笑居樂食居酒屋小料理

Item: 笑居樂食居酒屋小料理
Rating: 4.5
Author: 每個人都在找他的貓

Dinner3 ppl$750

about 1 month ago

📍Location: New Taipei, Taiwan

Xiao Ju is a place where you can eat to your heart's content and leave with a smile. This is my second visit; after being very satisfied the last time, I brought my family this time and, without thinking, we ordered too much 😂.

The menu here is very interesting; once you sit down, they serve each person a "sacred edict." When you open the scroll, you find a super long handwritten menu—it's too cute 😆. This time we had a meal for three, and we ordered a lot of items, which I'll describe in the photos. Overall, every dish was excellent, except for one chicken cartilage that wasn’t to my taste; all the others were exquisite and delicious, with seasonings that were flavorful and well-balanced.

The staff were very friendly. When we mentioned that our drinks hadn’t arrived, they quickly addressed it. The entire place exudes a joyful atmosphere, making it a great spot for chatting with friends and family.

Aside from thinking the prices are a bit high, everything else was fantastic. There's also an elementary school parking lot next door, which is very convenient. Coming here occasionally for a meal is definitely worthwhile; I recommend it! 👍

Perilla Snowflake Pork Roll with Tomato $79/串 This dish is a family favorite, so we ordered three sticks all at once 😆 one for each person. It looks quite nice when served stacked like this. The roasted tomato is wrapped in snowflake pork slices, which makes it taste really fragrant. The first bite brings the aroma of the grilled snowflake pork fat, followed by the juicy burst of tomato 🍅. It's very refreshing and delicious, and the combination somehow makes the tomato taste quite sweet. It's a strangely delightful texture, and even after eating one stick by myself, I didn't feel overwhelmed. Highly recommended! 👍

Garlic Braised Beef Tendon $189 This dish is my personal favorite ☝️ The beef tendon is cut into small pieces, making it easy to eat, and it's braised until it's tender and melts in your mouth. It has a rich garlic flavor, and paired with onions, it’s incredibly refreshing and delicious. I really can’t help but keep picking at it. A must-order! 👍

Crispy Fried Hiroshima Oysters $219 Tasty as it is, but it feels a bit empty to pay 73 bucks for just one bite 😂 I personally think oysters are better enjoyed raw; when they become fried, they feel more ordinary. This dish is optional to order.

Chirp Chirp Soulful Chicken Cartilage $169 Tonight, this dish felt the most ordinary. The chicken cartilage was fried crispy but a bit on the dry side. Sprinkling the already dry chili powder made it even drier, and the chili powder's seasoning was just average. Although a bit of ground peanuts was added to enhance the chewiness and aroma, it couldn't be saved 😂. This dish is not recommended.

Grilled Zucchini Skewers $99 This is not just plain grilled zucchini; the surface of the zucchini is wrapped with a ring of fragrant grilled meat slices (score?). The juicy zucchini paired with the meat slices is really delicious, and I feel like I could also try making this at home to add a bit more flavor. Highly recommended! 👍

Close-up of roasted zucchini.

Grilled squid sausage $169 The sausage contains solid pieces of squid meat, and it's paired with mayonnaise, which is quite unusual. The flavor is milder than the typical garlic pairing with sausages. It is tasty but not overwhelmingly impressive. Considering the price for two sausages, it feels a bit high; this dish is optional to order.

Close-up of squid sausage.

Crispy Fried Squid (This dish is a wall special not on the menu) The fried foods here are quite impressive, and the fried squid is a classic unbeatable dish. It is also delicious when paired with seaweed salt on the side. Highly recommended! 👍

Grilled Chicken Wings $139 This dish took quite a while to arrive; the grilling took some time. The chicken wings are incredibly fragrant and become more flavorful the more you chew. It's a great appetizer to pair with drinks, highly recommended.

Close-up of chicken wings.

Crab Roe Tofu $229 The lowest value for money in the market 😂 The sponsor's heart is bleeding... The portion is very small, just a cup of tofu soup with a tiny bit of crab roe on top. This is really too much; a cup only has one bite for each person, and I didn't even get to taste the crab roe. The tofu itself is decent, but I can't comment on the crab roe. This dish is more suitable for individual enjoyment; I wouldn't recommend it.

Tofu close-up.

Salmon Grilled Rice Ball $39 Although the rice ball really takes up a lot of stomach space, the grilled rice ball with a crispy outer layer is really fragrant and delicious, making it hard to resist. Every grain of rice is well mixed with the seaweed, giving each bite a lot of flavor. This is the best value meal of the day, highly recommended! 👍

Secret recipe miso braised large intestine $189 This dish features braised large intestine that has been cooked until soft with miso. The miso flavor is rich, and a lot of chopped green onions are added to enhance the taste, making it very delicious. However, it is a dish that should be eaten hot; it becomes a bit greasy when cooled. Pairing it with white rice might make it better, as eating it alone can become a bit overwhelming towards the end.