My cousin heard from a friend that there was a place in Retiro, Quezon City, serving "Taiwan's famous stinky tofu 臭豆腐" And so we finally got a chance to visit the place, and without second thoughts, we hop on to ride through that rainy night, and finally we're here, Kao-Chi Restaurant.
From the outside, it looks like any ordinary Chinese restaurant, with Chinese neon signs, brightly lit to lure customers in, but when you take your first steps in.. you're like transported to another place.
The interiors are adorned nicely with antiques from the Chinese dynasties, but of course with a little twist of modern pieces such as the picture on the right, where the ring of the supposed wall lion head design is lighted to a bright gold.
The seats and tables are all patterned to a bright red setting, making it feel majestic and yes royalty. And so let's end the small talk and get to business.
We were quite hungry that evening for some reason, and so we had to have some carbo, and with that in mind we ordered our first dish for the night, JinJiang Fried noodle with seafood (P238), a big serving good enough for 4 to share. I was quite impressed as the seafood mixed with noodles used as "sahog" was quite plentiful, with shrimps, squid, and a not so usual ingredient in noodles, "Hai-sim" was used to give more texture to the noodles.
I like that it did not have a salty taste unlike other Chinese restos that put too much soy sauce, just to add flavor to their noodles. Overall, my niece would love this! And so do I.
I totally love this!!! Next up is the Shrimps and Pork dumplings (P238 for 12 pcs) which I totally recommend you to have a bite of. The dumplings were cooked just right, crispy on the outside, hot and juicy on the inside. But what I like most, is the smell of the burnt butter and the taste of it, which has gotten me saying "Ang Sarap talaga!" (So delicious) after my first bite.
The smell and taste of the butter made me wonder "Where did I have that familiar scent?" Ahh of course, the smell from the bakeries of Taiwan, you just have to taste it to find out!
Crispy Spring rolls (P88), crispy fried and good tasting, not really sure though if you would be accustomed to this as these are more on vegetables rather than meat which you find in most restos. But I still liked them.
And now, for the main appetizer / dish / snack. Why did I say that because yes they are indeed good appetizers to start a meal, a perfect dish for rice, and a great way to snack around during the afternoons and even for midnight snacks. Taiwan's Famous Fried Fermented Tofu (Stinky Tofu) in Taiwan words "Tsao Tao Hu" 臭豆腐 is definitely here in Kao-Chi.
They are indeed deep fried, crispy on the outside, supple on the inside and most notably very stinky! They are not as stinky as the ones in Taiwan, since Taiwan makes it stinkier to attract their customers with that smell. You can only smell the stink when it comes to your table (which is good), since not all would appreciate the scent of this dish.
This Tofu dish has made its way to the world as one of the must eat delicacies of all time, in line with our "Balut" here in the Philippines. Other countries specially China and Singapore have tried to replicate this but the best and the stinkiest can still be found on the streets of Taiwan. But since we are here, Kao-Chi's Stinky Tofu which originates from Taiwan with branches in Taipei, does its best to bring the original flavor of Taiwan to our plates and indeed they do not disappoint.
They come with a sweet, tangy sauce to dip on, but I suggest to request for a little white vinegar with red pepper sauce to mix it, but that depends on your taste. Verdict, are they any good? From the looks on how the stinky tofu was served on our table, and how it disappeared so quickly without me even noticing, I would say Yes! it's really good. Try it now!
Lastly, a treat for us! You guys will love this!
Xiao Long Bao!!! (P138 for 6 pcs.)
I have tasted quite a lot of Xiao Long Bao these days, and Kao-Chi is definitely one of the soupiest in town, and the taste? By far one of the best in the metro, what's nice about Kao-Chi's Xiao long bao is that the skin used for wrapping is very thin, and chewy. You can taste the sweetness of the juice from the meat, oozing with flavor and argghhhhh!! I'm craving for one right now! Comes perfect with the ginger and red vinegar dip.
Looks like I'll be heading back to Kao-Chi sooner that I have expected. I'll be trying our their other dishes and give you guys something to look forward to when you come and visit Quezon City.
Kao-Chi Restaurant
高記
109 N.S. Amoranto Sr.
City Square Bldg.
Quezon City
(632) - 410 - 7799
Business hours: 11 am - 3pm and 5pm - 10pm
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i love Kao Chi!
ReplyDeletedefinitely the best xiao long bao!!!