The Chairman in pain

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Two days after we first met, I'm sitting down with my new friends from Europe again. They had visited The Chairman (大班樓) a few years ago, but that was before the menu format change and the move to the current digs. I seem to be always taking visitors and other friends to dine here, but the good news for me tonight was that for once, I didn't have to order the signature flower crab!

The bad news for me was that immediately after lunch, I suffered pain in my digestive system that prompted a visit to a clinic... where I was diagnosed with indigestion and prescribed meds to (hopefully) alleviate the symptoms. That meant I wouldn't be at full capacity tonight, and would be nibbling more than devouring.

I know that my guests have big appetites but I chose to stick with the "regular" or "basic" menu, without adding any extra dishes. I figured that since they are eating their way around town with two big meals a day, this should be enough in terms of calorie intake...

Ginger and vinegar pig trotter terrine (甜醋子薑豬手豬耳凍) - since being introduced in 2023, this has quickly become one of my favorite starters here. I made sure to give the download on the origins of this dish to the visitors, as those not familiar with local customs would never make the connection with birthing mothers. I do love the sweet and sour vinegar, and how the jelly reminds me of what the original dish looks like when I first take it out of the fridge. The signature pickled young ginger of the restaurant has been finely diced and used as garnish, alongside really finely chopped kaffir lime leaf for their beautiful fragrance.

The golden roll

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I'm entertaining a couple from Europe who are eating their way through town. I had been trading messages with one of them for a few years but we had never had the opportunity to meet until now. I did take the last-minute opportunity to check if was an axe murderer by following him on social media, and I felt reasonably sure that he is not.

So I showed up for our dinner at Wing (永). Vicky had very kindly let me book a table early to ensure we get the date my new friend had asked for, and I was initially somewhat surprised that no one had asked us which of the restaurant's two menus we preferred. Of course, I knew we would be in good hands with Vicky.

We started with the seasonal welcome drink, which is designed to work for each of the 24 seasons (節氣). As the start of summer (立夏) was just two days ago, we would be enjoying a cup of loquat, preserved apricot, and hawthorn drink (枇杷杏乾山楂飲). One of the benefits was meant to be coordinate between the intestines and the stomach, and I could only hope that it does that job well.

Before the start of our meal, we were shown a collection of special ingredients which would be used for our dinner tonight. The humpback grouper (老鼠斑) was still alive and breathing, although obviously not happy about being out of the water at this moment...

Double the pleasure, double the fun

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Our stay in Taipei was much longer than we had originally planned for, and this resulted in us having to cancel a few gatherings with friends. Now that we are back for a few weeks, we figured it was time to make it up to the chefs and restauranteurs who were incredibly understanding of our situation. I had checked the booking website for Godenya (ごでんや) and found plenty of open seats, so I grabbed 2 at the counter tonight to start off our long weekend.

It's been far too long since I was last here, and I was bummed about missing the special little flowers this season. Foursheets and I still looked forward to all the goodies coming our way, though...

Hotaru squid, udo, wasabi leave, sansyo-leaf (螢烏賊 独活 花山葵 木の芽) - I'm always so happy to see all the variations of this dish during this season, because it features all the elements of spring.

A night of restraint in the 'hood

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This has been some time in the making. I've tried to organize a few team meals since joining my current team, and this time we managed to get everyone at the same table. I didn't notify The Kitchen Nazi ahead of time that I was coming, although he did tell me a few days ago that he would be in Mexico. Well, as I told my team, there are pros and cons of him not being in da haus at Neighborhood... and I would at least be able to order the dishes that I wanted to have!

Smoked mackerel - smoked fish here is always a good idea, especially when mackerel is on the menu. Just look at the beautiful pattern on the fish! Taken with horseradish sauce tonight and not fish liver.

Moving sticks, 2026 edition

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We love our visits to Hidden (秀殿). Especially for Foursheets, as it's her happy place. We don't always remember to book our own seats when the booking system opens, but fortunately we have a few friends who do, and they sometimes need to offload their bookings. So it was that tonight we took over two seats from a friend, and it was absolutely perfect for the day after we move apartments. In fact, the last time we moved apartments two years ago, we came here for dinner just hours after all the boxes got dropped off.

Before we came, I had announced that I would need to put some effort into losing weight. And to that effect, I said I would try to restrain myself tonight and not order too much. Let's see how I did...

There were plenty of seasonal specials that I love, but unfortunately the spring mountain vegetables () are no longer on the menu...

Fried chicken wing (手羽唐揚げ) - I was so excited about the specials tonight that I actually forgot to start with these delicious wines! Fortunately our neighbors got theirs and we immediately added our own order. These are always so, so good. But I decided against ordering a second one, on account of being restrained and all...