XL Z.
Google
We’d give this a 3.8-star rating if we could. It’s not bad, and some of their baos are okay, but overall this feels like a heavily modified version of so-called Taiwanese “street food” adapted for Western diners. It has the look of the dishes—ish—but not the depth or authenticity of the flavours.
The seasoning of the beef noodle soup is quite off. The beef lard and oil overpower the actual star of the dish—the beef—leaving only a faint hint of salt and lacking the soy-sauce base that usually defines this heavier style of noodle soup. The coriander had almost no aroma; I even wondered if they might have used parsley instead. The two look similar, but the flavour is completely different—or perhaps it simply wasn’t fresh, as the fragrance was entirely gone.
The meats aren’t the freshest either, especially the pork in the pork bao, which has a noticeable gaminess. The beef in the noodle soup is overcooked to the point of being mushy, losing the texture that should give it a nice bite.
Their “Taiwanese” fried chicken is really just a weaker version of Japanese karaage—wrong seasoning, and served with a sweet chilli sauce that screams “orientalism” more than authenticity.
The Lu Rou Fan was probably the most disappointing dish we tried, especially since we had high hopes when we saw it on the menu. The fried egg on top was nicely done, and the meat tasted okay—just a bit on the dry side. But we couldn’t understand why they added pork floss. It’s an odd choice for this dish and made an already dry bowl even drier.
A more traditional Lu Rou Fan would have the braising liquid spooned over the rice, allowing the dish to be moist and flavourful. The fat from the stewed pork normally adds richness and creates textural layers, but none of that was present here…
A quick note on the service: we arrived during a quiet hour when there were only a few diners in the restaurant. The staff were visibly free, chatting among themselves, while we stood at the front waiting to be seated. It’s not that we minded waiting, but with plenty of empty tables and no rush, choosing to finish their conversation before acknowledging customers felt a bit off.
That said, the environment is nice. If you want somewhere with a vibe that’s a bit different from Chinatown, it could still make a decent date-night spot, make sure to avoid peak hours though. Just… don’t call this an authentic Taiwanese restaurant.
