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.
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.
PHOTO: IAN BARTHOLOMEW, TAIPEI TIMES
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.
No one saw it coming. Everyone — including the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) — expected at least some of the recall campaigns against 24 of its lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) to succeed. Underground gamblers reportedly expected between five and eight lawmakers to lose their jobs. All of this analysis made sense, but contained a fatal flaw. The record of the recall campaigns, the collapse of the KMT-led recalls, and polling data all pointed to enthusiastic high turnout in support of the recall campaigns, and that those against the recalls were unenthusiastic and far less likely to vote. That
Behind a car repair business on a nondescript Thai street are the cherished pets of a rising TikTok animal influencer: two lions and a 200-kilogram lion-tiger hybrid called “Big George.” Lion ownership is legal in Thailand, and Tharnuwarht Plengkemratch is an enthusiastic advocate, posting updates on his feline companions to nearly three million followers. “They’re playful and affectionate, just like dogs or cats,” he said from inside their cage complex at his home in the northern city of Chiang Mai. Thailand’s captive lion population has exploded in recent years, with nearly 500 registered in zoos, breeding farms, petting cafes and homes. Experts warn the
A couple of weeks ago the parties aligned with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), voted in the legislature to eliminate the subsidy that enables Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) to keep up with its burgeoning debt, and instead pay for universal cash handouts worth NT$10,000. The subsidy would have been NT$100 billion, while the cash handout had a budget of NT$235 billion. The bill mandates that the cash payments must be completed by Oct. 31 of this year. The changes were part of the overall NT$545 billion budget approved
Before performing last Friday at Asia’s bellwether music festival, Fuji Rock in Japan, the Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster (落日飛車) had previously performed on one of the festival’s smaller stages and also at Coachella, the biggest brand name in US music festivals. But this set on Fuji Rock’s main stage was a true raising of the bar. On a brilliant summer’s evening, with the sun rays streaming down over a backdrop of green mountains and fluffy white clouds, the performance saw the Taiwanese groovemasters team up with South Korean group Hyukoh, with whom they’ve formed a temporary supergroup called AAA