Serving up a good selection of moderately priced Indian and South East Asian fare since opening in 1998, the Kunming has built up a reputation amongst it's regulars -- of which there are many -- as one of the capital's leading purveyors of consistently good, spicy food.
While many Taipei restaurants have good days and bad days, it's always a good day at the Kunming. Proprietor, Yacoob Mah (馬雲昌) ensures this by being on hand to make certain that the dishes prepared in his kitchen are cooked the way they should be and that patrons get exactly what they ask for when they ask for it. On any given day, be it lunch or dinner, Mah takes on the roles of both head chef and cordial host.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
Although I wouldn't normally recommend ruining one's appetite with starters at an Indian restaurant, the Kunming is the exception to this rule. A great way to start a meal is to dive straight in with a plate of samosas (NT$150), which dipped in the accompanying spicy sauce set you in good stead for your main course.
Choosing your main course at the Kunming is half the fun of any visit -- the other half being the eating of it. The menu's mini-international spicy food selection, while not overly grand, does offer patrons the choice of chowing down on a combination of dishes.
Indian dishes such as the fantastic curry daal (NT$180), the tastebud tingling spicy lamb (NT$240), or the creamy chicken masala (NT$220) go quite well, believe it or not, with coconut chicken (NT$220) and/or beef musakka (NT$240). To soak up the mouthwatering grub Mah provides great chapatis (NT$50) and fluffy briyana rice (NT$120).
Whatever you order, a must-try at the Kunming is the joint's Burmese cold-tea salad. At NT$180 a plate it's crisp, fresh, tangy flavor makes the perfect accompaniment to any meal.
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