Restaurant Experience: 花彘(ㄓˋ)醺 Hua Zhi Xun, Taipei, TW
So here's a little interlude on all the Japan posts I've been putting up. This drastic change of pace takes us to a Japanese fusion restaurant in Taipei. Yes, terribly drastic, I know. I figured I would be unpredictable and just switch things up a bit. Also, in case you couldn't tell, I was being quite sarcastic.
This restaurant was introduced to me by my dear brother, Sam, and is neatly tucked away in a quiet alley in the hip-happening district of Dongqu (東區), or Taipei's own East Village. Though not quite as hip as the East Village in Manhattan, Dongqu boasts quite a few gems when it comes to dining and drinking. Hua Zhi Xun is definitely one of these acclaimed gems.
I didn't get much of a chance to take pictures of the interior, but it's a very chic looking place that seats about 40 guests, with the regretful accommodations of only one bathroom in the back. There is also a bouquet-like structure of painted Chinese lanterns towards the entrance, seeming to punctuate the fact that this is a restaurant that boasts not only Japanese and Western, but also intra-Asian combinations.
Sam had made reservations, so we were very politely and efficiently led to a table. Upon being seated, we were presented with a menu. The server also notified us that if we found ourselves in need of recommendations, a course list would be suggested to us and given to us to modify as we saw fit.
Here's a brief translation of the name. The first character 花 is "flower," the second character 彘 means "swine," and the third, 醺, means "drunk." So I have no idea what the whole thing is supposed to mean altogether, but given the design of the menu I'm guessing the whole concept is dedicated to a drunken pig amidst a flower bush. But I could be wrong.
Menus, unfortunately, do not come in English, nor are they detailed in photographic placements so it is near impossible to divine the dishes unless traditional Chinese is actually understood. The servers may have a basic knowledge of English, but I don't know how extensive that is. Either way, I don't suggest coming here without a translator to facilitate the process.
In the end, we simply opted for a recommended course list given to us by the server, with a few little add-ons and removals to suit our own taste. I also ordered a bottle of hot sake for I was denied cold beer by my mother on the basis that I had a sore throat. Boo.
These were some house made chip-like nibbles for us to thoughtfully munch on as we slowly decided what to eat. These were highly addictive and way too delicious for something so fried. But then again, isn't almost anything fried just purely delicious? Take fried corn for example. Yeah, you heard me: fried corn. Corn that is first steamed or blanched and then battered and deep fried. Ever heard of it before? Nope, me neither until this restaurant.
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Japanese Salad
Topped with seaweed and a healthy drizzle of miso ginger dressing, the salad was crisp, simple, and refreshing. The brown section from 4 o'clock to 6 o'clock is seasoned tofu skin, which I found didn't add too much to the overall experience, but I could just be biased because I've never had it in salad before. The bottom of this little veggie teepee was simply a mound of iceberg lettuce, which, with its high content of water, almost thinned out the dressing a little too much. Almost. Not quite though. It worked as a whole to lend to the "healthy" feeling experience that one seeks to find in a salad.
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Japanese Beef Carpaccio
This dish was served absolutely freezing cold. The beef teepee (I'm seeing a theme here with the teepee shaped foods) was built around thinly sliced raw onions that had probably been soaked in ice water because they didn't have too much of a kick to them. The sauce was a very light and slightly sweet, offsetting the minimum amount of tang of the onions and enhancing the flavors of the beef. I am a massive fan of traditional Italian carpaccio, but this take is quite delicious as well.
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Orange Glazed Duck Breast
To be honest, this didn't really strike my fancy that much at all because I am extremely picky about my duck. I am an avid duck fan, and generally prefer my duck breasts to go without sauce because the meat itself is already moist with the extra oiliness brought about by the skin and the fat. The flavor of the sauce didn't do much to enhance the natural sweetness of the meat - which was frankly a bit overcooked - and the texture of the sauce just coated the duck in an almost candied layer. Sorry. I think this is the most scathing review on a dish I've given on my blog so far.
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Seared Scallops Stuffed with Crab Liver Topped with Ikura
This was one of my favorite dishes all night. The scallops were probably blowtorched, adding just the tiniest hint of a smokey flavor, which only helped emphasize the sweetness of the scallops and the liver. The sauce underneath was perfect with its thin consistency and lightly sweet tinge, helping moisten the texture of the bite without bogging it down. Crab isn't usually my favorite thing, but the darker liver bits were creamy and slightly reminiscent of uni, or sea urchin. The small bits of ikura, salmon roe, on top just brought the last surprise adding a pop and more sweetness to the overall experience. Sounds like a lot, but trust me, it worked.
