♛ Dinner and late-night bites you must try—rich spiced curry x meticulously crafted set meal ♛ #Shuangshu in Xinying

The first time I heard about Xibei Restaurant was on Threads. The enthusiasm of local youth for their cooking and their passion for the Xibei area in Tainan shone brightly, making it hard not to remember.

Let's make it a habit to try something different at Shuangshu on Friday night—so I decided to explore it.

［ What I ordered that day ］
💃🏻 Spiced Curry $190
💃🏻 Chicken with Dried Chili $190
(This is the summer version of the daily set meal—Fridays)
💃🏻 Orange Earl Grey $50
💃🏻 Honey Earl Grey $40
(Drinks paired with set meals are $10 off)

First of all, I really love the richness of the #SpicedCurry! Dipping a bite of white rice into the moist curry sauce, the creamy texture brings a sense of happiness, followed by a burst of spices like fireworks.

I can completely imagine the effort the chef put into simmering, slowly cooking a pot filled with a base of plenty of vegetables, yogurt, and spices, fragrant but not heavy, with ample and substantial ingredients. Speaking of ingredients, the chicken thigh pieces inside are incredibly tender and pair perfectly with the sauce.

I'm not a fan of spicy food, but this was the first bowl of mildly spicy curry that I finished completely (the restaurant offers free rice refills, and if you finish the added rice, you can get a discount). After getting extra rice, I felt full but didn’t want to waste the sauce, so I tried to scoop up the sauce with some steamed vegetables on the side and was pleasantly surprised at how well it paired—absolutely loved it!

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Unknowingly, I've written quite a bit about the curry; the upcoming #ChickenWithDriedChili set may not get as much attention, not because it wasn’t delicious (in fact, it was quite tasty) but because my dining partner was the one eating it (I was too focused on digging up curry sauce 🤣).

The Chicken with Dried Chili was similarly topped with rich, tender chicken thigh meat, fragrant and spicy. My partner knows I love king oyster mushrooms, so they shared some with me, and I found the tender, flavorful texture unforgettable.

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Both dishes were mildly spicy, and despite our fear of spice, we rated them highly because the flavors were rich and crafted with care. Thankfully, we ordered drinks, and two large, tall beer glasses were filled with Earl Grey concoctions (orange and honey). Sipping them down was refreshing and made me realize that having Earl Grey as a pairing drink was quite unique!

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This small restaurant does not cut corners on ingredients or cooking methods, and the cozy atmosphere is evident. Whether through direct experience or by observing the menu, you can see the passion of local youth for cultivating and conveying their ideals. With both a story and substance, how could you not support them?