A distinctive feature of Taiwan’s culinary landscape, the rechao (熱炒, literally “hot-fry”) joint is a perennial favorite with its fresh seafood, bargain prices and unpretentious atmosphere. I usually avoid such places, however, for several reasons, not least of which are the sometimes dirty surroundings, questionable hygiene standards, and inebriated men playing drinking games at a deafening volume while smoking like chimneys.
Located in the heart of Taipei’s East District (東區), Xanadu (鮮納肚) has restored my faith in rechao restaurants. Though boasting the typical trappings, including beer girls, it is an updated and much tidier version.
The interior is orderly and brightly lit; the utensils look clean. There is no fishy smell and smoking is not allowed until 9pm at the earliest, according to the restaurant’s very sociable proprietor.
Photo: Ho Yi, Taipei Times
Many of Xanadu’s dishes are made from offal. Popular dishes include sauteed pork liver (香煎豬肝, NT$100), which is delectably tender and doesn’t leave a metallic taste in the mouth like other restaurants’ versions do.
The extensive seafood menu includes sashimi platters of salmon, tuna, swordfish and squid that cost between NT$100 and NT$190 per dish.
The dragon balls (鹹酥龍珠, NT$150), or octopus mouths fried with scallion, chili and peanuts, come recommended, though they could be habit-forming.
Photo: Ho Yi, Taipei Times
Xanadu’s shuizhu pork slices (水煮肉片), boiled strips of pork and vegetables served with oil and spices, is a localized version of a Sichuan specialty. By localized, I mean the dish lacks the numbing quality of the Sichuan peppercorn. The dish comes in three sizes, with the smallest (NT$300) enough for a group of three.
The open seafood display offers options that are often not on the menu. Ask the waitstaff for recommendations, but treat the response with a healthy dose of skepticism. On a recent visit, my dining partners and I ordered a crab that cost NT$1,000 on the recommendation of our server. It turned out to be very disappointing.
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
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
On April 17, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) launched a bold campaign to revive and revitalize the KMT base by calling for an impromptu rally at the Taipei prosecutor’s offices to protest recent arrests of KMT recall campaigners over allegations of forgery and fraud involving signatures of dead voters. The protest had no time to apply for permits and was illegal, but that played into the sense of opposition grievance at alleged weaponization of the judiciary by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to “annihilate” the opposition parties. Blamed for faltering recall campaigns and faced with a KMT chair
Article 2 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China (中華民國憲法增修條文) stipulates that upon a vote of no confidence in the premier, the president can dissolve the legislature within 10 days. If the legislature is dissolved, a new legislative election must be held within 60 days, and the legislators’ terms will then be reckoned from that election. Two weeks ago Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) proposed that the legislature hold a vote of no confidence in the premier and dare the president to dissolve the legislature. The legislature is currently controlled
RSS