Taipei has a lot of Thai restaurants nowadays. But for Malaysian and Singaporean cuisine, there are very few options, and even fewer authentic ones.
Cheng Ho aims to be the first to introduce so-called Admiral's Straits cuisine to Taiwan. Cheng Ho, the Ming-dynasty navigator, made history for his seven voyages to the Atlantic and Africa, some 100 years before Columbus set sail to America.
PHOTO: YU SEN-LUN, TAIPEI TIMES
The Strait of Malacca between Sumatra and Malaysia is where Chinese culture, brought by Cheng, met with Malaysian culture. Many believe this is where Malaysian food originates.
The restaurant's decor is modern chic, with a strong Chinese flavor. Black tablecloths and classic Chinese-style cups and spoons, coupled with mood lighting, create a coolness that contrasts with the hot and spicy food.
Live chili crab is a must-try at Cheng Ho. Crab is stir fried with chili, black beans, Malaysian prawn paste and egg -- all of which must be done within 30 seconds. It's a spicy dish made fresh by the taste of crab.
Another recommendation, especially for those seeking authentic Malaysian cuisine, is Singaporean Hainan chicken rice. The rice is something chief chef Thomas Lee (
Don't forget to add black oil, chili sauce and ginger-onion sauce to the boiled chicken, all of which are necessary for this simple but satisfying dish. The black oil is Malaysian soy sauce, according to Lee, and is thicker and richer that Chinese-style soy sauce and looks like caramel sauce. In addition to using it on the chicken rice, black oil can be used on stir fry kwey teow, a kind of rice noodle dish.
Eighteen years ago Lee pioneered Malaysian restaurants in Melbourne, Australia. Now, Malaysian restaurants are widely seen there. His restaurant in Taipei is all-you-can-eat and there are 18 kinds of dishes to choose from, such as the famous Malaysian satay (barbecue meat with peanut sauce), laksa (spicy shrimp soup with coconut milk) and baked curry prawns. There is a also buffet displaying Thai salad, Indonesian curry and tapioca desserts.
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