Winter finally is making itself as the year draws to a close. If you want to warm up with a spicy hot pot but are fed up with the mediocrity of all-you-can-eat joints, Yuan Yang Boulevard is a perfect spot for top quality food, attentive service and a tasteful environment.
A finicky gourmet, proprietor Chang Tse-yun (張則昀) discovered a homely joint run by a master chief from the legendary spicy hot pot joint Ning Chi (寧記) and transplanted the hidden gem to the restaurant war zone in the East District this summer.
The owner's mastery of Chinese culinary arts can be sampled with the hot red broth and white light soup in the half-and-half pot. Both require over 10 hours of preparation time; the spicy side of the pot won unanimous compliments from this reporter and her friends while the mild side brought out the sweetness and luscious flavors of the fresh vegetables and seafood.
PHOTO: HO YI, TAIPEI TIMES
Tripe, beef and pork intestines are the staple delicacies for the spicy hot stock. Simmered with in a secret sauce before being presented on the table, the palatable stews make the hot pot dip a needless frill.
Another must-try is the wide selection of hand-made meat and seafood balls that makes all the difference to taste and quality. Crispy and juicy, the balls put their machine-made counterparts to shame.
To stay atop of the culinary business, Chang and his girlfriend find time in their busy schedule to visit other restaurants at least once a month for inspiration. The restaurant's menu is constantly altered and expanded.
The menu's current highlight is thick boneless beef slices (NT$390), the inspiration for which came from a trip to Pingtung County. Three times thicker than average slices available at most hot pot restaurants, the beef is tender and a mouthful of heaven in the eyes of meat lovers.
Other notable options include hand-made pork balls (NT$180) and beef tongue slices (NT$280) that go extremely well in either side of the pot. Customers are also encouraged to do without the dip as the savory broths alone abundantly flavor the boiled food.
For people who like dinning in big groups, the joint's forecourt can easily accommodate 20 patrons and offer a cozy space for festive gatherings. The outdoor area is not just for humans. Poodle-owner Chang welcomes dog lovers to bring along their canine companions.
A few weeks ago I found myself at a Family Mart talking with the morning shift worker there, who has become my coffee guy. Both of us were in a funk over the “unseasonable” warm weather, a state of mind known as “solastalgia” — distress produced by environmental change. In fact, the weather was not that out of the ordinary in boiling Central Taiwan, and likely cooler than the temperatures we will experience in the near-future. According to the Taiwan Adaptation Platform, between 1957 and 2006, summer lengthened by 27.8 days, while winter shrunk by 29.7 days. Winter is not
Taiwan’s post-World War II architecture, “practical, cheap and temporary,” not to mention “rather forgettable.” This was a characterization recently given by Taiwan-based historian John Ross on his Formosa Files podcast. Yet the 1960s and 1970s were, in fact, the period of Taiwan’s foundational building boom, which, to a great extent, defined the look of Taiwan’s cities, determining the way denizens live today. During this period, functionalist concrete blocks and Chinese nostalgia gave way to new interpretations of modernism, large planned communities and high-rise skyscrapers. It is currently the subject of a new exhibition at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Modern
March 25 to March 31 A 56-year-old Wu Li Yu-ke (吳李玉哥) was straightening out her artist son’s piles of drawings when she inadvertently flipped one over, revealing the blank backside of the paper. Absent-mindedly, she picked up a pencil and recalled how she used to sketch embroidery designs for her clothing business. Without clients and budget or labor constraints to worry about, Wu Li drew freely whatever image came to her mind. With much more free time now that her son had found a job, she found herself missing her home village in China, where she
In recent years, Slovakia has been seen as a highly democratic and Western-oriented Central European country. This image was reinforced by the election of the country’s first female president in 2019, efforts to provide extensive assistance to Ukraine and the strengthening of relations with Taiwan, all of which strengthened Slovakia’s position within the European Union. However, the latest developments in the country suggest that the situation is changing rapidly. As such, the presidential elections to be held on March 23 will be an indicator of whether Slovakia remains in the Western sphere of influence or moves eastward, notably towards Russia and