開飯川食堂 京站店

[Foodholic Niko@Taipei]

"Kaifan Chuan Restaurant" is a restaurant that my family or friends and I often choose for dining together. This time, we came specifically for the collaboration dishes created by Chef Zheng Zhishan from the Korean variety show "Black and White Chefs."

Spicy Creamy Golden Shrimp Balls $320
There are only three pieces in a serving, and to be honest, it is quite expensive. However, the shrimp is pretty large, and with the crispy fried outer layer dipped in spicy creamy sauce, it is indeed delicious. Yet, perhaps my expectations were too high, so it didn’t reach the level of being “super delicious” that I would come to the restaurant to have specifically.

Bird’s Nest Caramel Pumpkin Pudding $130
This dish has very mixed reviews online; many say it's more about creativity. But maybe because I had low expectations, I found it quite tasty! The base is made of pumpkin, so the pudding is sweet without being sickly. Its softness is just right, and the top layer of caramel is hard, so you have to be careful not to hurt your mouth or tongue. The texture is a bit like cotton candy melting in your mouth.

Spicy Crispy Pork $340
This dish is also a new limited-time item. At first bite, I thought the crispy pork was a bit too hard, but it became more addictive with each bite. There’s a nice fragrance from the fried flour when you chew. However, the accompanying spicy seasoning powder didn’t really add to the taste for me; it was a bit lacking in quality and you could skip it.

Kung Pao Chicken $320
When this dish was served, it was loaded with chilies. I initially comforted myself thinking they were just for decoration, but it turned out to be quite spicy. In my opinion, it has a medium level of spiciness and is somewhat salty, needing rice and drinks to balance it out. The chicken wasn’t as tender this time.

Sichuan Pepper Fried Egg $290
I order this dish every time. It's a fried egg with a runny yolk, and it goes really well with white rice. However, it is quite spicy too, reaching from mild to medium spiciness.

Dry-Fried Green Beans $290
The green beans weren’t very crispy and had a soft texture, but I actually liked it. They also stir-fried some minced meat into the dish, making it easy to eat a lot of white rice.

I personally think this place is quite suitable for larger groups, but if there are only 2-3 people, it’s not as appropriate since most dishes are on the saltier and spicier side, and each portion is quite large. So either you end up ordering too little and feel a bit empty, or you order too much and end up too full and greasy.

For example, when we dined as two people this time, we accidentally ordered five dishes and a dessert, and almost half of it had to be packed up because we simply couldn’t finish. Plus, we kept wanting to drink more.

Fortunately, "Kaifan Chuan Restaurant" offers a cranberry drink to help alleviate the heaviness, and you can refill it as much as you want, which is definitely a plus!