taiwanese/chinese: i strongly recommend LU SANG YILAN DELICACIES

LU SANG 呂桑食堂 (or LV SANG)
No. 12-5 Yong Kang St.
台北市大安區永康街12－5號
(02) 2351-3323

MRT: Dongmen

website: lvsang.myweb.hinet.net

hours: 11:30AM - 2PM; 5PM- 9PM

$-$$ (about $200-300/person)

Kid friendliness: high chairs available

Visit reviewed: 3/29/2010 & 8/22/2010


Yong Kang Street is even more accessible now with the opening of the DongMen MRT stop last month, and will strengthen Yong Kang Jie as a "must eat" tourist destination for Taipei. Adventurous diners looking for real Taiwanese flavors should definitely include Lu Sang on their list. I first tried it a few years ago, as it was one of grandma's favorite places to go for Saturday night family dinner. She loved ordering a whole table full of eats and then treating everyone, exclaiming that the whole dinner was cheaper than than a few dishes at other fancier Chinese restaurants and the food was just was good, if not better. Quite a few other people felt the same way, as it was always crowded when we went for dinner, often with people waiting in front for a table on one of the two floors.



Earlier this year, HungryinTaipei was featured in the CNNGo's article of top 40 Taiwanese eats (look for one of my favorites at number 30). While the list can't cover everyone's favorite, you can find a great bowl of  lu rou fan or braised pork rice (number 1 on the list) Lu Sang, as well as a number of under the radar dishes.

The menu of Yilan dishes is on the wall- brightly lit to point and order. Or you can check out the eats on the counter top. Once you order, the food comes quickly to the table. The selection can be intimidating for a newbie with the large selection and names only in Chinese... I've been there multiple times and sometimes I still have to double check the wall when I go.

There's a lot on the menu to explore, but here are my top 3 eats that I must order everytime I come to Lu Sang (and that I think you should too).

(1) Gao Zha or deep fried chicken broth

With all the deep frying craze in the US (deep fried oreos? twinkies? avocados? butter?!), this is something you might imagine seeing at the county fair or at a Michelin starred restaurant, plated prettily with some foam. But instead you can enjoy this Yilan delicacy at Lu Sang.

The first time I tried it, I thought it was fried tofu, but it was a bit too creamy, too silky, too tasty. When my relatives tried to explain to me what it was, they couldn't quite do it. Some internet research showed that gao zha is chicken broth mixed with flour, chilled and sliced into cubes then coated with flour to deep fry. Don't make my previous mistake and accidentally order the fried tofu since the photos look quite similar.. it's definitely not as good. Just remember gao zha!

The result is amazing, though very very hot, so be careful with your first bite. I often cut mine in half to let the steam out and then take a bite of the crispy exterior and let the rest melt in my mouth.

(2) Sliced pig's liver (NT$100) To me, this tastes like a chilled foie gras- with that same creaminess and sweetness to be savored. It's one of those dishes that tastes much better than it looks. 

(3) Sliced cold chicken (NT$180)- usually very tender and juicy, each slice covered with the gelatinous textured skin. One of the more accessible dishes for those that don't want to eat livers or intestines. The meat is similar to Hainan Chicken, but the skin is almost crunchy.

If you order those dishes, you should be good to go, but here are few other dishes to give a try to round out the family style meal

Red Rice Wine Ang Chow Pork (NT$150) -the sauce is sweet and you can slightly taste the alcohol from the glutinous rice wine that's used to make it. I've had times where the pork is very tender (like a roasted char siu) and other times where it was a little tougher/drier.

Pork intestines- fatty and chewy and good

Taiwanese minced pork noodles

Soup noodles

Steamed pork with pickled cucumber with salted egg yolk is like a sweet and savory mini meatloaf, best paired with a bowl of rice- sweet from the Taiwanese style pickled cucumbers and savory from the soy sauce and creamy salted egg yolk atop. I like this dish, but no one else at the table really appreciates it and it's too big for me to finish myself.

Bamboo shoots

Mini hotpot with vegetables and seafood (NT$180)

Fresh vegetable salad with hu feng dressing 

Instead of tea, there's complimentary hot kumquat tea available to self serve in the back. Bottles of the syrup are available to purchase to make at home.

