PENG FAMILY RESTAURANT 20, Tai Yuan North Road

This medium-sized restaurant has a special focus on authentic, home-style Hakka cooking, but also provides a variety of Taiwanese and Japanese dishes. General Manager Peng Yu-ju has been in the restaurant business for 20 years and recently opened Peng Family as her third restaurant, following the success of her other Ju River Banquet restaurant. As a Hakka native of Taichung county's Dungshr town, she stresses that the 20 or so Hakka dishes she offers do not have Cantonese flavors like some eateries, but are the real thing. Furthermore, new dishes are introduced each month. Some of the favorites include the Hakka Stir-Fry (NT$160), "Pearl" Chicken, Hakka-Style Basil Omelet with Rice Wine, the Ginger Pork Intestines, and the Pickled Vegetable ("pu tsai") Soup (NT$150). There are plenty of Taiwanese dishes, too, like the Taiji Seafood Chowder, and Japanese cuisine, like the sushi and udon noodles. Diners can enjoy sweeter treats, like a cold glass of Pearl River Green Tea, a Japanese-style Honey Aloe dessert, and Hakka-Style Mochi glutinous rice cakes. Nine-course NT$3,000 table specials are also offered for groups and the entire upstairs can be closed off for functions of up to 20 tables. Just as good, Peng Family Restaurant has a nice parking lot in the back. --By Douglas Habecker, translated by Vivian Ko Morano