We came in close to closing time, but service was speedy! We got our orders in and didn't have to wait long before the food arrived. The beef noodle soup was perfect on a cold night. The beef was tender, the soup was rich and warm, and the noodles made for a great slurp. The water spinach couldn't have been eaten faster! Refreshing and familiar - would get again! read more

Looking For Chai - Beef noodle soup - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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Parking in front can be tight, but there are lots of spaces if you're willing to walk a few hundred feet. I've visited twice with my husband who loves their Sizzling Platter (beef or pork? I can't remember). He gets it with noodles and thinks the dish is so good, he wants it for his birthday. It's a generous portion, savory and well-flavored. I've gotten the Crispy Chicken with Special Spicy Sauce which is ok but not worth coming back for. The servers are not unfriendly, but they're not chatty or welcoming either. Haven't found anyone who can explain the name of the restaurant either! read more

Unfortunately, I wasn't super impressed by my visit to Looking for Chai. I think it's a convenient option that isn't fussy nor will it have a line if you have kids, but as a Taiwanese option, there are plenty of other places on the eastside that do the staple dishes much, much better. This location has a shared parking lot with plenty of spots and there were plenty of tables available 6:30 - 7:30 PM on a weekday. Beef Noodle Soup (2.5/5): Just every aspect was a mid. Beef could be a bit more tender, noodles were too soft, and the soup was just okay. Definitely a skip. Minced Pork (3.5/5): The flavor of the meat is actually solid: super savory, fatty, and slightly sweet. I wish that there was more of the sauce to soak into the rice, but it's not a bad rendition by any means. Popcorn Chicken (3.5/5): Chicken was actually cooked really well - great crispy crunch and the meat was juicy and tender. However, the actual flavor was super bland. With more salt and more seasoning, this could have been a really solid dish. read more

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This place was bomb, we loved our quick little dinner here after I got my hair done in the area. It was especially a good sign that it was primarily locals and families coming here for dinner. We were the only non-Asians, but we felt that we were not treated any differently, and we highly appreciated that. The food was fresh, well-priced, surprisingly high-quality, and came quickly. They have their own free parking, and the restaurant itself is nice and clean, which we appreciated. The servers were all very sweet and efficient, we would definitely be back in the area again. read more

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Always a great choice for Taiwanese food. I love coming here for the popcorn chicken which comes with rice with pork on top, corn, tea egg, and boiled bok choy. The chicken is very flavorful and most of the other sides are on the bland side but goes very well with the chicken. My friends also enjoy the pig ear side dish. Service is fast and we are always well take care of. read more

Looking For Chai - Popcorn chicken - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Always love this place. Our first time we tried out was in edmonds location. Plenty of free parking in Bellevue location. Today there's no line. Perfect. Restrooms: men and women restrooms Today we ordered: Taiwanese oyster pancake Shredded chicken cucumber cold noddle sesame sauce Popcorn chicken w rice Sliced lamb water cress with satay sauce Everything is great. Not a fan of the cold sesame noddle. Wish they have stinky tofu. Apparently, they only serve stinky tofu in edmonds location read more

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I got the bamboo pork stir fry (great flavors but portion was small); pork bun (pork was a little dry, but I loved the nice touch of pickles to cut though the fat); and the black pepper pork chop over noodle (my favorite dish of the night!!!) read more

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Went again recently around 5pm for dinner on a Saturday. No issue getting a table for 6. Food was good but I've had better. Had the beef noodle soup, braised pork belly over rice, popcorn chicken, crispy chicken, and oyster mushrooms. I particularly enjoyed the mushrooms and crispy chicken although I did feel a bit queasy because of too much oil the next day. Service was great and parking was easy read more

Favorite Taiwanese spot on the eastside - casual friendly vibe that's all about the authentic Taiwanese dishes. The rare spot that satisfies my Taiwan born parents. read more

