Today marks the second time that we've dined at Kao-Chi, and I'm pretty sure it won't be the last. It never gets too crowded at the restaurant--whether it be around the usual lunch or dinner time rush--and although there aren't lines forming out the door, I feel it's hardly a loss since the food at Kao-Chi is not only delicious, but also more budget-friendly!
All of the appetizers are places out on a side table next to the outer wall of the kitchen. I'm pretty sure you just get up and go over, choose what you want, tell the waiter, then go back to your seat and wait for the servers to bring it to you. Maybe. I'm not sure though, cause after spending 5 minutes going back and forth from my seat to the appetizer table, I ended up not picking anything.
These Shanghai-style fried pork buns are my guilty pleasure, and are usually brought first to our table in a hot pan with its traditional wooden cover. Remove the lid and you find 10 (my picture only shows 8 because my mom couldn't wait any longer to dig in) small pork buns, pan-fried to perfection, each topped with a sprinkle of white sesame seeds. Each soft and chewy bun encases a juicy pork filling that is shaped into a miniature ball, but the best part is the bottom of the bun where the dough has a crispy texture. Yeah I know, they're not the cleanest of eats, but one or two on a good day is fine by me =)
THIS is another one of my guilty pleasures. It's so good, I can't even... I don't know, I mean the glossy look of this dish is a dead give-away to how much oil the chef could have possibly used, but my mom is always reminding me that the amount of oil is what makes the food so savory and delicious. And I can't really argue with that, cause this dish is heavenly.
This is sautéed eel with leek sprouts, but apparently it isn't actually eel, but another type of fish. But since I have no idea what the English term for that actual fish is, and since the menu also refers to it as eel, I guess I'll just stick with eel. Anyways, after stirring and mixing the contents of the dish to evenly distribute the sauces and ginger slices and all, pair a piece of 'eel' with some leek sprouts and you get this viscous yet crisp texture that's almost exotic. It's basically slurp-able, but I suggest chewing your food to get the real taste of the eel and leek sprouts. Each bite is sweet, salty, and savory all at once, so it's pretty hard not to hog it all to yourself. You have no idea how fast I ate just to make sure I got all the bigger pieces of eel ^_^
This is the Shanghai-style pork chop! I'm not much of a fried foods person so I actually didn't take a single bite of this...but from the testimonials of both my parents and sister, the pork chops have just the right crunch and tenderness, and didn't leave them (my parents and sister) with that overwhelmingly sick feeling that they usually get after consuming fried foods. So I guess that's a bonus? :D
This vegetable and tofu soup is another one of my favorites! I went through about four to five bowls (the bowls were small, don't judge me) of this light and refreshing soup. I'm a tofu-lover at heart, and I'm not exactly sure what the green stuff is (some type of vegetable? plant? not sure what though?) but I can tell you they tasted like slightly salty, melt-in-your-mouth miniature cotton balls...and so the soup isn't as bland as one might think from first impression.
Shrimp fried rice is the signature must-get dish at every restaurant we go to--for my dad and sister at least. I'm also not a big fried-rice eater--or a white rice eater for that matter--so everytime they order this I usually just take a shrimp or two, or take bites of the scrambled egg. More family testimonials assured that the fried rice was nonetheless delicious.
And lastly, dessert! Milk pudding with mango syrup topped with half a Maraschino cherry :) SO. GOOD. This creamy, custardy goodness is like heaven in your palate, more so than any of my other favorites described above. My major sweet tooth has become even more of a problem since coming to Taiwan, but really, who can resist when you've got such decadent desserts all around you? The velvety pudding has a very strong, milky taste and smooth texture that melts away on your taste buds. The taste is reminiscent of a certain Hokkaido milk ice cream I had several times at Mitsuwa while in America (Hokkaido is famous for their dairy products, and because their cows are raised in an area of cool climate, fresh air, and rich grasslands, they grow naturally and healthily, producing milk that has a very strong taste; so you best believe their milk tastes creamy and good!).
To end our dinner today, we ordered two of these rich milk puddings, both of which were devoured within seconds upon arrival. If anything, I think the pudding is what will keep me going back to Kao-Chi.
Yeah, definitely the pudding.
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