Paying for home-cooked meal, AGAIN

On my first visit, I didn't find the food at D-Jen Food (鼎珍坊) to be anything to write home about.  The food wasn't bad, but honestly my mom could do as good of a job or better on many of the dishes.  For someone who is lucky enough to have a great cook at home, there's very little incentive to go out and pay for a meal like this…

But tonight Diplomatic Uncle is back in town, and decided to treat us to dinner there.  A rare opportunity for a family gathering.  I decided to keep my mouth shut and let others do the ordering.

Tongue-swallowing good (吞舌菜) - ho-hum.  A simple mix of vegetarian goose (tofu), bamboo shoots, green soy beans and black fungus.  The slices of tofu stuck together, which is never a good sign.  Frankly, for being this signature dish, the execution tonight was a failure.  I was never a fan of this dish, and calling it by its name is just pure arrogance...

Crispy chicken (脆皮雞) - this was pretty good, and something mom probably can't replicate easily at home.  Crispy skin, moist and tender flesh underneath.

Claypot rice with preserved meats (臘味飯) - I thought the season for this has already ended, but I guess Taiwanese don't really care…  Pretty good, actually.  There was plenty of rice crispies at the bottom which could be scraped up.  The sausages and preserved meats were yummy.  I tried very hard to keep to only one and a half bowls…

Stir-fried beef tendon with garlic shoots (蒜苗炒牛筋) - we asked for mildly spicy (微辣), and I think there was enough kick already.  Very tender and nicely done, as the flavors have penetrated the tendons.  Lots of garlic here.

Curry beef and glass vermicelli in clay pot (咖喱牛肉粉絲煲) - very nice, lots of big flavors, but I think this is more garlicky than I remember having in Hong Kong…  Oh and this ain't curry… this is more like satay sauce (沙爹醬).

Steamed fish head with black bean sauce (豉汁魚雲) - dad ordered this and really liked it.  I guess it's pretty decent, although I was never a fan of fish heads.

Tofu with shrimp paste (百花釀豆腐) - not bad.

West Lake minced beef soup (西湖牛肉羮) - ho-hum.  Not something I would normally order, but I guess it's OK.

Dessert came in the form of red bean soup with sago (紅豆西米露).

It's always good to spend time with family, and I guess a meal like tonight's - with homestyle dishes - was appropriate for this gathering.  Not exactly cheap for what it is, though...