Posts Tagged ‘Taiwanese’
- In: Bellevue | Eating | USA | Washington
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I don’t remember where and when I’ve eaten Taiwanese food. The only dishes I know are oyster omelette (蚵仔煎) and ‘three cup’ chicken (三杯雞), both of which are common in Cantonese style restaurants.
Facing East was recommended by several people and our group of four gathered for a weekday lunch. I paced up and down Bellevue Way between 10th and 12th checking the numbers and had to call for directions. Similar to Tamarind Tree, Facing East is located in a mall with no street frontage.
A small dining room for a popular eatery, the space is modern and bright.
The glossy menu is categorised into snacks and sides, rice and noodles, chef’s specials, and desserts. Service was polite and we let our waiter guide our order.
On a wooden tray, the oolong tea (烏龍茶) was ceremoniously rinsed and poured. A petite ceramic teapot steeped the leaves and a miniature jug was enough for four tiny cups of oolong tea. Hot water refill was in a stainless steel thermos to quench our thirst.
First was Taiwanese pork burger. Reminiscent of the famed Momofuku pork bun, this is a comparable version. A snowy steamed bun was agape with a slab of pork belly, pickles, peanuts and sprigs of coriander. It was a decadent combination of meaty, fatty, sweet and sour.
It was National Fried Chicken Day so we had five spice fried chicken with basil. Lightly battered, the tender morsels were garnished with crisp Thai basil leaves and sliced pickles.
Portions of Painted Hills short rib were tossed in an appetising black pepper sauce. Pickled pearl onions tempered the richness of the succulent beef.
A modest size bowl of spicy pork stew with rice was savoury comfort food.
A mound of green beans sautéed in garlic was crunchy and sweet.
I have added Facing East to my list of quality Asian restaurants in the Seattle area!
I’ve been feeling really homesick this month. October is a lovely time of the year in Sydney. Spring, Crave Sydney International Food Festival, public holiday long weekend, last quarter of the calendar year, countdown to the festive season. I yearn for home. My senses have been hypersensitive to the taste, smell and sound that remind me of Australia.
The GastroGnome had recommended Henry’s Taiwan and I suggested Friday lunch. I had hoped that going to Chinatown-International District would alleviate some of my homesickness.
Located near the Chinatown Gate, the original Henry’s Taiwan has a plain entrance to a small dining room. A handful of booths and tables seat about twenty and is sparsely furnished.
The laminated menu is written in traditional Chinese and translated in English. It was invigorating to read in both languages!
Each granite table has a condiments tray. Service is polite and efficient, cups of hot tea are quickly refilled.
We ordered three dishes to share. Spicy and garlicky, a plate of sliced savoury hot tendons was succulent and warming. This would make a simple meal with a bowl of plain rice to soak up the delicious sauce.
Sticky rice is Chinese comfort food. I joked with Naomi that it’s been so long since I’ve eaten it that I’ve forgotten what festival these triangular parcels are for (Dragon Boat Festival). Wrapped in bamboo and steamed, the glutinous rice was served with crushed peanuts. There were chunks of pork but absent of Chinese sausage, shitake mushrooms, and dried shrimp and scallop.
A generous portion of pan fried noodles were slippery strands entwined with bean sprouts. I slurped these with delight.
We walked by the new Henry’s Taiwan several doors down. It seemed to have the same menu but in modern décor.
