Last night we were so fortunate to be introduced to one of Taiwan's most famous restaurants - Din Tai Fong - by some of our lovely Taiwanese friends. As you can see, there was an intimidating line-up, most of whom were Japanese tourists and locals. After a short wait, we were ushered inside..
... past the throng of chefs, all handmaking the dumplings for which Din Tai Fong is famous.
What can I say? The food was utterly delicious, and the vegetarian selection was fantastic. We tried a range of dumplings, from fish, shrimp and mushroom (for me!). We also tried an amazing soy-bean curd dish, with leafy vegetables and a fantastic special fried rice (the best I've ever had.) Finally, we finished off with some red bean dumplings, also hand-made and delectable. In fact, we dipped the dumplings (which were quite sweet) into soy sauce, as the saltiness is said to enhance the sweetness. Delicious!
From there, with full bellies and big smiles, we went around the corner from the restaurant to a local tourist market, which was filled with people - all strolling about during the cool evening. We then went to one of the most famous bing guan (ice stores) in Taiwan, called "Ice Monster". Though we had to line up, soon we were able to enjoy huuuuge, utterly amazing plates of shaved ice covered in fresh chunks of kiwi fruit, strawberries, mango and mango sorbet. Amazing! I don't know how it hasn't taken off in Australia, honestly... :)
All in all, a great night had by all. There's nothing quite like being shown around by our local friends! We'll be having them over for a big Australian Sunday lunch this weekend... What a lovely way to start the working week.
No comments:
Post a Comment