The second Hong Kong branch of the popular Taiwanese restaurant Du Hsiao Yueh has opened in the basement of Times Square in Causeway Bay. Nestled in a corner by the escalators, the shop offers unpretentious and flavourful dishes from the city of Tainan, Taiwan’s food capital.

Established in 1895, the restaurant chain is famed for two of its Tainan specialities: dan zai rice noodles and braised minced pork rice. In Hong Kong they come in very small portions (and at HK$28 each, they’re priced accordingly) so they work better as starters.

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As we were very hungry we ordered heartier dishes. The three cup chicken pot (HK$98) came sizzling hot, with the waitress giving it a final stir with a spoon before serving. The chicken was well-cooked and still tender, the thick sauce giving it a strong flavour.

The preserved egg and meat floss tofu (HK$38) worked as a palate cleanser with the toppings flavouring the otherwise bland bean curd.

We also had the grilled pepper pork (HK$68), served with rice vinegar as a dipping sauce. The combination worked surprisingly well together, with the tanginess of the vinegar balancing out the peppery taste of the pork.

Topping off the meal was the king oyster mushroom fried rice (HK$88). Like the other dishes we had, it was full of strong flavours and bright colours. In the end, the flavours were a bit too much and we had to keep drinking water to quench the thirst brought on by the saltiness of the whole meal.