, NT$280), Chinese scallions stir fried with minced beef and fermented soy beans (蒼蠅頭, NT$180) and red pepper stuffed with minced meat (牛肉椒基肉, NT$270), all of which pack a frightful chili-loaded punch. Should diners find their mouth alight during their meal, then help is on hand in the form of the Kiki special plum juice (烏梅汁, NT$140 per bottle) -- a libation that comes highly recommended.

Not all of the joint's dishes are laden with peppers, however. Should diners wish to eat without losing their sense of taste, then dishes such as beef strips with ginger (川薑絲牛肉絲, NT$220) and prawn with pineapple (風梨蝦球, NT$380) are a pretty safe bet.

While the chiefs at Kiki pride themselves on their spicy dishes, they will make an exception for diners who can't take such large amounts of chili. All the dishes are available with less chili on request.

At present there are four branches of Kiki scattered throughout Taipei. And while they all serve the same fiery selection of food, the largest and most popular branch is the Fuhsing branch, where on occasion celebrities can be spotted mopping their brows as the chili effect kicks in.

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