One of my friends sent food from here when we moved to the area and it hit the spot!! Crispy Chicken With Special Spicy Sauce - very interesting! Never had this before, I thought it was a twist on popcorn chicken before but I think they have actual popcorn chicken. The sauce has great flavor and kick. Beef noodle soup - solid flavor, not too salty, meat was very tender. Also got the milk tea and passion fruit tea, both were delicious read more

Takeaways: salt n pepper fish and sweet and sour pork, winter melon tea Not bad safe corolla option: oyster pancake Straight mid af: popcorn chicken (i mean come on), fried rice Gonna come for the tea and fish. Stuff I normally go to my ex for Cut approved read more

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Great Taiwanese spot with some food items hard to find in other more bento/snacky TW places, like the cold noodle, shrimp rolls, and kidneys. They do NOT have stinky tofu at this location. Lynwood only- so I'll definitely need to try that one. Will be back here for more tho! Wish their oyster pancake had a bit more oyster as always read more

We went for dinner and were seated pretty quickly. We hadn't been here since precovid and were happy to be back to eat some of our favorite Taiwanese dishes. The clams with basil was a favorite, with plump clams and a yummy sauce. The cold noodles were also nice and we liked the sauce and the egg ribbons, carrots and cucumbers, it was very refreshing to eat. We appreciated that the popcorn chicken came with fried basil as well, though the portion was smaller than expected and some of the pieces of chicken could have been larger. The pork belly in the pork burger and braised pork over rice was pretty disappointing. The meat was too 柴, it was very difficult to chew and eat. We liked the thinness of the wonton wrapper and the filling. The sauce on the spicy wontons could have been less sweet though. read more

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The food is average. I've come about 5 times now, and can't complain much. Prices are decent, service is fast, and it's your average experience. I do recommend the minced pork and chives - I would rate this dish a 5 star! read more

Updating with my post-Covid dine-in experiences at Looking for Chai. On my most recent visit, my friends and I came here after a long climbing session at Bel Red Edgeworks, which is only 5 minutes down the road. We were fortunate to get a table for 6 people at 7pm with no wait, which is a rarity at this place, considering that the last time I was here with my family in November, it was at least a 30 minute to an hour long wait (they have a wait list sheet at the entrance and a very small entry way). Perhaps people were just out of town for the long weekend or maybe there is more competition now that several other Asian restaurants are popping up in the area. Over my past few visits at Looking for Chai, I've tried the... CHIVE FLOWER SAUTÉED WITH TAIWANESE SQUID ($19.50) - this dish is unique and one of my dad's favorite dishes. I personally don't care for how oily it is. As this dish consists mostly of chives, the flavor is overpowering in my opinion and you definitely will be left with stinky breath after eating it. The squid is a little rubbery and doesn't add much to it in my opinion. TLDR- if you absolutely love the taste of chives and green onion, you'll enjoy this dish. If you only like the taste or meh about it, skip it. SIZZLING PLATTER WITH CHICKEN STEAK ($18.50) and SIZZLING PLATTER WITH PORK CHOP ($18.25)- these two dishes are essentially the same, minus the meat. You can also order it with steak for $21.95. This dish, as stated in the name, comes out on a sizzling hot dish with your choice of noodles or rice and choice of black pepper sauce or mushroom sauce. It comes with fried egg, onions, and broccoli. I recommend the pork chop as the chicken was not properly defatted. TIP: if you order rice with this dish, it's served on the side. If you order noodles, it's served on the platter which gives it a little extra crunch! BRAISED PORK OVER RICE ($15.95)- this is one of my favorite Taiwanese dishes, along with the minced pork over rice. They are generous with the pork and give you maybe a half pound or so of juicy and marinated pork belly. It comes with a little bit of minced pork underneath the pork belly, so you get to have the best of both worlds! It is served on top of white rice which soaks in the flavor of the savory meat marinade and comes with a side of pickled mustard cabbage, Bok choy, a marinated hard boiled egg, and a sprinkle of cilantro. You can't beat the flavor of this dish! TAIWANESE SPECIAL BEEF NOODLE SOUP ($15.50)- this is a classic Taiwanese dish. However, I must say that I thought the soup was just okay and that the broth lacked richness. If you want superior beef noodle soup, I would recommend going to Monga off Bel Red instead. This dish contains msg, but I'm sure several other of their dishes also contain msg. SAKURA SHRIMP FRIED RICE ($15.95) - the rice was nicely fried and came with a good XO sauce flavor. However, the shrimps were super tiny and so there wasn't a lot of protein in this dish. TAIWANESE SPICY HOT POT ($17.95) - Looking for Chai serves a variety of different hot pot options with optional add ins. They are served boiling hot over a Bunsen burner. While they are decent portions, I've yet to be impressed by the ones I've tried, including this one. We ordered the broth in mild spice, and there was just the right amount of kick to it, but didn't have much taste to it otherwise While I enjoyed the pork and emoji mushrooms, I think that Boiling Point is a better option if you're looking for individual hot pot. The interior and bathroom are clean. They have a parking lot, but it isn't the best lit at night. Service is decent and we usually get our food within 15-20 minutes after ordering. Overall: 4/5 for food, 4/5 for service, 4/5 for atmosphere read more

