A restaurant serving 8 courses at the fixed price, with a humourous chef and fresh ingredients – I can totally see why it’s started to get listed as one of the things to do in Tainan.
Zhuxinju 筑馨居 is located along a quiet alley of old shophouses and it’s just another table of guest and us while we were there for the lunch course. The dinner, on the other hand is always packed. Reservation is required a day in advance so the chef could plan the menu – details at the end of the article.
You can spare yourself the headache of choosing amongst a list of food that you’ve never seen before and still don’t go wrong.
Here’s a list of mouthwatering dishes on the day of my visit.
First and foremost, you get a bucket of refillable rice. Not just any rice – it’s Taiwanese pearl rice.
1. Cold Platter
We were welcomed with a cold platter with three different appetizers including omelette made from 3 different eggs (regular egg, century egg and salted egg) plus 2 different pork rolls wrapped in beancurd skin.
2. Dongpo Meat
A very classic dish for the Chinese where a slab of thick pork belly is prepared by frying and braising the meat. This version is definitely sweeter than the usual recipe anywhere else but it is tender and juicy.
3. Seasonal Vegetable
A fairly common vegetable in Taiwan called literally ‘dragon beard’ 龍鬚菜. The chef served it cold, keeping the crunchiness of the vegetable and with a drizzle of apple sauce. It felt like another dish of appetizer instead – not that I am complaining!
4. Salt Baked Squid
The most visually perfect dish out of all! We were craving for squid then and it came out the perfect moment. The taste is simple, bringing out the freshness of the catch of the day.
5. Steamed Fish
A symbolic Chinese dish as ‘fish’ stands for abundance. Using simple cooking method with soy sauce poured over – sound simple but it can easily taste bad if the catch is not fresh. Fortunately, this restaurant has the advantage of using only the fresh ingredients of the day but there is another similar dish that outshined this one…
6. Milkfish Tail
Totally won my tastebuds! A plate of braised milkfish tail and pineapple. The chef emphasized on how precious this dish is because there’s only one tail in each fish and imagine how many are needed to complete the dish. It’s lightly sweetened and melts in your mouth, like a really fat salmon belly.
7. Sesame Oil Chicken Soup with Wheat Vermicelli
A sesame oil taste alongside with a kick of fresh ginger. If you’re not already full from the rice, sip a mouthful of the wheat vermicelli, soft and easy to chew. Perfect to finish off your meal on a good note.
8. Beancurd
The special thing about this beancurd is it’s made with well water, freshly made in the restaurant. The dessert seemed to be the same for everyone who visited and has not vary since.
The dishes above are of course not standardised at all. I went in December and these are in season! I am pretty confident in the chef that he is definitely going to exceed all expectations.
Plus, there is a mini museum showcasing some items that the food vendors in olden days use. Very interesting and it’s free!
Remember to make your booking one day before. He can speak basic English, just let him know how many of you he should be expecting and for lunch or dinner.
筑馨居 Zhu Xin Ju Restaurant
台南市中西區信義街69號 No. 69, Xinyi St., West Central Dist, Tainan, Taiwan
Google Maps
For reservation, please call 06 221 8890
Lunch 11.30am – 2pm
Dinner 5.30pm – 9pm
Price: 500 TWD
