Taipan opened in 2009, and apart from the owner Deng Tian and chef Guo Qiangdong, the behind-the-scenes shareholder team is very low-key and mysterious, and is said to be run by a group of food lovers and retired chefs.
Taipanlou is Cai Lan's favorite Cantonese restaurant, and his comments are full of appreciation and praise: "There are many outstanding Chinese cuisines in Hong Kong, but the only one that can surprise me is Taipanlou." "Although there is no Michelin blessing, and there are no shark fins, sea cucumbers, and bird's nests on the menu, Taipan's unique ingredients and ancient flavors have attracted a large number of celebrities to visit, and the superior reputation has made Taipan famous far and wide.
Eighteen-flavored soy sauce chicken is a must-order dish at Taipan House. There are more than 20 kinds of spices and herbs in the seasoning, except for the ingredients such as pepper, cloves, cardamom, star anise and angelica, which are easy to reach at the tip of the tongue, and the other spices are subtle and rich. The finished dish is fragrant, the skin is crisp and the meat is smooth, and the juice is locked in the meat, which is immediately superior in front of the common soy sauce chicken.
Steamed razor clams with salty lemon are also a star dish. It is said that when receiving guests, they take out salted lemons that have been pickled for 20 years, and they usually use aged high-quality salted lemons on weekdays, and they taste just as good. The razor clams are fresh and plump, and the sour, salty and savory seasoning brings out the fresh and sweet flavor of the seafood, and the aftertaste lingers on the tip of the tongue, which will surprise the taste buds. Of course, you can ask the kitchen to cook in more ways, such as stir-frying with nine-layer chili paste, simmering in sake, or boiling it in mellow soy milk.
Boiled prawns in fish and rice soup with crispy fried shrimp heads are also a popular dish. The shrimp head of the large flower shrimp is fried at high temperature and then made into a side dish, the shrimp body is boiled in porridge, boiled for a long time until it is soft and flavorful, and eaten together with the crispy shrimp head, you can eat the whole shrimp without regrets, and the taste is also very rich. If there is angler shrimp in the catch of the day, it is also excellent for porridge.
Although Hong Kong has a long coastline, due to the huge consumption of seafood, it still needs to buy a large amount of seafood from the mainland, Southeast Asia, Australia and other places, and Aberdeen is the largest and most complete seafood market in Hong Kong. The Tai Pan guys go to Aberdeen every day to pick first-hand seafood, so the seafood dishes in the restaurant every day should be decided according to the catch, so it is recommended to check with the restaurant carefully.
There are not many dishes in Taipan, but each one can be handled and can stand up to scrutiny, and some dishes are difficult to find elsewhere. Pickled eggs with ginger, smoked pigeon with chrysanthemum in Longjing, steamed crab with chanterelle and steamed crab with Chencun noodles, and fried rice with three shrimps (fresh shrimp, dried shrimp, shrimp paste) are all classic dishes of Taipanlou. Raw ground almond tea with wolfberry ice cream is the perfect dessert after a meal.
If the two floors of small white walls are not printed with the words "Taipan Building", it is easy to miss. Taipan Building is hidden in Jiu Ru Fang, Central, the decoration is very simple, white and plain is the most intuitive feeling, there is no superfluous decoration, low-key ordinary. The waiter does not linger around the customer, but they are immediately responsive when they need service, and they will make recommendations tailored to their own characteristics and tastes when ordering. If there are any Cantonese restaurants in Hong Kong that are worth a special visit, Taipan will be remembered first.