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The food here is always done right whenever I go, so I'm never surprised to see all the tables filled and people waiting outside whenever I come here on a weekend. All that being said, I did expect a little more here. I was on the waitlist for a bit when I came here with my friend, and we got seated promptly. The inside is noisy with a ton of people, and you're provided with a very extensive menu that has things like rice/noodle dishes, mini hot pots and chef's specials. I've tried some of their rice dishes, their popcorn chicken and even some of their drinks too. This time around, I got their Taiwanese special beef noodle soup and got a side of popcorn chicken. The chicken is bomb as always; very well flavored with a slight touch of spice. The beef noodle soup felt really mild though. The soup base was bland, and that made the already-bland noodles even more bland in this case. The beef was surprisingly flavored well despite all that, and I love how they provided some condiments for my noodles if needed. Despite my recent food experience here, I love how quickly food came out and how service was just speedy and prompt with how many people there were inside. read more

Looking For Chai - Taiwanese special beef noodle soup - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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This is one of my favorite Taiwanese spots in Bellevue. Located in a more quiet area not that far from Downtown Bellevue. The menu is pretty diverse as far as single items and sharable items. I recommend the braised pork rice and also the pancakes. Service is fast and prompt, and the ambience is great for groups or family. read more

Looking For Chai - Fish cake - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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We were starving after playing tennis, and I was craving hearty Taiwanese comfort food. Looking for Chai hit the spot. They also have bubble milk tea along with the extensive food menu! We tried: Braised Pork Bowl ($15.95) - Fatty chunks of braised pork belly served on a heap of rice, accompanied by a soy-seasoned egg, bok choy, and pickled radish. Delicious! Pork Burger ($11.75) - I found the bun a bit heavy, but the pork was nice and fatty. My friends raved about these, though! Beef Noodle Soup ($15.50) - Yummy and flavorful! :) Such generous portions all around! The staff is attentive, and the interior is casual and simple. Overall, a solid experience! read more

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Came here for dinner with some friends and had a pleasant experience! The inside is clean and spacious so we did not need to wait for a seat. The food is pretty good and has the comfort of home cooked meals. Definitely a solid spot for taiwanese food but not anything special. The boba was surprisingly good though! read more

Looking for Chai in Bellevue is great. The crispy chicken is super good, and the stir-fried chives are tasty. The noodles hit the spot too, especially when it's warm out. read more

Looking For Chai - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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Came here with a group of 3 looking for a fast dinner. Service was fast and there is plenty of parking space. I personally really love eggplants, and although their dish was good, it could've been more flavourful. The portion sizes were pretty big as well. If you're sharing family style, I'd recommend getting two dishes + rice to share for two people. read more

