For many in Taipei, Tien Hsiang Lo is a synonym for Hangchow cuisine, which, to many gourmands, is also a synonym for unique and exquisite delicacies. The original Tien Hsiang Lo restaurant in Hangchow dates back more than 100 years.
After the Chinese Civil War, in 1949, the main chefs of this famed restaurant fled to Hong Kong where they established the equally famous Hong Kong Tien Hsiang Lo. Thirteen years ago Stanley Yen (嚴長壽), president of Taipei's five-star Ritz Landis, dispatched chefs to Hong Kong with a mission to learn classic Hangchow cuisine from the chefs of the original Tien Hsiang Lo. Under a cooperative agreement, they returned to set up their own Tien Hsiang Lo in Taipei. The two restaurants are widely recognized as offering the best Hangchow cuisine in the world.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF RITZ LANDIS,TAIPEI
Hangchow cuisine can be summed up with the phrase "southern ingredients, northern style" (南菜北烹). This means that the varieties of fish, shrimp, and other crustaceans in Hangchow's much-celebrated historic West Lake are prepared in northern-style, sweet and sour-based flavors. Hangchow cuisine can be traced to 800 years ago, when the Sung dynasty moved its capital from the north to Hangchow, fleeing foreign invaders. The royal chefs, who had been accustomed to northern cuisine, had to make use of local materials. Hangchow style is, therefore, a kind of ancient imperial cuisine.
Sauted shrimp with long-ching tea leaves (龍井蝦仁) is a delightful representative Hangchow dish. Instead of using vegetables, the chefs saute the shrimp with freshly pickled long-ching tea leaves. The shrimp come out white and tender, while the tea leaves add an elegant presentation and delicate taste.
Madame Sung's fish soup (宋嫂魚湯) is a typical "southern ingredients, northern style" dish, according to Yang Kuang-tsung (楊光宗), sous chef of the hotel. This southern version of sour and spicy soup adds more vegetables and has abundant boneless fresh-water fish, mushrooms, egg yolk, bamboo shoots and a dash of Shaoshing wine.
One distinct plus about Tien Hsiang Lo is that dishes are presented in individual portions, which allows diners to sample a variety of flavors without having to order more food than one person can eat.
Autumn is also the best season to feast on giant fresh-water crabs, another Hangchow delicacy.
April 28 to May 4 During the Japanese colonial era, a city’s “first” high school typically served Japanese students, while Taiwanese attended the “second” high school. Only in Taichung was this reversed. That’s because when Taichung First High School opened its doors on May 1, 1915 to serve Taiwanese students who were previously barred from secondary education, it was the only high school in town. Former principal Hideo Azukisawa threatened to quit when the government in 1922 attempted to transfer the “first” designation to a new local high school for Japanese students, leading to this unusual situation. Prior to the Taichung First
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) hatched a bold plan to charge forward and seize the initiative when he held a protest in front of the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office. Though risky, because illegal, its success would help tackle at least six problems facing both himself and the KMT. What he did not see coming was Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (將萬安) tripping him up out of the gate. In spite of Chu being the most consequential and successful KMT chairman since the early 2010s — arguably saving the party from financial ruin and restoring its electoral viability —
The Ministry of Education last month proposed a nationwide ban on mobile devices in schools, aiming to curb concerns over student phone addiction. Under the revised regulation, which will take effect in August, teachers and schools will be required to collect mobile devices — including phones, laptops and wearables devices — for safekeeping during school hours, unless they are being used for educational purposes. For Chang Fong-ching (張鳳琴), the ban will have a positive impact. “It’s a good move,” says the professor in the department of
Toward the outside edge of Taichung City, in Wufeng District (霧峰去), sits a sprawling collection of single-story buildings with tiled roofs belonging to the Wufeng Lin (霧峰林家) family, who rose to prominence through success in military, commercial, and artistic endeavors in the 19th century. Most of these buildings have brick walls and tiled roofs in the traditional reddish-brown color, but in the middle is one incongruous property with bright white walls and a black tiled roof: Yipu Garden (頤圃). Purists may scoff at the Japanese-style exterior and its radical departure from the Fujianese architectural style of the surrounding buildings. However, the property
RSS