My group stopped by Red Onion a few minutes after the restaurant opened yesterday. To my surprise, there were already three groups seated and eating. I'm listing everything we ordered, so this might be a long review.
Appetizers:
- Fried Crispy Intestines ($7.95): Two long rows of crispy sliced intestines were served on a long plate with a side of salt and pepper for dipping. Each piece had a nice crisp on the outside, while the middle was soft and had a slice of green onion tucked in. On it's own, there isn't much flavor, so dip it in the salt and pepper mix each time. If you want this with spicy peppers, order "Pork Intestine with Hot Pepper" under "Entrees Item" on the menu.
- Ji Juan/Chicken Roll ($6.95): Their chicken roll was fried well, making each slice extra crispy but still a bit moist in the meaty middle. Each order comes with a saucer of a sweet red sauce for dipping. I prefer eating this without the sauce since the roll is flavorful on its own.
- Taiwanese Meatball ($3.95): The pork meatball is wrapped in a thick glutinous rice wrapper with a mochi like consistency, then covered in a sweet red sauce. I saved this for last as I was incredibly full from eating everything else, but still enjoyed it. The meatball was tender and the glutinous rice wrapper wasn't too chewy. For me, the sauce is a little too sweet to my liking, but I wouldn't mind ordering it again.
- Gua Bao/Taiwanese Style Burger ($4.50): It's basically slices of braised pork belly with ground sweet peanuts and a few other ingredients between a warm bao. The pork belly was tender and quite flavorful. Unless you're sharing it with a friend, don't slice it in half or else the ground peanuts will fall out. It wasn't salty at all.
- Taiwanese Fried Chicken ($7.95): The chunks of chicken will still have a bone in the middle, so just remember that if you order this. I don't mind salty foods, but many may find this a little too salty for their tastebuds. I actually like it, though. Salty? Yes, but it is tender. If you order a rice plate, this would go well with what you ordered.
Main Dishes:
- House Special Fried Rice ($9.25): Given that we ordered so many appetizers, I decided to order fried rice for myself and eat it with everything else. Well, I was not expecting a long full plate of fried rice. It has green peas, slices of chicken, char siu, and shrimp to name a few of the ingredients. I have no complaints about it, except for the fact that I was incredibly full since no one else wanted any. I would say this would be good for two people.
- Braised Pork Rice ($4.95): This is a small bowl of rice with a soy egg and diced pork belly, so if you're looking for the whole slices of pork belly, order the "Kongrou Fan"--I think it's labeled as "Sliced Pork Over Rice" according to one of the pictures on the back wall. The pork was mostly fat, but it is buttery soft. Outside of it, though, you might want to order something else to go with this.
- Beef Noodle Soup ($8.25): I'm really not sure what Taiwanese beef noodle soup should taste like. It's good, but the broth is a bit short on flavor. The beef was tender, the bok choy was cooked perfectly, and the noodles had the right chewiness. Maybe I'm just looking for a "beefier" broth.
Overall, this is a solid option for tasty Taiwanese food in Edison. The service was great, but can be a bit spotty once it gets busier. I would come back to try what else Red Onion offers. read more