A quick bite of Yilan

David from On Lot 10 is in town for a short trip, and very kindly allowed me to show him one of my favorite places for local Taiwanese food.  Lu Sang (呂桑食堂) sits on a corner along famed Yongkang Street (永康街), a neighborhood with such luminaries such as Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐) and the current incarnation of the famous mango ice shop.  It's a typical homey eating establishment, selling delicious cuisine from Yilan (宜蘭) at an affordable price.  I figured this would be a good place to show my guest.

We stepped through the door and came in full view of the restaurant's signature dishes and daily specials.  We did the ordering right then and there, then found ourselves a table in the back and waited for the food to arrive...

Sliced pig's liver (粉肝) - sooooo tender, silky and fluffy.  Already marinated so there's no need for additional sauces.

Steamed grey mullet (蒸豆仔魚) - not exactly a small fish for two.  David seemed pretty excited about having this, since this also features in Chiuchow cuisine.  I have to say that it was pretty delish...

Fresh oysters in garlic sauce (蒜味鮮蚵) - not bad.

Pig intestine in miso (味增大腸) - once again, not very obvious in terms of miso flavor, but who cares?!  It's pig intestines!  I'm glad David likes this, too...

Steamed chicken thigh (白斬雞腿) - excellent as usual.  These are dunked in ice after steaming, so that the fat and the juice form a gelatinous layer underneath the skin.  Meat is juicy with lots of chicken flavor, and the skin is a little crunchy.

Chayote shoots (龍鬚菜) - I've always liked having this whenever I'm in Taiwan, and soaking in a simple dressing with bonito shavings is just typically Taiwanese.

Yilan gaozha (宜蘭高渣) - I made sure that David got a chance to try this specialty from Yilan, made by mixing starch with chicken soup, then coating with batter before deep-frying.

This was actually a lot of food for the two of us, and fortunately the kumquat tea (金桔茶) served here would help with digestion...  Too bad I had to rush back to the office as it's a pretty busy day today, as I would have loved to hang out with David a little more.  Next time...