A carnival of Taiwanese flavors at Tainan Tan-Tsu Mien Tainan Tan-Tsu Mien 676, DaDun Road (04) 2320-8899 Hours:11 am-10 pm Credit cards accepted.

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--By Tammy Huang Transiated by Druetzler David

It's certainly hard to find anyone in Taiwan who hasn't heard of Tainan Tan-Tsu Mien restaurant, which first gained fame in Taipei City's Wanhua district and has been doing a booming business for over 40 years. With the goal of providing the best possible dining experience to patrons, the restaurant's meticulous attention to detail and its offering of Taiwanese banquet-style dining in a palatial European-style setting have contributed to its success.
The restaurant's opulent decor includes murals, dazzling crystal chandeliers and high-end imperial-style European dining utensils. The restaurant's use of natural ingredients is highlighted via the various cooking styles here, which include steaming, water searing, boiling, and roasting with salt. This in turn helps bring out the fresh, natural flavors of Tainan Tan-Tsu Mien's seafood.

In preparing the tasty Freshwater Mussels with Vermicelli (NT$50 for 50 grams), the gizzards are first removed, before the mussels' flesh is steamed with a soy sauce and water mixture until crispy and chewy with a slight, fresh sweetness. Mantis shrimp (NT$100 for 50 grams) are seared in water, then have shells removed. These thick, lucious morsels are then dipped into a little of the chef's secret ginger vinegar sauce for an even tastier treat.
Other favorite dishes here include the Taiwanese Abalone (NT$50 for 50 grams), which is selected from batches of Taiwanese abalone that are normally exported abroad. As a result, this ultimate delicacy can only be enjoyed in two restaurants islandwide. One of the top summer appetizers is the Goose Liver Salad (NT$180). Made with pumpkin and broiled eel, it has the same rich texture as sponge cake and is very appetizing with fruit, which offers a subtle sweetness.

Plump, tender free-range chicken is used for the best-selling fragrant and delicious Crispy Chicken dish (NT$760 for whole chicken). The chicken is cured with a sauce, then soaked in malt water and air dried for a day before being cooked in very hot oil to give its skin a golden tinge. Finally, there are the Lamb Chops (NT$160). The shoulder meat of the lamb is first soaked in a fruit-and-vegetable juice--which gives it a wonderful flavor and makes it especially tender--and then is roasted.
Clearly, such epicurean delights cannot be missed. The cuisine at Tainan Tan-Tsu Mien is literally a carnival of flavors and aromas that will leave you dazzled.