You could always make it a mini meal on an eating tour of Yong Kang Street, instead of lining up for Din Tai Fung, you could hit up the Knife Shaved noodle or the dumpling place and then grab the gao zha and pig's liver and then getting some mango ice. I've never seen any non Taiwanese diners at Lu Sang, but maybe after this post, I'll be seeing a few of you there.

dessert/taiwanese: i strongly recommend SMOOTHIE HOUSE

SMOOTHIE HOUSE 思慕昔官網

No. 9 Yong Kang St.

台北市大安區永康街9號

(02) 2395-8770

MRT: DaAn (but it is about a 20 minute walk from the nearest MRT)

website: smoothie.com.tw

hours: 11AM- 11PM

$$

Kid friendliness: kids will love the fruit and shaved ice

Visit reviewed: 6/29/2012

Smoothie House is a two story shaved ice store that has occupied a prime spot on Yong Kang St, just a half block away from Din Tai Fung and Kao Chi. There are lots of tables, there's air conditioning, there's heaping plates of fruit covered snowflake shaved ice. 

So why isn't it as famous as Ice Monster, whose new shop has lines down the street, even in the sweltering Taipei heat? I must admit, I only tried Smoothie House for the first time this past summer, and only because Yong Kang 15 (aka new Ice Monster) was closed. I probably have passed by Smoothie House dozens of times and not went in, since it wasn't the "must go to" spot for tourist friends. 

Smoothie House is still quite crowded on a rainy afternoon and we managed to grab a tiny table to squeeze around after ordering at the front counter. There are pictures on the menu for easy ordering with choices like mango shaved ice, strawberry or mixed fruit. Mango smoothies are also available though they are more like a thick slush than fruit smoothie.

Once our number was up, we grabbed our tray. We ordered two shaved ices to share between three people and it was a lot! Huge scoops of ice cream top the mountain of shaved ice and cascading chunks of fruit. 

The Fresh mango ice magic (NT$120) has regular shaved ice, while the Strawberry snowflake ice (NT$150) has a creamier melt-in-your-mouth texture almost like ice cream. Both were just as yummy (and pricey) as other places in Taipei, though definitely on the sweeter side. It's also nice to have options like strawberry when you're not feeling like mango.

Mmmmmmm.

Back in June 2012, the popular Yong Kang 15 shaved ice shop had suddenly closed down. Tourists were left looking at their guide books in confusion, looking at a closed off location. 

And in a bold business move, Smoothie King cemented its Yong Kang Street mango ice monopoly when it reopened the landmark shack that used to be it's main competitor- Yong Kang 15, and Ice Monster before that- as their second location. There will be people who might not have heard the news that Yong Kang 15 shut down and just head over to the "mango ice place on Yong Kang St." 

Smoothie House signage 2012. Copycat or coincidence?

Ice Monster 2009. 

With the same color schemes and design, the new Smoothie House spot could easily be mistaken for the original occupants. They even retained the "Yong Kang 15" signage from before, since it is technically the address, but at eye level you wouldn't tell the difference or see the small-ish Smoothie House signage above. I was really surprised when I saw what had taken over that space, but it's probably good business for them even though the new location is only steps from their original indoor shop - they had customers sitting down at 11:30AM and some people won't know or care about who the owner is as long as the shaved ice tastes good or have to wait in the half hour lines elsewhere.

What do you think matters more- location or taste or ownership? Which mango ice place is your favorite?

OTHER LOCATION

No. 15 Yong Kang St 台北市大安區永康街15號

(02) 2341-8555

vietnamese/pho: i recommend THANH KY

THANH KY
No. 1 and 6, Lane 6, Yongkang St, Taipei
(02) 2321 1579 and (02) 2322 2765

hours: 11:30am to 11:30pm

$

Kid friendliness: no high chairs spotted, but roomy in newer location

Visit reviewed: 9/30/2009



I never noticed Thanh Ky until about six months ago when I discovered Yong Kang Kou next door. I guess before I was always "business" about this area- going straight to Ice Monster (which is directly across from it) after a meal and then back on our way. But after realizing that there was Vietnamese pho to be eaten here, it was just a matter of time before I tried it.

On this day, my friend wanted to take me to lunch at La Cocotte, but when we tried to "walk in," they wouldn't seat us without reservations at 1pm on a weekday. So we racked our brain on where to go and we were close enough to Yong Kang Street to give it a try. I guess you can get your food to go from the outside street vendor portion, adjacent to a small sitting space or you could go right across the alley, to the newer, bigger dining area and kitchen, which is comfortably air conditioned.



