Born and raised in India, Daniel Hsiung (熊懌騰) originally came to Taiwan to study Chinese cooking. After finishing cooking school and a few stints in various pub kitchens, Hsiung abandoned Chinese cuisine in favor of his native fare and opened The Spice Shop.
A fourth-generation Indo-Chinese, Hsiung is not the only member of his family to find success in the Indian restaurant business. In fact this is the sixth Spice Shop to open in Taiwan, as two cousins own and operate a total of five restaurants in Kaoshiung, Taichung and Hsinchu.
PHOTO: DIANA FREUNDL, TAIPEI TIMES:
Offering a large selection of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, The Spice Shop serves up curry favorites such as beef madras (beef in coconut sauce), chicken tikka masala, mutton bhuna (mutton with onion and pepper) and others priced under NT$300 each. The most popular and highly recommended dish is the chicken tandoori (NT$300), served with a small side of kuchember (spicy Indian salad).
The vegetarian selection is equally plentiful and tasty. Made with seasonal vegetables the jhalfraizie (NT$180) is a refreshing change from the frozen veggies often used in mixed curry. Channa masala (chickpea curry), palak paneer (made with spinach and homemade cheese) and the daal all come highly recommended at NT$180.
Diners looking to satisfy a sweet craving after their curry will have to settle on a lassi, as there are no desserts on the menu. The mango lassi, made with fresh mango and yogurt, however, should not be overlooked.
The restaurant's decor remains debatable with a limited (yet eye-catching) selection of Indian tapestries hanging on exceptionally bright orange walls, with spindly chip board tables and plastic chairs.
A trained chef, Hsiung says he still prefers to be in the kitchen and still does most of the cooking. Apart from using less oil and chili, which can be increased on request, Hsiung claims he doesn't cater to Chinese or Western tastes, and instead prepares the food exactly as he would in India.
In less than two years since opening, The Spice Shop has acquired a substantial number of regulars who fill the tiny establishment nightly. With a maximum seating capacity of 40 persons, the restaurant fills up early, so reservations are not a bad idea, especially on the weekends.
Even at full capacity the wait for food is not intolerable and rather enjoyable with a selection of beers that includes India's own, King Fisher. Alternatively, patrons can bring their own bottle of wine, but are required to pay a NT$200 corkage charge.
Taiwanese chip-making giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) plans to invest a whopping US$100 billion in the US, after US President Donald Trump threatened to slap tariffs on overseas-made chips. TSMC is the world’s biggest maker of the critical technology that has become the lifeblood of the global economy. This week’s announcement takes the total amount TSMC has pledged to invest in the US to US$165 billion, which the company says is the “largest single foreign direct investment in US history.” It follows Trump’s accusations that Taiwan stole the US chip industry and his threats to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent
On a hillside overlooking Taichung are the remains of a village that never was. Half-formed houses abandoned by investors are slowly succumbing to the elements. Empty, save for the occasional explorer. Taiwan is full of these places. Factories, malls, hospitals, amusement parks, breweries, housing — all facing an unplanned but inevitable obsolescence. Urbex, short for urban exploration, is the practice of exploring and often photographing abandoned and derelict buildings. Many urban explorers choose not to disclose the locations of the sites, as a way of preserving the structures and preventing vandalism or looting. For artist and professor at NTNU and Taipei
March 10 to March 16 Although it failed to become popular, March of the Black Cats (烏貓進行曲) was the first Taiwanese record to have “pop song” printed on the label. Released in March 1929 under Eagle Records, a subsidiary of the Japanese-owned Columbia Records, the Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) lyrics followed the traditional seven characters per verse of Taiwanese opera, but the instrumentation was Western, performed by Eagle’s in-house orchestra. The singer was entertainer Chiu-chan (秋蟾). In fact, a cover of a Xiamen folk song by Chiu-chan released around the same time, Plum Widow Missing Her Husband (雪梅思君), enjoyed more
Last week Elbridge Colby, US President Donald Trump’s nominee for under secretary of defense for policy, a key advisory position, said in his Senate confirmation hearing that Taiwan defense spending should be 10 percent of GDP “at least something in that ballpark, really focused on their defense.” He added: “So we need to properly incentivize them.” Much commentary focused on the 10 percent figure, and rightly so. Colby is not wrong in one respect — Taiwan does need to spend more. But the steady escalation in the proportion of GDP from 3 percent to 5 percent to 10 percent that advocates
RSS