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Best taiwanese food on the Eastside hands down no contest. Everything on their menu doesn't miss. It's authentic and the servers are always fast and polite. They remodeled a month ago, so there are lovely new purple LEDs, new chairs, floors, lights and everything. Love coming here for a spot of lunch, just keep in mind the close after 3 and reopen again for dinner rush at 5. read more

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I think I've literally ordered - and finished - over 100 pounds of their Lion's Head meatballs (called something else, especially being a Taiwanese joint; but basically the same formula of goodness - soft, juicy pork meatballs with light sauce and a few leaves of cabbage). They are that good here! Other favorites include the usual rice bowl offerings and the spicy pickled cucumber appetizer. If you can't find happiness here, it is 100% on you. read more

Small staff runs nonstop and are amazing. They have a rhythm to keep tables clear of empty plates and bowls to save them time when they clear a table. Place gets busy fast so if you are on the waiting list, read the menu and get your order ready. The food comes out quick but sometimes in the rush from the kitchen, the flavor suffers as noted in one pic. read more

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First time trying this Taiwanese restaurant. The service and ambiance were really good. They also make pretty good bubble tea and drinks. Food wise, the portion size to price ratio was pretty generous and good value. However, some of the items such as the Beef Noodle Soup and Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken lacked flavor and seasoning. The broth of the beef noodle soup was bland (clear broth) which is not what I expected. And the Taiwanese popcorn chicken just needed a touch more seasoning. Otherwise everything was pretty darn good. If you're craving Taiwanese inspired cuisine and are in the area, this place should satisfy your cravings! read more

Looking For Chai - Beef Noodle Soup, Bamboo w Shredded Pork, Crispy Chen with Spicy Sauce, Fried King Oyster Mushrooms, Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken over Rice - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Good foods, good prices. Milk fish was a bit fishy. I like fried rice, eggplant, and fried pork. read more

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Just okay. I went here for a Sunday lunch and it was not too busy. I saw the food menu to be large portions so my gf and I shared a popcorn chicken over rice which is honestly just okay. Price is fair at 15.50 for enough food for 2, but the popcorn chicken didn't have much flavor and the chicken was a bit dry. The rice is good but not too flavorful, but I do like the braised pork for the rice. I wished they had more braised pork in the rice. Egg is way overcooked. Food came fast and service was okay. read more

Looking For Chai - Popcorn Chicken over Rice - IG @bougiefoodieboi - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

they have a good amount of service and the restaurant is clean. their chicken wings are amazing!! they're crispy, savory, sweet and perfectly tossed in sauce. i also highly enjoyed their taiwanese pork meatballs and shanghai rice cakes!! read more

Looking For Chai - Chicken wings & drumsticks w/ house honey sauce - 蜜糖風味雞翼 - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Two months after a dine-in experience at the Edmonds Looking For Chai, we did a take-out order at the Bellevue Looking For Chai (different owners, different menu). The online menu appears to be ancient (especially prices), so we did our best guesses with the orders. The person on the phone wasn't helpful answering questions. I placed the order hoping for the best. Their décor is simple with many tables too close together. The Food: Taiwanese Pork Burger - 3.5 Stars This was hubby's favorite dish amongst this meal, with a chunky slab of meat in each. But there are better elsewhere. There is not as well dressed, missing peanuts, and a triumphant pile of veggies. (Look at my photos at the Edmonds LfC or Monga in Bellevue.) Slice Beef Sauteed with Scallions, as a combo - 3 Stars The beef itself is fine, not great, not bad, either. This dish was one of communication gaps with the person on the phone. "What is a combo? Rice and side dishes. What are the side dishes? Just some stuff. Then added, 'whatever the kitchen makes.'" We decided to chance it. The cost was about $3, so not expensive. The side dishes were canned corn and tomato with egg. Skip Combo. Just get the rice. Three Spiced King Oyster Mushrooms - 4 Stars My friend raves about this dish from here. It's a savory mushroom stir-fry. It's good, but not raving good. Mushroom Trio Hot Pot - 0 Star This was such a failure. I knew it has clear broth, but it's more like bland broth. Sooooo much napa cabbage... There are very few mushrooms. Before taking the photo, I literally placed the mushrooms on the top to remind myself this was supposed to be a mushrooms hot pot. Sigh. My 3 Stars overall rating is being generous. It's more like 2.5 Stars. I suspect a dine-in will be better experience, and other dishes should be better, too. read more

