When it comes to Zhejiang traditional dishes or dim sum, Taipei's gourmands will tell you not to miss Ningpo Tsai Wan Shing, as this 50 year-old restaurant serves the best zongzi (glutinous rice wrapped with leaves,(
The restaurant is located just a few meters west of the former discotheque 2nd Floor. It's a low house with a big signboard, on which are written three giant words: "Tsai Wan Shing."
The inside is a little dark, and the decor is not much different from the time when the Tsao family followed the Chinese Nationalist Party to Taipei from the mainland. The decor may not be modern, but there are many celebrity autographs and photos on the wall -- including former defense minister Tang Fe (
PHOTO: YU SEN-LUN, TAIPEI TIMES
Arriving in Taipei in 1949, the Tsao family transformed the house into a restaurant, selling zongzi, glutinous rice dumplings, Won-tons and dim sum items based on glutinous rice. Later, as the restaurant became popular, it started to present some traditional Ningpo dishes to satisfy the nostalgia of mainlanders. They include baked crucian carp with green onions (
For diners on a budget, the most exciting items are the spare-ribs Tsai Fan (排骨菜飯), stir-fried rice cakes with pork shreds and vegetables (雪菜肉絲炒年糕) and a bowl of sticky-rice dumpling soup for dessert.
Tsai Fan is a traditional Zhejiang and Shanghai rice dish, which is rice cooked with green vegetables and a little oil to add flavor. Spare-ribs Tsai Fan is the most popular item among the house's seven Tsai Fan variations.
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