新陶芳

Restaurant Name: New Tao Fang
Location: Next to the Cultural Bureau of Hsinchu City

New Tao Fang is located near the Cultural Bureau of Hsinchu City, with a spacious dining area and comfortable table spacing. The overall atmosphere leans towards a traditional Chinese restaurant, making it suitable for family gatherings or meals with multiple people. The menu primarily features Chinese dishes with a diverse selection, but the performance of the dishes during this meal showed significant inconsistencies.

The "Oyster Sauce Chinese Broccoli with Beef" was quite disappointing. The beef had a powdery texture, lacking elasticity, and the oyster sauce was excessively thick, which not only masked the natural sweetness of the Chinese broccoli but also made the dish feel heavy and greasy, resulting in an unsatisfactory dish.

In contrast, the "Fortune Fresh Shrimp Balls" performed exceptionally well. The shrimp meat was large, fresh, and very bouncy, and the batter was not overly hard, making it a delightful dish in this meal. However, the mayonnaise was a bit excessive, making it slightly greasy towards the end; a little less would make it more enjoyable.

The "Silver Thread Rolls" had a crispy exterior and a soft interior, with an acceptable texture but an average flavor, making it an unnecessary side dish. The "Steamed Taro," however, was unexpectedly delicious, with soft and creamy taro that had a natural sweetness. It was somewhat on the sweet side overall, making it more suitable as a dessert rather than a main dish.

The soup "Sauerkraut Braised Fat Duck" was one of the highlights of the meal. The broth had a pleasantly sour aroma, and the fat duck was tender without being greasy. The sauerkraut successfully balanced the richness of the dish, making it a comforting soup that would encourage you to have several bowls.

The "Crispy Tofu" did not perform well, with an overly thick coating that made it dry and overly powdery, completely overshadowing the tofu’s delicate texture. Finally, the "Leek and Eel Paste" redeemed itself, with tender eel that had no fishy taste and well-defined leek aroma, with just the right amount of thickening—making it a dish that hit the mark in both cooking time and seasoning.

Overall, the quality of the dishes at New Tao Fang is not very consistent, with some worth trying and other clearly avoidable options, requiring some discernment when ordering.