Typically I’m not a huge Dim Sum fan, but since Mimi has been pretty deprived of it since moving to Japan, I gave in and decided to check out a famous place in Taipei called Chao Ping Ji.
Chao Ping Ji is on the second floor of the San Want Hotel and the seating area is much nicer than typical Dim Sum restaurants. Also, you sit down and order from a menu so all the dishes come out fresh. I prefer this to the typical push cart ordering style where serving temp, fine textures and other details are put to the side in the name of quantity. I was being skeptical about the food, but when it came out, my mind was changed. Outside of Hong Kong, I hadn’t found any Dim Sum places really worth eating at until now. I was pleasantly surprised and we actually came back for a second meal so Mimi could get her fix before returning home.
The decor and presentation is definitely cleaner than most Dim Sum joints. You can snack on these condiments as you wait for your order.
Marinated goose slices over Tofu. One of their most well known dishes and for good reason. Each slice was extremely flavorful without the gamey fowl taste overpowering the experience.
Steamed char siu bao (叉燒包). Nice and fluffy.
Har gow (蝦餃) / shrimp dumplings. Typically something I don’t care to eat but they weren’t bad here.
Fried turnip cake (Lo baak gou / 蘿蔔糕). Lightly pan fried without being burnt to a crisp.
Pork shumai (燒賣). The skin had a nice texture as you bite into it instead of just being super soft.
Lai wong bao (奶黃包) or egg custard buns are probably my favorite part of dim sum. These were simply amazing.
Yummy custard inside.
Fried pork dumplings. Pretty standard fare with this dish.
Forgot the name of these spare ribs but they were really good. The portion size was extremely small though. 😦
Almond shrimp rolls.
Fu Pei Guen (腐皮卷 / Beancurd Skin Rolls). Nice and light skin with very little oil.
Taro Dumplings (芋頭角 / Wu Gok)
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