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Restaurants: Lvsang Canteen (呂桑食堂)

Making the most of simple food, Lvsang Canteen takes snacks to a whole new level. PHOTO: IAN BARTHOLOMEW, TAIPEI TIMES

Much is made of the delights of Taiwan's snack foods - its little eats (小吃) - but the unfortunate truth is that there are only a relatively few places where the true potential of these dishes is realized. One of these establishments, which specializes in food from Ilan county, is Lvsang Canteen. This unpretentious restaurant, inconspicuous among the crowd of restaurants along Yongkang Street, offers many dishes that are readily available at any street-side noodle stand, but in terms of quality, it's a world apart.

Simple dishes such as ang chow pork (紅糟肉), a pork cutlet marinated in red yeast rice, smoked shark (鯊魚煙), or cold cut chicken (白斬雞), show Lvsang's quality immediately. These, among many other dishes are presented at a glass-fronted counter just inside the door, where guests are encouraged to place their orders; more complex dishes are prepared behind the scenes. Some specialty dishes are listed on wooden boards hung from the wall, and regulars will order from memory, but if you request a menu, staff will direct you to the food counter.

Restaurant Review Address: 12-5 Yongkang St, Taipei (台北市永康街12-5號) Telephone: (02) 2351-3323 Open: 11:30am to 2pm; 5pm to 9pm Average meal: NT$200 and up Details: Picture menu (no English), credit cards not accepted On the Net: lvsang.myweb.hinet.net

Apart from an array of "little eats" regulars, there are also many unusual dishes, some Ilan standards, others showing the strong Japanese influence on Taiwanese cuisine. Many dishes are remarkable for the simplicity of their presentation, such as the blanched squid (現撈透抽), oysters with fried bean paste (豆酥鮮蚵) or the routinely excellent steamed fish (the variety and preparation vary from day to day, depending on what looked best at market that morning). In these dishes, the freshness and quality of the ingredients are allowed to speak for themselves. Other dishes show off the skill of the kitchen staff. Most notable is the humble deep fried tofu (日式炸豆腐), which at Lvsang is prepared with a coating of paper-thin shavings of bonito.

Also highly recommended are the steamed ground pork with pickle served with a sauce of salted egg yoke (金莎瓜子肉) and stewed pig's intestines in miso soup (味噌大腸).

Most dishes are between NT$120 and NT$180, with a small number of exceptions (the steamed fish is NT$250). Portions are small and two people can easily handle four or five dishes. To fill in the gaps, order a bowl of minced fatty pork over rice (魯肉飯) or soup noodles (切仔麵). Excellent kumquat tea is available for free.

Set menus of rice with sashimi, eel or prawn cakes are also available from NT$160 to NT$200.

Service is brisk, but also courteous and well-informed, and unlike many restaurants of this ilk, there is a strong air of professionalism that leaves you in little doubt that these people take the preparation and serving of outstanding food seriously.

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