【Foodholic Niko @ Taipei】

#Open During the New Year
However, we are only open on the eve of the Lunar New Year (1/27), and then we will be closed from New Year's Eve to the seventh day of the Lunar New Year (1/28-2/4), reopening on 2/5!

To conclude:
Aside from the lamb leg dish which is a bit overpriced when reserved, every dish is large, cheap, and delicious. It’s definitely worth multiple visits. And do order the fried milk tofu!!!

“Qin Taste Restaurant” is located near the National Taiwan Museum, and it’s a very famous Shaanxi cuisine restaurant in Taipei. If you want to dine here, make sure to reserve a table in advance!

Complimentary Small Dishes $0
Before we even placed our orders, the staff brought us two small plates of complimentary appetizers. One plate tasted similar to vegetable pancake, while the other was cold fish skin. Both were good, but definitely very spicy~~~

Tibetan Meat Soup Milk Tea $200
It’s made with beef broth, black brick tea, and milk, also known as “salty milk.” It sounds hard to imagine, but it actually tastes very approachable, similar to a tea pull, warm and sweet. Highly recommended!

Sour Spicy Shredded Potatoes (Small) $200
As soon as it was served, we could smell a very familiar sour aroma, similar to the famous Tainan dish “Stir-fried Eel Noodles.” It tasted super sour and refreshing, with finely shredded potatoes stir-fried with garlic. Everyone loved it; it’s a must-order!

Tender Sugarcane Soup (Small) $240
The small portion was already a huge bowl. Even with four of us sharing, we couldn’t finish it. The staff said this soup is lighter in flavor, reminiscent of the soup often served at weddings, just a bit clearer. It includes shiitake mushrooms, dried tofu, sugarcane heart, and cilantro. The sugarcane heart has a texture similar to bamboo shoots and tastes pretty good~

Grilled Short Ribs (Small) $420
It is said to be a dish served on the birthday banquet of Song Huizong. It looks like a fancy dish; the exterior is crispy, and the meat inside is not tough. It comes off the bone easily, and everyone thought this meat was better than the crispy lamb leg.

Oil Sprinkled Noodles $120
The noodles are made using wide belt noodles, giving them a very chewy, bouncy texture. Before eating, mix them with the sauce at the bottom; the spiciness is mild, making it suitable even for those who are not keen on spicy food.

Spicy Meat Cabbage (Small) $180
This dish is also prominently sour and resembles the seasoning of the sour spicy shredded potatoes, using fatty pork belly. It’s a very flavorful green dish, which I quite enjoyed, although a small downside is that it’s a bit oily.

Qin Style Egg Rice $120
On top of the rice sits a half-fried, half-scrambled egg, drizzled with soy sauce and topped with a few vegetable slices. At first glance, it looks quite ordinary, and the first bite didn’t stand out much, but the more I ate, the more I liked it. The egg is tender, and the soy sauce has a sweet and salty taste, evoking a nostalgic flavor reminiscent of pork lard mixed rice!

Crispy Lamb Leg (Reservation Required) $1980
I’ve seen many reviews stating that the lamb leg is a must-try, so even though the price is a bit high, we called two days ahead to reserve it. The portion is incredibly large; I’m not sure if it’s roasted or fried, but the skin is extremely crispy, coated in cumin powder with a strong cumin flavor! The gelatin between the skin and meat can stick to your teeth, with a strong lamb taste in the skin. The meat itself is alright and relatively tender, served with a bowl of chili water for dipping, along with some spice powder. However, because this was served towards the end of our meal, after eating so much, it felt a bit heavy, and I didn’t think it was especially remarkable. Plus, given its high price, I personally don’t think it’s a “must-order,” especially when there are few people. We ended up with two-thirds of it that we couldn’t finish and had to take it home.

Mongolian Fried Milk Tofu $60/each
This dessert is definitely a must-order! Coming here without trying the fried milk tofu would be a waste! It really doesn’t have much to do with tofu; it’s more like cheese wrapped in dough, deep-fried, and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. At first, it’s sweet, but as you reach the cheesy part, it becomes a savory-sweet experience. I can only say, SUPER RECOMMENDED! If I weren’t full to the brim, I would definitely order more.

This restaurant is particularly worth mentioning because both my friends and I felt that the staff here made us feel very comfortable. Almost every staff member had a big smile, and they were very willing to assist with customers’ needs, making for a very enjoyable meal!