Taiwan Cafe

Because of the little “incident” last Friday, most of us were not in the mood (or condition for some…) to try Taiwan Café as planned. We postponed our visit to this weekend and unfortunately, the weather was atrocious. Despite the conditions outside, we braved the wind and rain to head into Chinatown to have dinner at Taiwan Café. The things we will do in the name of food!

Finding the restaurant was a bit of an adventure. Taiwan Café is located in Chinatown on Oxford “Street,” though a more accurate label would be “sketchy alleyway.” As with most Chinese restaurants around Boston, Taiwan Café is a small, homely no-frills kind of place that serves up affordable, down-to-earth food rather than pretension or over-priced fare.

We had a decent sized group with us, which included Eric, Ivan, Tom, Kirstin, Joe, John and Veronica, and when we arrived, the hostess promptly seated us at a large, circular table by the window. Around the dining room, I spotted a few families and couples, all of which looked like regular locals - good sign. The dishes on nearby tables looked appetizing, and all kinds of savory smells permeated the room.

There was a considerable amount of buildup because I had never tried Taiwanese cuisine. If we were going to do this, I wanted to do it right, to have the real deal, to experience Taiwanese cuisine as it should be. We were fortunate to have Tom along with us who is Taiwanese, and he had an idea of some good, traditional dishes to order. He talked for quite a while with this middle-aged waitress serving our table. I think he liked her.

We started the meal with a few appetizers, which I am told are a significant part of Taiwanese meals. The food came out extremely quickly. It could not have been more than five minutes before the first few dishes started arriving at our table. Honestly, deciding on what to order took longer.

Stewed Minced Pork over Rice

Sometime during the ordering process there was a little miscommunication and only two of these were ordered. However, I did get to try this simple, yet satisfying starter. The minced pork tasted like it was cooked in some soy and oyster sauce, and the pickled vegetables on the side added a refreshing dimension.

Chilled Spicy Beef Tendon

We were feeling adventurous and took a page out of the DeepEndDining playbook, ordering some mildly outrageous, out-of-the-ordinary dishes, one of which was this chilled spicy beef tendon dish. Although the beef tendon were firm to the tooth and slightly chewy, they were shaved thinly, which made them pretty easy to eat.

Blood Pudding Rice Cake with Gravy

Hmm, not too sure what to make of this dish. The name of this one was what made us order it. I had never eaten blood pudding before, so I didn't really know what to expect. The blood pudding had a semi-sticky consistency and was covered in a sugar and nut mixture. The accompanying sauce was a little sweet but didn't do alot to enhance the flavor in my opinion.

Steamed Taro over Pork Belly in Special House Sauce

I liked this dish a lot and was one of my favorites of the night. The pork belly was nice and fatty, and the taro was soft and not too starchy.

Beef with Chinese Watercress in Sa-Tay Sauce

I liked this dish alot as well, although my only complaint is that it was a little oily. The pieces of beef were cut fairly small so they were coated by the tasty sa-tay sauce. The vegetable stalks, with their hollow centers, also absorbed alot of sauce flavor. They weren't overcooked either, so they retained a little crispness.

Homestyle Braised Eggplant with Basil

Eric had done some research about good dishes to order at Taiwan Cafe, and alot of posters of Chowhound recommended this braised eggplant dish, which did turn out to be quite good. The eggplant had a firm, yet tender consistency and weren't mushy. Every few bites there was a hint of heat from the chilis, and the basil flavor was very strong but didn't overpower the dish.

Oyster Omelette with Gravy

The oyster omelette is one of the most popular dishes in Taiwanese cuisine, so we had to order it. The dish reminded me of a Chinese-style pancake rather than what I gerenally think of as an omelette. My slice didn't have any oysters in it but regardless, I liked the dish alot.

Mustard Greens with Edamame and Bean Curd

This was probably one of my least favorite dishes and one of the weaker ones. The mustard greens were cooked in a light, clear sauce. The soybeans were also pretty bland I thought, although I guess they were a good source of protein for the night.

Pickled Mustard Greens with Intestine and Blood Pudding

This blood pudding and intestine dish was another one of the dishes ordered for its shock value. I wasn't particularly a fan though. It reminded me way too much of hot and sour soup.

Taiwan Style Pan Fried Dumplings

These dumplings were one of the last dishes to arrive, and there was some discussion at the table whether they were made fresh from scratch since they took so long. The dumplings were much like Japanese gyoza but larger and more rectangular in shape. The filling was a nice pork-vegetable mixture. According to Ivan, there was too much meat, and if his mom were eating the dumplings, she would have commented on the meat-to-dough ratio too. "It's all about the dough, you know."

