RIP Sesame Chicken and Beef & Brocc.
After 2 years here, I’m suddenly having some 'Murkan cravings ;D
Surely no such thing, but is there an Americanized Chinese place out there?
Why the heck would you want bad/fake Chinese food when you’re living in Taipei, a city that has some of the best Chinese food in the world? Just don’t get it.
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He wouldn’t want it if it was bad, would he? When it’s good it’s good. Different style, I like to get some when I go back, but don’t exactly have a huge craving for it.
There’s been a few threads on the topic:
Just like the other guy said, different style. Why get Chinese food when you have Taiwanese food? Why have Hong Kong food? It goes on
Up to now, nobody has answered your question of whether such a restaurant exists in Taipei or anywhere else in Taiwan. And nobody provided an answer in those older threads either from what I can tell. If such a place did exist, it probably wouldn’t last long.
There were places like that in Shanghai. Taiwan doesnt have my favourite Chinese food. In fact I find the Chinese food here limited in comparison to the China and Hong Kong. Young people dont like to have Chinese food when eating out (in general) and most of the Chinese restaurants cater to the older population. There is a lot more innovative Chinese food catered for younger markets in China. My two cents anyway. Plus, Taiwanese dont really like strong or spicy flavours, my favourite thing about Chinese food.
There is a massive ABC population here and I’m sure a place like that would be ok.
What I DID find, though, which isn’t an answer but related, is an LA style Sushi place. As in, tons of spicy tuna, most stuff seared instead of raw, saucy, and some either fried or has cream cheese. In 天母Tianmu. I’ll get back later with the name. But it’s somewhat close to Jason’s and that circle of shops near the street market.
American Chinese food isn’t “fake,” and isn’t necessarily bad. If fact, when done properly it can be quite good. It’s basically (for the most part) Cantonese food influenced by American ingredients. There’s nothing wrong with either of those, so why would it by definition be bad?
And I hardly think Taipei has “some of the best Chinese food in the world.” Taipei has lots of “pretty OK” Taiwanized Chinese food, a very small amount of “half decent” almost-authentic Chinese food, tons of mediocre, greasy Taiwanese slop, and small quantities of traditional Taiwanese food done right.
OK… OP, where in the US are you from? I’m from the New York area, home of “REAL” Chinese food, not authentic, but real. There’s a difference.
You may not be able to find the “American style” Chinese food here but you can come close.
In many larger towns you will find restaurants that cater to families and large groups. They are a little more expensive than your average “lunch box” place. They have round tables inside.
Besides the typical American Chinese dishes you will find that American restaurants basically have Americanized copies of Chinese banquet food so what better place to go to is there than a “banquet” Chinese restaurant. You wont get General Tsao’s Chicken but you can probably get Kung Pao Chicken instead. I was able to get a few dishes that let me smell the taste of home again.
It’s true. Taiwanese enjoy textures more, and strong flavors less. So local food can appear blander than you’d might otherwise like. Ironically, there is a ton of salt in most local food, and the vegetarian food is worse.
Strong flavors like sweet, spicy, garlic, etc. tend to be muted… and I still hear remarks like “It’s so sweet!”… just yesterday that happened. Also, I note that some dishes are so complex, that they can appear ‘weird’ when they mix so many different ingredients…
Actually this is extremely accurate observation. When I go out with friends for meals Chinese food is almost always completely ignored, as if they don’t even exist.
When I was a postgraduate in Taiwan, had to beg my classmates to go to a Hakka restaurant of something, rather than another bland abysmal pasta/ faux-Western affair. Response was always that Chinese restaurants are for going to with your parents.
Opposite when I lived in China, loads of trendy new Chinese restaurants and usually the main choice in the evening for young people.
I may be wrong, but my observation anyway.
Rechao restaurants are popular, for business functions or with friends, but wouldnt be cool.
Hi Long time lurker, first time poster. Why don’t you just make your own? I doubt that a Panda Express or 中美式 are going to go over well in Taiwan (just too sweet for locals). You can get the recipes here: Chinese American food
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I’m not talking panda express quality lol was thinking more like PF Changs. As in,
Saucy, chicken breast, boneless, skinless, not boiled, no fat thin sliced for beef, beef n broccoli, that sort of stuff.
I used to live in Honolulu.
Make my own? Ha… Maybe 
never thought about it! For whatever reason, boneless skinless chicken breast is cheaper than chicken leg here (terrible rumor that chicken breast is dry, yet all the premium places use it lol).
… RIP boneless skinless chicken breast that I don’t have to cook myself 
You can find them in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, excetera but that is just another area in which Taiwan lacks a Cosmopolitan or International flavor.
Yes, Yes there is… it is called MacDonald’s!
Dude PF Changs sucks ass. Panda at least has Chinese management.
Yeah chicken breast is dry, but that’s why you marinade it and also use cornstatch.
some of the comments here… “mediocre, greasy Taiwanese slop,” jesus, the grass is always greener on the other side or something like that…
theres a few dishes i miss, and the sheng jian bao in shanghai are way better than the taiwanese version but hey i can eat those when i go to china.