Taipei City - 度小月擔仔麵

Happy New Year, everybody! 

Here is my first post of 2016, enjoy.

Value for money: 7/10

Cleanliness: 9/10

Service: 7/10

Quality of food: 8/10

Overall: 8/10

I've been here a few times, so I thought it was probably only right to write about it. It's pretty good!

When sat at the table, we were given a menu but also given a set menu, too. We opted for this, as it looked great and also pretty good value for the quality and the amount for 2 people.

In the set:

大碗肉燥飯 dà wǎn ròu zào fàn 
Ancestral braised pork with rice

I have mentioned before about braised pork over rice , but this one is slightly different in that it is dry, as opposed to the others which are more like gravy. The pork is chewy and a little crunchy. But the flavour is phenomenal! It must impart flavour from the anciet pot with which they use to cook it (inside the entrance to the right).

擔仔麵 dàn zǎi miàn
Dan Tsai noodles

The noodles were also very good, with the same braised pork as the rice. However, they are served in some of the cooking liquid and also include some beansprouts, green onion, garlic paste and a shrimp on top. You should stir all of the ingredients together, but I feel like the 'soup' left over is a little too salty to be drinking. Just use it to coat the noodles.

A mix of 3 dishes, each described below:

國寶級烏魚子 guó bǎo shí jí wū yú zǐ
Roasted mullet roe

Mullet roe is something I seldom have, due to the fact that it is so expensive. It's fine, but I wouldn't rush to go and buy it at the ~$500 price tag in many shops.

小羊城油雞 xiǎo yáng chéng yóu jī 
Lamb's town soy sauce chicken

The chicken is served cold and is absolutely delicious. It's just a pity there isn't more!

魚子醬蘆筍雙色捲 yú zǐ jiàng lú sǔn shuāng sè juǎn  
Caviar and asparagus roll

This roll was very tasty, but I just wish they hadn't put that sweet sauce over the top as it ruined the savoury taste of the caviar and asparagus. Both tastes still come through, but not enough.

金箔竹葉芋香捲 jīn bó zhú yè yù xiāng juǎn 

Taro roll wrapped with bamboo leaves

The gold leaf is more for the decoration than taste, so don't worry about eating it. It is edible! As for the taro, it was ok. This is more of a Hakka inspired dish than some of the others on this set, so it's interesting to see the different style.

三杯松板豬 sān bēi sōng bǎn zhū  

Stewing pork jowel with sesame oil, soy sauce and rice wine

I had the idea that the pork would arrive and it would be slightly fatty and soft. However, this pork is quite lean and a little chewy. The flavours were all very nice and the slightly sticky and tangy sauce worked well with the garlic and seasoning in the dish.

季節時蔬 (高麗菜) jì jié shí shū (gāo lì cài) 
Seasonal vegetables (cabbage)

It was cabbage, not much to say really...

錄藻鮮蚵湯 lù zǎo xiān é tāng 
Soup with green algae and oysters

I don't really know about the green algae, and to be honest there wasn't an overwhelming taste of anything in the soup. However, the oysters were really big and also very meaty. The soup was fairly bland but well seasoned.

火燒冰淇淋 huǒ shāo bīng qí lín 
Deep-fried ice cream

This must have perked your interest - deep fried ice cream! It was quite well done, really. The ice cream in the center was still slightly frozen and it was really fun to bite into and see it come out of the sides. The ice cream also had a good taste of vanilla throughout. However, the casing surrounding the ice cream was very greasy (as I am sure you can see). It was crunchy and thin, but nevertheless, greasy. 

Service charge is added on, however, my tea wasn't filled up once during the meal and short of bringing the dishes to us (which should surely be covered in the overall price of the restaurant) the staff did nothing else.

Overall, I would say this place is a solid 8/10: the noodles and rice were delicious and the variety of dishes makes it fun to order. However, the service wasn't befitting of the extra charge, the dessert was greasy and the soup was bland.

Best dish: 大碗肉燥飯 dà wǎn ròu zào fàn Ancestral braised pork with rice - The rice was great, the braised pork wasn't greasy and the depth of flavour was fantastic. No criticisms at all.

Dish I wouldn't order again: 火燒冰淇淋 huǒ shāo bīng qí lín Deep-fried ice cream - A fun idea, but poorly executed: it was too greasy. 

Opening times:

Monday - Sunday 11:30-23:00

度小月担仔麵

Eating in Taipei

台北市大安區永康街9-1號

No. 9-1, YongKang Street, DaAn District, Taipei City.

Happy Eating!