Considering the amount we paid, I was pretty pleased with the quality and quantity of food. I would actually like to go back to Taiwan Cafe to try some of their other dishes. So overall, I was pretty pleased with my first experience eating Taiwanese cuisine, although it's still not clear to me what exactly gives it its unique identity... Our next culinary adventure will be at Grotto, so check back next week.

Sibling Rivalry / PICCO

First restaurant review of the new school year. We make our first stop at Sibling Rivalry located on Tremont Street in the South End. Ever since I came back from Sydney and found out about this place, I've been itching to go. It's actually down the street from where my grandmother used to live. During my visits about a year ago, I noticed a lot of construction in the area. I learned that a developer came in, bought some property, and planned to construct a premium condominium complex - what is now known as Atelier 505. Atelier is also now home to several retail outlets and restaurants, two of which are Sibling Rivalry and PICCO.

The concept behind Sibling Rivalry is unique. The restaurant is co-owned and run by two brothers, David and Bob Kinkead, who each present separate "dueling" menus that offer each brother's different take and use of the same ingredients. The restaurant opened sometime late last year and caused a big splash. Supposedly, it was one of the more highly anticipated restaurant openings of 2004 in Boston.

In any event, because Meat’s stupid ass was hung over from last night and couldn’t wake up, Eric and I had to go by ourselves. We left our apartment fairly early since we hadn’t made reservations and worried that we might have to wait. Turns out that wasn’t much of an issue…We arrived at the restaurant a little after 12, and we were one of only two or three other groups eating there. I swear the hostess thought we were a gay couple or something when we walked in – thanks a lot, Meat.

Sibling Rivalry’s interior had a nice, modern feel. The red walls and paintings added warmth to the room. I didn’t get a chance to really look around, but the dining area didn’t seem that big. Overall, I thought it was pretty sophisticated but not stuffy or pretentious.

On to the meal. Eric and I each got an appetizer and entrée for lunch. Here’s what we ordered.

Foie Gras and Duck Confit Terrine with Savory Apple Charlotte

This is was my appetizer. The dish scored good marks for presentation and plating, and overall the flavors were decent but I was slightly disappointed. Eric had done some research about Sibling Rivalry, and one of the criticisms from a poster on Chowhound was that alot of their dishes were too salty and overseasoned. Well, it was the exact opposite for this dish. The foie gras was creamy as you'd expect but it seemed a little bland. Accompanied with the dish was some mustard which presumably was there to use with the foie, but when added, it just masked and overpowered it. The salad was also very plain and simple.

Half Dozen Oysters on the Half Shell with Champagne Mignonette and Lobster

Eric ordered the oysters for his appetizer. I usually don't eat raw shellfish but I tried a couple, and they were pretty good. There was no hint of a fishy smell, which is always a good sign. They were fresh and salty, and the champagne mignonette added a nice bite.

Lobster Stew and Mini Toasted Brioche Lobster Sandwich

This was my entree. Again, I'm not sure if I'm just ordering the wrong dishes but I was a little disappointed again. It was good but not great. Definitely not blown away. I may have set the bar too high. The sandwich had nicely toasted brioche bread, but I didn't love the filling. There were pieces of lobster in it but there was also some of kind of pasty stuff in it, which I found kind of peculiar. As for the stew, it was quite rich. Although it was good, I eventually got bored with it. I guess I was looking for more exciting, contrasting flavors and textures.

Roast Seabass with Fried Zucchini Parmesan, and Marinated Dried Cherry Tomatoes

This was Eric's entree. I definitely liked his a lot more than mine. The dish originally was supposed to have grouper, but I guess the kitchen had bought seabass for the day (or was trying to unload some old seabass...). In any event, I couldn't tell because it seemed pretty fresh and tasted good. The fish was accompanied with an aioli, mustardy-type sauce and fried zucchini chips. The zucchini had a nice, light batter but were a bit underseasoned. As for the tomatoes, they were terrible. They were marinated in vinegar and were way too sour - a hiccup to an otherwise pretty complete and quality dish.

Overall, I thought the meal was pretty good, but not great. I set the bar pretty high, and my expectations weren't really met. However, the restaurant did have other redeeming qualities like its decor and service. Our waitress was very amiable and attentive. She saw me taking pictures of the food and asked if it was for a school project. Do I just look young or something? It must be my nice, youthful complexion.

So after our meal at Sibling Rivalry, we headed over to PICCO for ice-cream. PICCO is also pretty new, and it's located right next to Sibling Rivalry. It's a pizzeria and ice cream joint. Eric and I each got two scoops. For flavors, he got pistachio and coconut peanut, and I got prune armagnac and raspberry.

Our culinary adventures continue next week when we eat at Taiwan Cafe in Chinatown. Searching for diamonds in the rough, ya heard?