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Restaurant: HJS Fresh Grill 鴻疆石

By Noah Buchan
STAFF REPORTER
Friday, Mar 16, 2007, Page 15

Lounging around for a few hours is what the Xinjiang restaurant experience is all about. PHOTO: NOAH BUCHAN, TAIPEI TIMES

T.C. Wang (王子欣) is the perfect host to oversee a kebab restaurant. Spending half his time running the grill and the other half chatting to customers, Wang creates an atmosphere that is light and fun.

Formerly a Japanese restaurant, the interior of HJS Fresh Grill still bears a slight resemblance to the small barbeque restaurants that dot the land of the rising sun. The first floor has a long bar with stools that places customers close to the grill, with the second floor able to accommodate about 25 people. But don't let the decor fool you: the smell of grilled lamb and the aroma of cumin — along with a wall-sized map of Xinjiang — tells you that you've come to the right place.

Xinjiang cuisine is famous for its kebabs sprinkled with dried chili peppers and cumin, and Wang does it up right. The meat is seasoned with the right amount of spices (though you can make it more or less spicy depending on your taste) and grilled so that the meat is crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside.

In addition to lamb kebabs, chicken kebabs (both NT$40) and beef kebabs (NT$50), Wang appeals to the locals by adding a variety of vegetable kebabs (NT$40 to NT$50) and a number of seafood kebabs such as the succulent scallop (NT$80) and squid (NT$150 to NT$300) versions.

Complimenting the large variety of grilled dishes is a "cold menu" which consists of Xinjiang beef salad (NT$150), a mixture of beef slices and vegetables with a spicy dressing, and a spicy chicken salad (NT$150).

The main menu is small but it does the trick. The homemade deep-fried lamb dumplings (six for NT$150) are filled with vegetables and minced lamb. The grilled-lamb party ribs (NT$380) are as tender as the kebabs while stewed lamb party ribs (NT500) come garnished with fresh veggies and Wang's dipping sauces. But the dish that floored this reviewer was the braised chicken, potato and mixed peppers with paprika (NT$380). With a side of Xinjiang-style rice (NT$90), it was just the kind of home-cooked meal that was needed on a cold, rainy day.

It is in the nature of this sort of restaurant for guests to linger over a variety of kebabs and cold dishes washed down, over a few hours, with a few large-size bottles of Xinjiang beer (NT$110) or a shot or two of chilled Russian vodka (NT$100 to NT$150).

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