Fans of xiaolongbao (小籠包), or soup dumplings, should add Heshanzhi (何善之) to their list of places to try. The restaurant opened in March on Da-an Road (大安路) and is an offshoot of the hot-pot chain of the same name owned by actor-turned-restaurateur Shao Hsin (邵昕).
He appears to be aiming for diners who want a cheaper alternative to Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐), particularly Japanese tourists who might not want to stand in line at Yongkang Street (永康街). The shop’s name is also displayed in Japanese phonetic characters. Heshanzhi’s exterior catches the eye with a welcoming set of huge intricately carved wooden doors that slide open automatically, and a large window looking into a steamy kitchen where passersby can glimpse the chefs at work.
The menu offers a few twists to the standard Shanghai-style fare. Well worth a try is Heshanzhi’s house specialty, soup dumplings with Penghu sponge gourd and shrimp (澎湖絲瓜蝦仁湯包, NT$200). The dumplings contain slightly less broth than the normal xiaolongbao, but are melt-in-the-mouth delicious nonetheless.
The filling, made of chopped sponge gourd, a green vegetable similar in consistency to a cucumber, has a subtle sweet flavor that complements the minced shrimp. Rounding off this morsel is a skin thin and delicate enough to satisfy the most discerning dumpling connoisseurs.
Some of the fancier selections include soup dumplings with Hokkaido minced crab filling (北海道蟹粉小包, NT$250) and sanxian steamed dumplings (三鮮蒸餃, NT$200). These items make the xiaolongbao with chicken broth (雞汁小籠包, NT$130) seem all the more humble.
The interior is a mix of modern chic and traditional Chinese decor, with gallery lighting, mirrored walls, dark lacquer wood tables and ornate wood carvings. But this refined, upscale atmosphere is cheapened in few corners, which have large photos of menu items plastered over them as wallpaper.
That said, diners are getting decent Shanghai cuisine at decent prices. A range of cold appetizers, including excellent string beans and a garlic stir-fry, is offered at NT$60 per dish. Other classic items on the menu include chicken noodle soup (原盅雞湯麵, NT$150) and fried tofu and rice noodle soup (油豆腐細粉, NT$120), as well as a few crowd-pleasing northern Chinese dishes like fried scallion roll with beef (牛肉捲餅, NT$120).
Heshanzhi serves a wide selection of sweets, including freshly made mochi (手工麻糬, NT$90). The grilled flatbread filled with sweet red bean paste (豆沙鍋餅, NT$120) is a tasty and filling dessert, with a nutty flavor courtesy of a generous sesame seed coating.
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
Last week the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said that the budget cuts voted for by the China-aligned parties in the legislature, are intended to force the DPP to hike electricity rates. The public would then blame it for the rate hike. It’s fairly clear that the first part of that is correct. Slashing the budget of state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) is a move intended to cause discontent with the DPP when electricity rates go up. Taipower’s debt, NT$422.9 billion (US$12.78 billion), is one of the numerous permanent crises created by the nation’s construction-industrial state and the developmentalist mentality it
Experts say that the devastating earthquake in Myanmar on Friday was likely the strongest to hit the country in decades, with disaster modeling suggesting thousands could be dead. Automatic assessments from the US Geological Survey (USGS) said the shallow 7.7-magnitude quake northwest of the central Myanmar city of Sagaing triggered a red alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. “High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” it said, locating the epicentre near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay, home to more than a million people. Myanmar’s ruling junta said on Saturday morning that the number killed had
RSS