The restaurant is clean and the service is efficient and fills up quickly after we sit down with larger groups of young people in the back of the restaurant, even though it's a bit after lunchtime.



The good sized menu is easy to browse, in English and Chinese and lots of pictures.



In addition to the beef broth pho, they also have pho with sate, curry or even Tom Yum Seafood soup. Individual hot pots are also available with vegetables, seafood and meat options.



Pho #1 is their Hanoi Beef Pho (NT$165), which is their "no. 1 selling pho on the menu. Awarded 2008 Taipei International New Row Main Festival contest runner-up." (Totally not my spelling by the way). Appetizers on the menu include fried Vietnamese spring rolls, Thai-style shrimp cakes, Pig's Ear salad, Sugar Cane prawns, stewed pork liver and Vietnamese steamed chicken thigh.

I get the Tiger shrimp salad roll (NT$90) to start and comes out fairly quickly. It's a decent size, served with two dipping sauces. Classic taste and gone quickly.



I don't realize until after I get my Stir fried Beef with Rice Noodle (NT$95) that it's slices of beef, not ground beef, which makes it a little messy to eat. The beef is a little dry/tough, especially in contrast to the fork tender beef of my friend's Hanoi Beef Pho. In terms of dry rice noodles, you can't beat the pork noodle dish from Pho Hoa.



The Hanoi Beef Pho is perfect for anyone who is a fan of the clear broth beef noodle soup and I can see why it was a contender in the annual beef noodle soup competition. The tendons and beef are cooked perfectly and the soup is a pleasure to drink, even on a warm afternoon. It has a slightly sweet quality, aromatic with the basil, onions and lime juice.



If it's not spicy enough, there's chili sauce on the side to adjust it to your liking.



So the next time a craving for pho hits you, you can give Thanh Ky a try. The family run business has been around for almost 30 years and is a great option for a quick meal in the area.


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CLOSED/desserts/bakery: i strongly recommend PATISSERIE LA DOUCEUR

PATISSERIE LA DOUCEUR
No. 223 JinHua St.
(02)3322-2833
(updating in 2019. sadly closed a few years ago. they had the cutest packaging)

website: ladouceur.com.tw

hours: 1PM - 9PM; fri/sat until 10PM

$

Kid friendliness: small space, but a few couch areas in the back

Visit reviewed: 5/20/2009



Patisserie La Douceur is the perfect place for an afternoon retreat for spoiling your sweet tooth. It is a tiny shop near Yong Kang St that has some of the best pastries I've had anywhere. Bright, airy and sweet- just like a lot of its offerings.



A girlfriend insisted that we stop by when we were in the area and it's bright white sign stood out among the rest of the street. I couldn't help but smile at the adorable drawing of the girl that beckons you inside. There's even a white sculpture of her sitting on the steps outside.



The menu includes coffees, teas, juices and hot chocolate (NT$110-240), but you have to drool at the selection at the counter, which includes large macarons, chocolate cake, vanilla custard and other too-beautiful-to-eat confections.



The handwritten labels are all in Chinese, so I quizzed the counter guy to see which one would suit me best.



I ended up getting the large lemon macaron (NT$130) which was big enough to share a bite with three other friends.



It's airy but very sweet and you can taste the sugar as the macaron melts in your mouth. Similar to a meringue, macarons are made from egg whites, almond powder, icing sugar and sugar. It's almost three times the size of a regular macaron, so it's too sweet to finish on my own.



Be sure you don't miss their signature dessert, the apples and caramel mousse mille-feuille. (NT$135) It's made to order, so there's only a Chinese written sign and illustration in the display case. I would have totally missed it, but this was the dish my girlfriend brought us here for.



We oohed and aahed when it came to our table and gently cut it in four bite sized pieces after taking our pictures. It was like meeting a delicate Parisian cousin to the apple strudel and apple pie. Or if apple dessert was Audrey Hepburn in "Sabrina" and back from Paris, more sophisticated and darling.

Since the mille feuille is made of several layers, everything combines together to take you on a flavor roller coaster. The diced fresh green apples were surprisingly cold. The sweetness of the caramel mousse balanced the slight tartness of the apples. The puff pastry layers crackled when we chewed.

Mmmm. Tastebud heaven.


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