You may cringe at the idea of munching on entrails, but if you chose to visit a Hakka restaurant and opt to do it right, then there is no way to avoid the chewy tubular delicacy. In fact, many might go so far to say that if you don't order pig intestines then you may as well not have bothered going to a Hakka joint at all.
If you've never eaten Hakka fare and feel intimidated by all this talk of innards and entrails, yet still have a whim to try it out, then any one of the six branches of Taipei's leading Hakka restaurant chain, Chinese Hakka Cuisine (桐花客家科理), is probably the best place to begin.
While there is certainly no shortage of Hakka restaurants in Taipei, not all of them boast the same high standard of cleanliness and quality of fare as those offered at all branches of the popular Hakka chain.
For almost a year now, the chefs at the Mingsheng East Road branch, which is the latest addition to an ever-increasing chain, have been cooking up a storm with their fine Hakka-style cuisine.
Unlike many a Hakka-styled eatery, the interior is not awash with tacky traditional Hakka garb and paraphernalia ranging from straw clothing to farming implements. Instead, the newest branch boasts a plain and contemporary interior design, which makes good use of natural light and a predominately black and white color scheme.
More importantly, however, the cost of chowing down at Chinese Hakka Cuisine will not break the bank. Dishes range from NT$150 to NT$540, and the average cost of a meal for two won't set you back more then NT$1,000.
Those with little or no Chinese language ability should not be intimidated by the fact that there are no English menus at any of the branches of Hakka Chinese Cuisine. The wait staff doesn't balk at the sight of foreigners, they are always polite and are only too happy to introduce the dishes and, if need be, even set diners up with a made to order meal.
Regardless of what you choose to dine on at these classy Hakka locales, the essence, flavors and fusion of spices such as garlic, ginger, shallots, basil and star anis will leave you hankering for a return visit.
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