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Enjoyed a delicious Taiwanese meal on the Eastside. We had the lamb and spinach and spiced pork over rice. Not pictured is the Pork Burger, which is a braised pork belly bao that went into my belly before I realized I did not take a picture. I suspect this spot gets pretty busy on the weekends, so I'm glad we were able to try it on weeknight. The food was good and we'll be back! Now I'm interested in trying other Taiwanese spots. read more

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Got the crispy chicken with special sauce. The chicken was fried well, super crispy and the perfect amount of batter to coat the chicken. Wish there was more of the special sauce because it was really good. Lightly sweet and salty with some spice. When eating be careful of the pepper seeds because they packed quite a punch. The Haaka style stir fry was a nice fresh addition to our meal with the veggies. I did think it was a little oily but the crunch of the veges was refreshing. It had fried tofu, pork belly, and squid as well. Though I think there was more fried tofu piece and squid was the least amount. Service was efficient and friendly and the space was well organized and clean, it didn't feel too cluttered or dirty despite having a full house when we went in for lunch. read more

Looking For Chai - Crispy Chicken with Special Spicy Sauce - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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Ambiance - 3/5. It's a casual dining place. Every time you walk in to this restaurant, they greet you in Chinese. 90% of customers are also speaking Chinese, so this place must be authentic. Haha. Food - 4/5. Although the food we ordered today wasn't as good as usual, most of food we have tried here so far have been pretty good. Service 4/5. It's quick! We always get food quickly. read more

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Still love this place on the east side. Great vegetable to meat ratio (more veggies but they do give a generous amount of meat). Have unusual dishes. We tried pork intestines with pickled mustard greens this time. Not my favorite but still tasty. Also got some old favorites that are still great. Prices are reasonable. Servings are generous. Service is efficient if not overly friendly. The atmosphere is like a family restaurant/diner but chairs are comfortable and clean. Will keep coming. read more

Lots of options and reminded me of my old Taiwanese street food place- Hard Wok that closed down the Bellevue Lake Hills location. My favorite dish here is the fried mushroom with salted egg yolks. Crunchy salty and juicy on the inside. The popcorn chicken here is also decent good. Pickled cucumber is very flavorful and has a spicy kick to it. The friend rice noodle was not as flavorful as I'd like. Felt like the cook forgot to add salt/soy sauce. The green bean stir fry is meh... I have had better at DTF or Supreme Dumplings. Overall, I am still happy to come back because of the options and most dishes are 3.5 stars and above. read more

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Amazing Taiwanese restaurant with too many good options on the menu. I struggle to choose what to order every time I visit. The beef and satay personal hotpot is super filling and reaonably priced. The popcorn chicken is also a good choice. The Chocolate Cookie Milk Tea is an absolute must! Great tea flavor, and it's cute (usually it comes with a little plant leaf) 5/5 service. Friendly staff, clean facility, water refilled all the time. read more

