Mike C.
Yelp
Some friends hosted a group party here during the summer but my schedule didn't allow me the chance of dining here.
Fast forward five months later and I decided to make my last dining out dinner here the day before New Year's eve. I was fortunate and timed it well in arriving around 5:15 pm on a Tuesday in finding a corner metered parking space just a few steps from the restaurant. After feeding the meter, my friend and I walked into the restaurant and met a couple of neighborhood friends who were seated in a booth table on the left.
I studied the menu before coming so I had an idea of what I'd try. The drink section of the menu is pretty extensive as was the regular and dessert menus. I started with the pink lychee drink, 50% sweetness (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=0&select=q6-FH9IrrQyQon8WDOwwBA) from the drinks section; it was moderately sweet and a slight lychee flavor. My favorite thing was that it was icy. My friends who also hosted our dinner ordered several appetizers to share. We started with the Super fries (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=0&select=PMIiptGeG2iQqcYQdTwX_A), an elongated version of common French fries, which came with a dipping sauce that I didn't try. Being longer also meant the fries were on the thicker side making it heartier and not as crisp. The next dish was the fried tofu (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=0&select=CrwxDLrTuGzAwy2IoqJu3w); the small cubes of medium firm tofu came with a sweet chili sauce that was minimally spicy; this was my favorite of the three starters. We also tried the popcorn chicken (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=0&select=O_ji13WD_0XSLGvsIoDiTw), a Taiwanese staple usually battered with a white pepper batter and garnished with fried basil leaves. This came with the sweet chilli and a honey mustard dipping sauce. This was not a traditional version as the flavors were relatively muted. For my main, I tried the Tonkatsu pork cutlet in tomato cream sauce spaghetti (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=0&select=c0Cxfg0IJh25zvWmFdlIuw), wow, that's a mouthful; there were about nine slices of pork cutlet atop noodles that had a sauce with cherry tomatoes, basil leaves, and fresh mushrooms. With my stomach already satisfied from the apps, I was only able to eat half of it. At the time, I found the dish okay but it didn't wow me. Perhaps my expectations were too high after hearing how my fellow diners enjoyed their previous visit. I reheated it for lunch two days later at home and enjoyed it more, noticing that it was better when served temperature hot.
The dining room had only two or three occupied tables besides us. When we left, that number grew to six tables. Our waiter was relatively efficient as we had to ask him for water refills once and one of the hosts meal arrived quite a bit later after the 1st entree was served. The current local food trend seems to be fusion, mainly HK western cuisine. The menu here incorporates Taiwanese, Japanese, and Thai influenced dishes too. I was excited as there is a shortage in the City for authentic Taiwanese inspired dishes, originally planning to get the braised beef noodle soup to go. I changed my mind after our meal for fear of being disappointed with the authenticity issue. The portions are generous and the food is slightly better than okay. If I do return though, I'll likely give that item a try.