Authentic Northern and Sichuan

Do NOT go to Three Peppers in Taichung if you want anything remotely authentic.
I asked them before ordering whether they used huajiao (Sichuan pepper) in their cooking. The waitress didn’t know what I was talking about at first, but then said ‘Yes, yes,’ and asked ‘do you like to eat hot/spicy food?’, which was odd as huajiao is numbing, not hot.

Anyway, not one of the four dishes we ordered had the faintest hint of Sichuan pepper. They were also all very mild, including the Mapo dofu (which used pork mince, not the correct beef).

We had finished three of the dishes and waited a further 15 minutes before the fourth, a fish dish arrived. It was pretty nice when it did come, although as with the other dishes didn’t really have anything to do with Sichuan cookery.

Ever since living in that part of the world I’ve developed a love for northern Chinese cuisine. Can anyone suggest a good spot for it in Taipei?

I am not a particularly big fan of northern cuisine but I went to Shao Shao Ke once and the food was good and I liked the atmosphere of this little restaurant. Other people used to swear by it on this board. I assume it is still there but not sure. Always wanted to go back but never found the time. Following is a clipping from a write-up in the TT a few years back on an article titled, “Top Ten Restaurants”.

Shao Shao Ke
Address: 15, Lane 41, Jenai Rd., Sec. 2.
Telephone: (02) 2351-7148.
Open: 11:30am to 2:30pm, 5:30pm to 10:30pm (closed Mondays).
Average meal: NT$500.
Details: No English menu. Credit cards accepted.

A Taiwanese girl visits China to study Chinese medicine and comes back a chef. This is the story behind one of Taipei’s best-known Sha’anxi restaurants. Carly Lee now offers the great tastes and the decor she experienced in China’s remote northwest. Shao Shao Ke serves dishes from the arid region where unleavened bread, lamb and fragrant spices make up the cuisine of the area’s predominantly Muslim population. But Shao Shao Ke offers more than up-market versions of peasant food. In line with a trend to promote dishes from China’s past, the restaurant has worked up a number of “historical” dishes which are no longer found in regular Chinese cuisine.

There aren’t any authentic Sichuan restaurants in Taipei because the Taiwanese would not actually be able to eat authentic Sichuan food. That said, there are a fair number of restaurants that serve Taiwanesed Sichuan food, and they aren’t bad - just don’t think you’re eating the real thing.
Real Sichuan food is HOT - and I don’t mean just Thai hot or Korean hot. Sichuan food is liberally dosed with the numbing pepper; in other words, in order to eat Sichuan food, your mouth has to be numb. You’re not getting this in Taipei.

[quote=“bababa”]There aren’t any authentic Sichuan restaurants in Taipei because the Taiwanese would not actually be able to eat authentic Sichuan food. That said, there are a fair number of restaurants that serve Taiwanesed Sichuan food, and they aren’t bad - just don’t think you’re eating the real thing.
Real Sichuan food is HOT - and I don’t mean just Thai hot or Korean hot. Sichuan food is liberally dosed with the numbing pepper; in other words, in order to eat Sichuan food, your mouth has to be numb. You’re not getting this in Taipei.[/quote]

I have yet to find an authentic Sichuan restaurant. For a start they don’t carry the range of dishes (in Taiwan Sichuan food starts with Gong Bao Ji Ding and ends with Ma Po Dou Fu) and they don’t use Sichuan peppers. Simple as that. But the Chilli House is a good restaurant with good food. But it’s not particularly authentic Sichuan food.

Sichuan food contains Sichuan peppers. End of story. If your mouth’s not numb, you’re not eating Sichuan food. Drowning the dish in red hot chilli peppers is not a substitute. And when you ask for one of the most famous Sichuan dishes of the lot and they don’t do it, you know you’re not in a Sichuan restaurant. (This happened in another “Sichuan” restaurant, not the Chilli House.

A good norther restaurant is called I think “Cai Xing” at the corner of Nan Chang Lu and He Ping Xi Lu. Good quality bog standard Jia Chang Cai. Very good. Very cheap. It was reviewed in the English press a while back.

God I love Northern Chinese food. Maybe we should start an eating club. The stuff is so damn hard to find.

Thank you Interlocutor for the restaurant suggestion. A friend and I went there tonight based on your recommendation. Not hard to get to from a variety of ways. Easiest I think would be take any one of the RenAi bus lines that start with 26*. Get off at RenAi-LinYi stop. Lane 41 is right behind the BMW motorcycle shop and 7-11 (JinShan S. Rd). Reservations are taken and can be recommended if you go a bit early. We arrived around 7pm and was very busy.

A number of dishes were not available on the spot but needed to be pre-ordered such as the lamb leg special (comes with 3 entree’s @ ~ NT$1700). No ox-tail was available tonight either. Their standard fare of Poah Maoh was average good. Pork tendon was very good and extra spicey. The roasted cold beef was very tender and probably the best dish we had this evening. My friend and I definitely will go back there and order their specialties.

lsieh wrote:

Glad you liked it lsieh and thanks for providing the great directions. Very useful for those of us without cars and who like to have a drop or two with our meals (I remember you are a Jack Daniels man like me, we must have the same tastes.)

I’m glad to hear that this place is still there and now I must put it on my list to get back to soon. Your report regarding pre-ordering is very helpful also, that lamb leg special sounds very good, as does the roasted cold beef. I often get take-out food from a couple of places in that area, Chen Ji the Vietnamese restaurant and Wing House, and it is a stone’s throw from Alleycat’s as I remember. I’ll stop in and check the menu to see what should be pre-ordered.

Next time you go if you could post again with more or PM me I would really appreciate it.