Fri, Mar 31, 2000 page10

• Restaurants of the week

  This week we look at three Bei Fang Shr Wu or Beijing-style restaurants.

  • By Jay Speiden / STAFF REPORTER
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  Beijing Xi Lai Shuen 北平西來順

  2 Lane 345, Jenai Rd., Sec. 4; 仁愛路四段345巷4號2樓

  tel 2781-9964. Open 11am to 2pm

  and 5pm to 9pm. Credit cards not accepted. Average meal: NT$250 to NT$600.

  Once you breach the red lacquered front doors of Beijing Xi Lai Shuen you

  start to get the feeling that you might be in for something special. If the

  bustling kitchen and crowded dining area don't clue you in, the smell of

  cooking dishes and the classy, yet laid-back atmosphere should make it

  clear.

  Dining here is far from a stuffy affair. No sense wasting paper orders are

  yelled out top volume to the squad of chefs in the back who, in their white

  shirts and pants, move like frantic ghosts through the clouds of billowing

  steam.

  Expect dishes, three at a time, to be slung steaming on your table. Also

  expect flavor of the caliber that has kept Taipei residents, notorious for

  their discriminating taste, coming back since the doors opened more than a

  decade ago.

  Try the sanshien guotie three fish potsticker dumplings. Crunchy on the

  outside, all it takes is a bite to unlock a juicy, tangy zip that will have

  dumpling fans rolling their eyes in ecstasy. Other good options are the

  suantsai huoguo vinegar hotpot, which should be shared with friends and

  toned down with an ample supply of Taiwan beer, served here in the large

  green bottles. The sesame beef rolls and the baozi steamed dumplings are

  also worth noting.

  Then again, at the Xi Lai Shuen, one of Taipei's oldest and most successful

  Beijing-style restaurants, there's no such thing as a bad order unless the

  server is standing too close to your ear when they holler it out.

  Beijing Lau Zheng Xing 北平老正興

  261 Tunhua S Rd., Sec. 2; 敦化南路二段261號 tel 2738-9331. Open 11:30am to 2pm and

  5 to 9pm. Major credit cards accepted. Average meal: NT$400 to NT$1,000.

  Long a favorite with famished shoppers, the tasty and reasonably priced

  Beijing fare at this quaint little corner restaurant is sure to please even

  if you haven't been dragging a shopping bag through the nearby Far Eastern

  Metro Mall.

  Tucked in beside a forest of office buildings and hotels in the Tunhua

  business district, Lau Zheng Xing's warm (and short) exterior is hard to

  miss. This is good because once you taste the food here you'll be glad you

  noticed it and stopped in for a visit. Try the shienbing fried beef

  dumpling that come piping hot on a plate. Bite through the crunchy outer

  layer and the flavor literally explodes in your mouth. Chase it up with a

  bowl of suanla sour and hot soup that comes loaded with tofu and fresh

  cut green onion and a tall, green bottle of Taiwan beer. Other house

  specials include shaolung bao steamed dumplings and a variety of noodle

  dishes. The neorou Saobing sesame beef rolls are also a Beijing

  specialty worth noting.

  Northern 涑eking foods are famous for their flour dishes, such as breads,

  noodles and dumplings, and an open kitchen in the front of the store lets

  you watch the white clad chefs as they roll and beat yards of dough into

  various forms of submission. Sit at one of the many large, round tables if

  you're with a group, or choose a smaller table for a more intimate meal.

  Whatever your goal, bring your appetite and a credit card. While you won't

  need to swipe it for what is always a very reasonable bill at Lau Zheng Xing

  you will need it if you plan on visiting the Metro Mall next door.

  Jing Zao Yin (King Join) 京兆尹

  18 Siwei Rd. (off Jenai Circle) 四維路18號 tel 2701-3225. Open 10am-10pm. Major

  credit cards accepted. Picture menu. Average meal: NT$600 to NT$1,500.

  Dine in the courtly splendor of ancient emperors at Taipei's King Join

  restaurant. There's so much red lacquer, gilded gold trimming and red

  lantern light that you'll expect your waiter to be an old guy with a silk

  robe and a white wispy beard. He would come out bowing and offering up sets

  of the incredibly complex menu which, according to our waiter (a young man

  wearing a coat and tie) 洖ates back to the 14th century Yuan Dynasty.

  But as there can be no argument about the complexity of the menu, we'll make

  it easy for you order the hot pot. It's delicious and comes with a

  generous helping of prawns, clams, shredded beef and pork and Chinese

  cabbage. The accompanying sauces are a treat all on their own.

  And as King Join restaurants are famous for their desserts, you'll probably

  want to give them a try as well. We recommend the hsiao tien hsin small

  sweet plate which consists of various tasty cakes, congees and cold sweet

  soups.

  It's also worth noting that King Join can be reserved for business

  breakfasts. A VIP meeting room and catering are also available. But when it

  comes to the average diner, the incredibly plush setting has a way of

  overshadowing whatever it is that you actually end up eating. That, however,

  is part of the fun. After all, it's not often that we get to dine in an

  Imperial Chinese court.
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