Wanted to pick a place not too far from home to avoid fighting through the new-year celebration crowd converging on the 101. GF's cousin suggested this place, and I put in my vote for the sour cabbage hot-pot. as a change of pace from the usual Sichuan ma-la hot&spicy. The place wasn't as fancy as all the fancy new places in the area, but it was scrupulously clean and plenty packed with folks waiting by the door.
The basic hot-pot package came with plenty of trimmings but we ordered some more plates of hot-pot stuff and got to cooking. The fermented sour napa cabbage is a Bejing/northern style, but the sour flavor is very much similar to the Hakka which is fermented mustard greens. The familiar flavor made it more like homey comfort food. The soup base contained plenty of good stuff beside the namesake cabbage. Thinly sliced fatty pork belly added fattiness and richness to counterpoint the sour broth. A whole halved crab sure was impressive, and provided plenty of umami. The side dishes such as the chive pockets and scallion pancakes were crisply pan-fried and tasty, too.
The clear cooking broth meant that the dipping sauce played a bigger role. They provide a wide array of condiments for you to whip up your own mix, but also set out a recommended recipe which I happily ignored. The soy sauce makes up the base, of course. A generous sprinkle of scallions and a sprinkle of fresh sliced chilis for freshness. A dash of sesame oil and a small spoonful of sesame sauce for that distinct toasted flavor. Never seen the bright green mashed chive flowers before so throw in a small spoonful of that for the heck of it. A bit of mashed garlic because more garlic is always better Finally top it off with a splash of lemon juice for acidic brightness and more flavorful than the standard white vinegar.
The plates of meats, veggies, and other things (e.g. duck blood chunks) were expensive but generously portioned. Everything cooked quickly in the boiling broth and my dipping sauce combination was a real winner, IMHO. The clear broth allowed one to enjoy the flavors without the tongue-blistering heat of the ma-la hot-pot. Not to mention that by the end of the meal, all the stuff cooking in the pot made the broth pure goodness.
The most surprising thing, GF's cousin paid (everyone keels over in shock)! Not that I mind paying the tab, but having someone else pick up the tab once is nice on a symbolic level, at least. Maybe that was the real reason why the whole meal tasted better.
長白小館
台北市大安區光復南路240巷53號
(延吉街口)
02-27513525