Some may believe that the best food in Taiwan is in Taipei, but Ming Court in Hsinchu can disprove this generalization. Chef Tony Wong (王誠富), like many others worn out by working long hours in Hong Kong restaurants, have settled in Taiwan, bringing with them authentic Cantonese cuisine.
Ming Court is a medium-sized restaurant with 150 seats including private guest rooms, all furnished with Ming dynasty-style furniture. The elegant interior combines well with Wong's extravagant Cantonese cuisine, which he has been developing for over 20 years.
His secret weapon is his own XO sauce. Though reluctant to reveal his recipe, he says it includes ingredients like scallops, ham, and red pepper and is able to enhance the flavor of many foods. He even uses it with his current seasonal highlights, dishes featuring dragon fruit (火龍果), which is grown around Hsinchu and is in season until September.
PHOTO: CHANG JU-PING, TAIPEI TIMES
The meat of the dragon fruit has a similar texture to kiwi. It goes well with seafood and has been incorporated into dishes such as wok-fried fillet of garoupa and dragon fruit (NT$460) and crispy deep-fried seafood roll with dragon fruit (NT$300). Chen also cooks the flower of the vitamin C-rich fruit, which looks and tastes similar to lilies. It is served in sauteed dragon fruit flower and baby fish (NT$260) or try double-boiled dragon fruit flower soup with pork spare rib and bamboo (NT$220).
For those who aren't sure what to order, the restaurant also serves old favorites such as Cantonese fried noodles (廣式炒麵) or fried rice with chicken and salted fish (鹹魚雞粒炒飯), both at NT$250. The fried noodles are covered in an assortment of scallops, calamari, shrimp, barbecue pork and vegetables. Banquet menus are available for four, starting with an eight-course meal for NT$2,480, which includes the chef's special mixed seafood with coconut milk and curry sauce casserole. Banquets for 10 start with a 12-course set for NT$8,500 per table and range to NT$12,500 per table.
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