Looking For Chai has been on my to-try list on Eastside for a while - due to the generous portions in photos and positive reviews online, and I'm glad I had a chance to stop by and check out this restaurant! I've been to Looking For Chai twice at the time of this review - once on a Wednesday around 6pm and another time on a Friday around 6pm. Seating is pretty fast as I've had about a 0-5 minute wait even though the restaurant was looking really busy on both occasions. The restaurant ambiance is busy and homely, with a counter leading to the kitchen opening, and cute chalkboards on the walls detailing dishes and specials at the time. Menus are physical books with pictures and prices, and service is relatively fast - with about 10-15 minutes after order to get our food. I tried a variety of dishes, which I'll review down below: Mushroom Hotpot ($16): A good amount of vegetables in this hotpot! Though the quantity was good, I would probably try and go for one of the non-vegetarian hotpots for $1 more as in my opinion - I don't think its really worth $16. Besides that, there is good variety in this hot pot - everything from oyster mushrooms, tomatoes, cabbage, enoki, and tofu squares. It comes with a side of rice too - which gives opportunity to spoon the broth over it to enjoy. Garlic Fried Chicken ($10): They give a lot of chicken in this order - it goes from the very top of the bowl to the bottom! I would probably estimate 20-30 pieces of popcorn chicken in an order. The chicken has nice texture - really crunchy and moist on the inside. There isn't really a garlic taste though as advertised, but I also see that it is listed as popcorn chicken - so maybe there was rebrand that I missed. But this is a solid appetizer if you are looking to fill up on a decent amount of chicken! Three Cup Chicken ($15): Yum! I'm a fan of this dish as it was the most flavorful option out of everything that was ordered. The sauce was savory with a hint of sweetness - likely from the ginger and garlic as they were the most predominant flavors. There is a generous amount of chicken, and all of the pieces were tender and soaked up the sauce well. In the end, I would say that you'll probably spend $15-25 on average - and you'll get a decent amount of tasty food (at least based on the times I've paid this restaurant a visit). There still are many options on the menu that look tasty that I haven't tried yet, and I'll definitely re-visit again to check them off my list! (4.5 stars) read more

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This place is busy all way till close! I was thinking it would be Indian food since it has chai in the title. We needed someplace that we could get a snack and was open till 9pm. We got the oyster pancake, which had maybe about 3-4 oysters in the gooey pancake and it wasn't enough for the size so we just ate the gooey parts with not much oyster. We also got the eggplant with basil. The food was mediocre and there's probably better dishes to get. We got tea and they came in a to go cup but we were eating in. The price was $44 for an app, eggplant, and two teas, which I think is pricey for what you get. My friend's and another's car was broken into in the parking lot so make sure to not leave anything valuable in your car even though you think Bellevue is safe! It was a weekday at 9pm so really anytime it can happen. read more

Looking For Chai - Eggplant basil dish - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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Our group came here on a week night for dinner and it's fairly busy! Seating is not a problem as they have lots of tables and works well for big group. Parking is easy to find. It's not too noisy, mostly chatter noise. They have a huge menu ranging from rice plates, noodles to mini hot pot. Food: I got the sizzling plate with rice, fried pork chop and mushroom sauce, it also comes with a fried egg. The mushroom sauce is fairly light, the fried pork chop was slightly chewy. Service: The food arrive fast and service was fast, my water was refilled very often. Overall solid Taiwanese restaurant with good portion at a decent price. read more

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I came with a group of 5 at 8p on a Thursday, easily seated us and we ordered food. All the dishes arrived super quickly and the food was solid. I liked all the dishes, very excited to eat water spinach, enjoyed the fried chicken, and the eggplant! I enjoy coming here because the food is reliable, okay price, and comes out very quickly! Maybe next time can try the mini hot pot alone read more

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Not the best taiwanese dishes I ever had but it's acceptable. I'm not quite clear on how it gets so busy though. The food was pretty average, nothing honestly special to brag about. I did try their salted egg prawns and that was decent. Shrimp was bouncy and the salted egg was just enough flavor. Their beef noodle soup was pretty generic. Noodles were overcooked and the meat slices were so thin and bland. I wouldn't order this again. I also tried their dry meat noodle and that was also kind of bland and overcooked noodles. Skip that as well. I tried the oyster pancake and it was acceptable. Facing east has better oyster pancake. I also tried their marinated pork belly. over rice, that was okay but definitely not the best I had. Overall, it was okay, I think I prefer Facing East over this place. read more

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