Saturday, March 28, 2009

CLOSED/chinese: i strongly recommend SHIN YEH TABLE



Closed a/o 2012- now the new location of Sweet Dynasty

SHIN YEH TABLE
No. 201, Zhong Xiao East Road, Sec. 4, 2nd Fl.
(02) 2778 - 8712

website: shinyeh.com.tw

hours:11:30 am-1 am

$$

Kid friendliness: loud music and bar like atmosphere

Visit reviewed: 12/2007



If you've been wanting to eat Taiwanese foods, but don't know if your stomach can handle the night markets or you can't get a table at Shin Yeh- then you should head to Shin Yeh Table. Shin Yeh Table is twenty something hipster compared to the elegant Taiwanese family establishment Shin Yeh. It's not that Shin Yeh is stuffy- it isn't. It's just that going to Shin Yeh Table is a bit like dining in a lounge bar with its trendy decor, lighting and atmosphere.

But luckily the trendiness doesn't overshadow the food as the food is still great. Dinner with friends is a bit like sharing Taiwanese tapas, if there is such a thing, because the menu has a huge array of appetizers and smaller sized of main dishes and Shin Yeh favorites, as well as lots of desserts including the chewy mochi almond tofu that so many people like at Shin Yeh. Shin Yeh Table has lots and lots of alcoholic drinks to choose from and if you come during its Happy Hours (before and after dinner), you can get a discount off the menu which is in English and Chinese.




It was a great first meeting place for my friends at haochr before they moved back to the US. We shared a love for good food and gua bao and figuring out new ways of writing it up. You just have to pretend you aren't eating fatty pork when you bite into the fluffy bun of the gua bao (NT$80 for one, cut into two halves). The cilantro and ground peanuts give it the needed extra layer of flavor.



gua bao or braised fatty pork in buns


It's hard to declare my favorites from the night because everything was surprisingly good. The fried foods were exceptionally crispy and hot, including the yummy soft shell crab and the stuffed shitake mushrooms.



plenty of soft shell crab to go around


The fried rice (NT$160) and tofu pots were smaller than expected, but still very filling and bursting with flavor.






As haochr recalls, we ordered a lot of food- about 7 dishes and it was well worth the NT$1000 we paid (about US$30) for the three of us.






So lounge away as it's open late or come earlier with your grandma (as I did once, and she liked it!) when you can't get a table at Shin Yeh, but you might be too busy eating and listening to the loud music to have any deep conversations. Located right next to Starbucks on Zhong Xiao East Road, you can peruse the menu at the bottom of the stairs before you climb to the second floor.

I finally, finally got a chance to write this up from my archived drafts. Hello to my friends from haochr who have retired from the world of food blogging. :)


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13 comments:

Emily said...

Wow, has it really been a year since we met at Shin Yeh Table? You know, I hardly ever miss Taiwan except when I read your blog! And Shin Yeh Table is definitely one of the things I miss the most about Taiwan. Hopefully we'll be back to visit soon and we can all grab a gua bao together!

Carly In Taiwan said...

looks great! if you really like gua bao though, the best ones can be found at gongguan night market!

Sapuche said...

There's not a single photo or food description that doesn't have me pawing at my screen right now. I may be moving to Taiwan soon, so posts like this really get me (and my stomach) excited about what awaits! The NT$1000 bill sounds wonderfully affordable too! Thanks for sharing this.

roentare said...

Incredible food in deed!

I would pay it a visit tomorrow

joanh said...

Emily: Aww, thanks! I know! You guys think you will visit again soon?

Carly in Taiwan: hmm.. I will have to check that out!

Sapuche: thanks! good luck if you make the move!

roentarre: thanks!

Hsuan said...

I'm going back in June; this post makes me wish it was tomorrow! Thanks for sharing. The eggplant (and pretty much everything else) looks like they're worth dying for.

Anonymous said...

'Hungry Girl' Has Found the Way To a Snacking Nation's Heart
A little movie about the tradition here:Hungry Girl

Dan L said...

Thanks for letting us know about this place. We went there last night, and the place blew our minds. It was the cathartic Taipei food experience I've been waiting for. The original plan was to go to Shin Yeh, but the small portions at Shin Yeh table were perfect since we only had 2 people. And like (seemingly) all food in Taipei, the prices were very reasonable.

stomach flu symptoms said...

hey friend excellent post about chinese: i strongly recommend SHIN YEH TABLE thanks for sharing!!

Merete Magnus Bröllop said...

Must say I really love your blog, wish there where more blog like yours for other cities in the world. If you know any similar sites I would love to have the links.
I checked out the woundeful wgsn site and it seems like you have given them some pointers, well done!

Keep up the good work!

Love from Magnus/Sweden

Generic Viagra Blog said...

Those dishes look delicious I would like to visit this place because I think that it will the best place to have a great date with this kind of tasty food.

joanh said...

Hsuan: thanks so much for your comment! hope you got to give it a try!

brew: haha, thanks for sharing the link

dan l: thanks for sharing your experience! i'm glad you liked it and i think for 2 people it's definitely a better choice than OG shin yeh. you'd get more variety for the same price.

SFS: thanks

Magnus: thank you so much!

GVB: thanks

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