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Spicy Beef Tartare with Pine Nuts
I had very mixed feelings about this one. The flavors of the oil were very good, and the texture of the beef mixed with the raw egg and scallions were fantastic. Though I'm sure the intentions were good with kicking the heat up a notch, the spiced oil ended up making the dish a little mucky and overwhelming.
Also, the addition of daikon (Japanese white radish) strands at the same time made and broke the dish. The crisp texture and the lightly sweet flavor of the radish posed a nice juxtaposition, but the high water content clashed with the oil bits and the creamy egg yolk. Also, the pine nuts may have been an extraneous touch. I am probably just a little reluctant to accept the fusion aspect of this traditional French dish, but that's just me.
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Assorted Nigiri (from top to bottom):
Uni - sea urchin, torched salmon with ikura, and flounder
I am always a fan of nigiri. I can ALWAYS go for sushi, sashimi, and nigiri. This is my go-to food choice if it's accessible and affordable, and I have developed quite a palate for such snacks.The torched salmon may have been a touch on the greasy side, but torched nigiri is usually a little too much for me. I like 'em all natural. The uni was loaded to the brim with fresh and deliciously fat meat, though the seaweed had probably sat out for a while and got a little soggy. The flounder was sweet with fantastic texture and the brown sauce drizzled over the top surprisingly did not overwhelm. I was very happy with this dish.
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Deep-Fried Shiitake Mushrooms Stuffed with Oysters
First impression about this dish: hot. I mean blistering heat that will cook your tongue if you don't let it cool first. Poor Elliot, in his eagerness, bit into his a little too soon and seared his mouth. Heat matter aside, this dish was a fascinating concept for me. I love fried mushrooms, and I love stuffed mushrooms. The black layer lining the inside of the crust is seaweed. The fact that they used fresh Shiitake made it easier for them to "stuff" the mushrooms, and the presentation was then also made easier by splicing each mushroom in half. Flavor, however, was lacking a little bit. Natural sweetness stood on its own, but the batter was bland and I detected little to no salt.
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Italian Haobayaki
Haobayaki is a very traditional dish in Japanese kaiseki cuisine, in which a large piece of dried magnolia leaf is placed upon a small coal stove. Cubes of seared beef are then placed on top of this magnolia leaf along with some sauce and thinly sliced scallions. HZX's take was to throw in some garlic chips and Italian herbs - it was pretty damned good. Even my mother, who was full at this point in the meal, kept going back for more of these bite-sized morsels. This was one of the more expensive dishes at NT$580 (US$19.58) but it was definitely well worth it.
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Baked Fish with Pesto Oil
I don't really want to talk about this dish. The scales on the fish had somehow curled up during baking process and now resembles either a mass layer of larvae eggs or a used nose tape. I don't know what this fish is, I don't remember what it tasted like, and I'm not keen on edible flowers. I think I took one bite just because I owed myself to try it, but the crunch of the scales just killed me. Elliot cleaned off my plate. Just thinking about it freaks me out. I am so sorry if I'm offending anyone but I have a deep-seated, goosebump-raising fear of certain mass recurring patterns of a miniature scale. Like butterfly scales and lava rocks. Don't judge me (too harshly.)
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Mochi-Filled Fried Teriyaki Wings
This last dish was an interesting concept, but the stickiness of the mochi was too similar to the glazed skin, so everything kind of mushed together. I would have opted for the option of mentaiko (spicy cod roe) stuffed wings, seeing as the conflicting textures would've given me more inclination to devour them. The mochi was also a little flavorless, but it was definitely balanced out by the intense flavor of the glaze. I do suggest trying this if you are willing, because the simple fact that someone took the time to debone a chicken wing and then stuff rice cakes in there deserves at least an attempt.
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So there is my grand review. I won't be back in Taiwan until very late May, and I will only have a month, so this restaurant will not be my top choice. Not because it isn't good, but because I have so many other small things I want to eat that no proper restaurant can serve right. If you are truly Taiwanese, then you know the best foods are found in food carts and grungy alleyways.
Dreaming of my return, until later guys.
花彘醺 Hua Zhi Xun
台北市仁愛路四段345巷15弄8號
#8, Lane 15, Alley 345, RenAi Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei, Taiwan
+886-2777-1479
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