Taiwan: Tian Chu Cai Guan

For our epic last dinner together in Taiwan, my friends (both old and new) and I made reservations for some Peking duck at Tian Chu Cai Guan:

You know a Chinese restaurant is legit when it is filled with older people and the chairs come with seat covers:

We thought that we should order some other stuff besides Peking duck. We started off with this pan-fried tofu:

The tofu was super supple and silky, while the egg batter was hot and crunchy.

We also ordered a green onion pancake:

The pancake was perfectly crispy and stuffed with green onion...but not salty enough for me. I think my dad makes the best green onion pancakes.

The Peking duck came in 3 dishes. First someone came over to our table to show us the finished roasted duck, but before I could even reach for my camera, he whisked it away again. Within 10 minutes a plate of duck skin was placed in front of us. Once again, before I could take a picture, a server (I shall call her the "Peking Duck Wrapping MACHINE") began wrapping a serving for all of us. I managed to sneak a picture from under her arm:

The Peking Duck Wrapping MACHINE finished each wrap, complete with sauce and green onion, in under 15 seconds with only a pair of chopsticks and her thumbnail:

Next came a plate of thinly sliced duck meat:

We asked for another plate of the crepes. After we ate all the skin, we started wrapping the duck meat.

The final installment of the duck trilogy was the duck noodle soup:

I ate so many Peking duck wraps that I could barely fit in any soup.

The meal ended with a complimentary almond jelly dessert:

I don't like almond jelly, but I took a few bites because it was free.

Tian Chu Cai Guan is fantastic. The Peking duck in 3 dishes cost 1000 NT (slightly over $30), which is comparable to prices in the States. Even so, it was amazingly good. It was totally enough for the 5 of us. If I could do it again, I wouldn't order the tofu or the green onion pancake.

天廚菜館
104台北市中山區南京西路1號
02-2563-2171