That Little Town
G1019, Kam Shing Mansion, Stage 10, Taikoo Shing
Tel: 2513 8886
Taiwanese cuisine isn't particularly popular in Hong Kong and there are only a few restaurants specialising in it. Perhaps this is because it's rich and oily, with strong flavours of chillies, garlic and heavy sauces - the antithesis of Cantonese.
Fortunately for adventurous eaters, a new Taiwanese restaurant has opened. Tucked away in the labyrinth of Taikoo Shing's apartment blocks, That Little Town is simply decorated and brightly lit. The menu is brief, but lists all the Taiwanese favourites (plus a few Sichuan dishes): duck's tongues, fried pig's intestines, stewed beef in chilli oil, and desserts of shaved ice.
There were only three of us, but we ordered more than we could possibly eat because we had to appease a non-meat eater and two of us who were salivating at the thought of our favourite Taiwanese dishes. Preserved egg with bean curd and pork floss ($38) was a good version of this cold dish, the crisply friable pork floss providing great contrast to the softer textures of the other two main ingredients. Another cold dish, of stewed crystal bitter gourd ($58), was surprisingly refreshing. The long, slow cooking had toned down the strong, bitter flavour and bright, green colour of the vegetable, making it sweet and subtle. The large, flat oyster omelette ($46) was light, with crisp edges and succulent oysters.